It's the first day of May which means one of our favorite food holidays is just around the corner... Cinco de Mayo! This week we'll be bringing you all sorts of Mexican goodness for the occasion, so that you'll have plenty of Cinco de Mayo recipes to choose from. Today we start with the fundamentals so that you can make your Cinco de Mayo feast like a pro - making your own tortillas! We've also got an extra tasty enchilada filling that you can put in these soft, fluffy, delicious homemade tortillas that'll really knock your socks off.
Why make your own tortillas? A couple of reasons. 1) It's cheaper than buying them. 2) It's less fattening than the ones you get at the store. 3) It's DELICIOUS. That last point is especially relevant. Normally when you think of corn tortillas you probably think of those nasty yellow ones from the store that fall apart super easily and have no flavor. These are not like that. They are closer in texture to flour tortillas, soft and slightly chewy, yet pack way more flavor. There's no substitute to making them fresh, which is why we're going to show you how to make tortillas yourself.
So get out your tortilla press and get ready to go, a whole new world of freshly made tortillas is about to be presented!
What You'll Need
2 cups
masa harina
1.5 cups water
1/2 tsp salt
Tortilla press
2 pieces wax paper
Pretty short ingredient list, right? You can get masa harina at Mexican grocers, or prehaps more easily,
Amazon. It is a special kind of corn flower that has been treated with lime to make it more nutritious. It's also very finely milled.
As for the tortilla press, if you don't have one it's possible to do this with a rolling pin, but the tortilla press makes it so much easier.
In a large bowl, mix together the masa harina, the touch of salt, and the water until a dough forms. Add more water if needed - it should be pliable, but not too mushy. Since the exact consistency will vary from brand to brand, check the bag and see exactly how much water is recommended.
Break the masa dough into balls slightly larger than a golf ball and roll them in your hands until they are perfectly spherical.
Then take your two pieces of wax paper (or saran wrap, if like us, you ignored the wax paper recommendation and just used what you had on hand). Open up your tortilla press and place the paper on both surfaces. Place the masa dough ball into the center of the bottom surface. Close the top surface over it and use the lever to press down, nice and firmly.
Heat up a griddle or non-stick skillet over high heat. Gently remove the tortilla from the wax paper, letting it drape over your hand as you do so, and then let the tortilla slide off your hand onto the hot surface. Cook for about 30 seconds to 1 minute per side, until it is toasted and air pockets start to form. Then, remove the tortilla from the surface (you can use a spatula for this) and place it into a bowl, covering with a towel. Continue to press and cook your tortillas, adding them each to the bowl. They'll continue cooking slightly in the bowl, and get nice and soft from all the heat in there.
And that's it! Now you have tortillas! But... what to put in them? Read on for more...
Making the Dish
This is a take on the
quick and simple black bean enchilada we made a long time ago, but we amp up the flavor with some bacon, and using the home made tortillas really makes these enchiladas shine.
What You'll Need
1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into cubes
1 red bell pepper, diced
4 scallions, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
2 15 oz cans black beans, drained
3 strips bacon
1 tsp olive oil
1 tbsp cumin
1 cup salsa
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp cayenne
8 - 10 tortillas
1 avocado
1 cup shredded colby-jack cheese
Pre heat the oven to 400 degrees.
In a non-stick pan, heat up the olive oil and then cook the bacon on medium low heat until the bacon gets crispy and begins to render its fat. Once the bacon is crispy, remove it from the heat, and when it is cool enough to handle, dice it into little bits, being careful not to eat it all. Into the pan with the bacon fat, add in the red bell pepper and garlic and sauté until the garlic is fragrant and the bell pepper is slightly softened.
Add in the chicken and turn up the heat to medium high. Cook the chicken until it is opaque. Then, add in the drained black beans and stir to incorporate. Add in the 1/2 cup of the salsa, scallions, cumin, salt, and pepper, bacon bits, and stir to incorporate. Then simmer for about 10 - 15 minutes on low heat, and taste. Adjust the seasonings if necessary (we usually like a little more cumin!).
Fill each tortilla with a ladleful of the filling, roll it up, and place it seam side down in a baking dish. Do this with each enchilada until all of the tortillas are used up. Then, spread out any remaining black bean sauce over the top of the enchilada, and the extra half cup of the salsa. Slice your avocado and place the slices over each enchilada. Sprinkle cheese over top of everything, and then place into the oven. Bake for 20 minutes until the tortillas are nice and crispy and the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Remove from heat, serve, and devour!
What are you making for Cinco de Mayo? Let us know in the comments!
One year ago: Scallops with Cool Green Chile Sauce
Oh wow! These look fabulous. I have a tortilla press on my wish list. I might have to put that to top priority to make these soon!
ReplyDeleteThank you! Yes the tortilla press is definitely worth it - you'll never have to buy tortillas again!
Delete