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Tortillas a mano / One cook's quest for fresh tortillas leads her to learn the art of making

them at home

Janet Fletcher | on

July 18, 2001

My passion for corn tortillas came over me slowly and inexplicably, with no apparent impetus or defining moment.

I haven't traveled widely in Mexico and don't cook a great deal of Mexican food, but I am utterly mad for tortillas. To me, a meal of pinto beans, salsaand handmade corn tortillas is, in Michelin guide parlance, "worth a journey."

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Photo: PAUL CHINN

IMAGE 1 OF 4

Rosita Rodriguez used a press to flatten masa into a corn tortilla which is then placed on a hot griddle (rear) at Picante taqueria in Berkeley. PAUL CHINN/S.F. CHRONICLE

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For awhile, I was satisfied with storebought brands, wrapped in a towel and reheated in my Chinese steamer. But somewhere along the line, I becamemore discriminating or they got worse. The list of ingredients on the label became longer and more unappetizing, with multiple mysteriouscompounds added "to preserve freshness." Why was it getting so hard to find a packaged tortilla that contained only corn and lime?

When I moved to Napa three years ago, I thought my troubles were over. Surely in this community, which is an estimated 20 percent Latino, I wouldfind honest, unadulterated tortillas - perhaps even fresh, locally made ones.

No such luck. Napa had even slimmer pickings than Oakland, where I had lived before. So I did the only sensible thing for someone with anunsatisfied tortilla hunger - I learned to make them myself.

Not overnight and not without frustration, but eventually my husband, Doug, and I made tortillas we could eat. Now, with even more practice, we'remaking tortillas that fill us with pride and pleasure, although I'm not sure I'd serve them to people who have made them all their lives. What's more,once we became comfortable with the motions, we realized that we could whip out a dozen tortillas faster than we could boil pasta, steam rice or bakea potato.

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This was a breakthrough discovery. Homemade tortillas could be everyday food in our house, not a production -- like homemade lasagna -- toundertake only rarely. We bought a two-burner stovetop griddle so we could make several tortillas at once, and I'm now eyeing four-burner optionsbecause what if we have parties?

With our tortilla obsession, Doug and I are in good company.

ALICE'S DREAM

"I have this fantasy of starting a tortilleria," says Alice Waters, "and it would be a great way to raise money for the public school lunch program."Waters, who says she eats corn tortillas two or three times a week, imagines a business that would sell fresh organic tortillas to the public and to theschool system.

"Most of the storebought tortillas have a list of ingredients that is shocking now," says the Chez Panisse founder. "Tortillas used to be like bread:

You bought them and used them that day. Now people keep them refrigerated for weeks. It has destroyed the whole idea of freshness."

There are other signs that old-style corn tortillas may be ripe for a renaissance.

SMALL STEPS

In a small, nondescript building in Agua Caliente, a heavily Hispanic town near Sonoma, Karen Waikiki is increasing her production of organictortillas from stoneground corn. Waikiki, a tall Nordic-looking blond from Southern California, bought a 15-horsepower grinder two years ago forPrimavera, her growing Mexican foods business. Then she went looking for organic dried corn.

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"Believe me, it was so hard to find," says Waikiki, who eventually located a supply at Arrowhead Mills in Texas. She began taking her organic tortillas

to the Berkeley farmers' market and, with prodding from Waters, recently introduced them to the San Francisco Ferry Plaza Farmers' Market.

Start to finish, these are labor-intensive tortillas. The women who oversee the process at Primavera first heat the dried corn briefly with slaked lime

(calcium hydroxide), then soak it overnight in the lime solution, which softens the corn kernel's papery hull.

The next day, they reach into the soaking vat and massage the corn to loosen the hulls, then they drain the vat and rinse the corn well. Next, they feed

the corn through the stone grinder with additional water to create the masa, or tortilla dough. And, lastly, they shape the masa into balls, flatten the

balls one at a time in a hinged aluminum press and then cook the tortillas on a large flattop griddle.

To a connoisseur, which I am eager to become, these tortillas are exemplary for at least two reasons. First, they are made from fresh masa, not masa

harina, the dried corn flour that's reconstituted with water to make masa in many Latino households. It's widely agreed that, while masa harina is a

convenience, fresh masa is far superior, producing a tortilla with a more pronounced corn taste and a more pleasing texture.

WAIKIKI'S SECRET

But Waikiki's masa also shines because she makes it with as little lime as possible. Lime is essential to the tortilla process. It not only softens the corn

hull, but it also makes the tortilla more nutritious by rendering corn's nutrients to allow for better absorption. And it acts as a preservative, extending

the life of the masa, which can sour within hours at room temperature.

Many commercial manufacturers of masa and tortillas use a lot of lime to make their product last longer. But more lime isn't better. In excess, it gives

tortillas a soapy, chalky taste. According to Mexican food authority Diana Kennedy, Mexicans say an over-limed tortilla "grabs the tongue." But

aficionados recognize masa with too much lime even before they cook it, because the masa is yellow instead of ivory and it has a faintly acrid smell.

HARD TO FIND

Despite the Bay Area's large Latino population, good fresh masa is not widely available. One of the largest producers, Mi Rancho, sells only wholesale,

to clients such as Berkeley's Picante Cocina Mexicana taqueria, which makes about 2,000 hand-pressed tortillas a day. A handful of other small

businesses produces fresh masa daily (see list on facing page) but not for wide distribution. For most Bay Area residents, buying fresh masa requires a

trek.

The alternative is dehydrated masa, of which the Maseca brand is by far the most prevalent. Reconstituted with water, it makes a malleable dough

that, in practiced hands, can make a handsome tortilla. But purists will have none of it.

"It's tasteless," says Jim Maser, Picante's owner. "I'm being as honest as I can. There's no corn taste left, it's so processed."

RARE COMMODITY

Kennedy scorns it, too, claiming that studies have shown it is not as nutritious as fresh masa. Nevertheless, in just a few years, the company has

dominated the tortilla market in Mexico, making tortillas from stoneground masa increasingly rare. Every village used to have a molino, a place where

locals would bring buckets of their own soaked dried corn to be milled into masa for homemade tortillas and tamales.

Today, the mills are vanishing as home cooks and tortilleria owners turn to the more convenient Maseca.

The changeover threatens to produce the first generation of Mexicans who don't know how to make homemade tortillas, any more than young

Americans know how to make bread or bake a pie from scratch.

DON'T FORGET

"The main thing is that they don't forget how to do it," says Waikiki, gesturing to the women producing the tortillas in her small commercial kitchen.

Recently, Waikiki put a sandwich board on the road by her business to lure the locals in for fresh stoneground masa. "We want to be the village



Recently, Waikiki put a sandwich board on the road by her business to lure the locals in for fresh stoneground masa. "We want to be the villagemolino," she says. "I don't want to charge a lot for the masa, because we want people to buy it and use it and not forget how."

GOOD PLACE TO START

For novices who want to master tortillas and can't easily obtain fresh masa,

a bag of Maseca is not a bad place to start. It's widely available, inexpensive and easy to use, and the tortillas it produces are generally far better thanwhat you can buy in a package. I vastly prefer them to some I've made with fresh masa that had too much lime.

Besides the Maseca or fresh masa, you'll need a griddle, the larger the better, and a tortilla press. Although you can make tortillas in a cast-iron skillet,the process is frustratingly slow if you can make only one at a time.

I succeeded with tortillas only after repeated practice, following the explicit directions in Rick Bayless' "Mexican Kitchen" (Scribner). I also carefullyobserved people like Rosita Rodriguez, who turns out hundreds of tortillas a day at Picante. Her movements are rhythmic, even rote, a deftness I haveyet to achieve. But the sight of my own warm tortillas stacked in the folds of a cloth still thrills me.

Where to find ingredients and equipment Ingredients and equipment for making fresh tortillas are available from the following stores, among other sources.

-- Casa Lucas, 2934 24th St. (at Alabama), San Francisco; (415) 826-4334. Also at 4555 Mission St. (between Excelsior and Brazil), San Francisco;(415) 334-9747. Tortilla presses and griddles (comals).

-- La Palma Mexicatessen, 2884 24th St. (at Florida), San Francisco; (415) 647-1500. Fresh masa and fresh hand-patted corn tortillas.

-- Picante Cocina Mexicana, 1328 Sixth St. (at Gilman), Berkeley; (510) 525- 3121. Corn tortillas made from fresh masa.

-- La Mexicana, 3930 E. 14th St. (near 40th Avenue), Oakland; (510) 533- 8818. Fresh masa and fresh hand-patted corn tortillas.

-- Primavera, 17070 Sonoma Hwy. (Hwy. 12), Agua Caliente; (707) 939-9350. Fresh organic masa and fresh hand-patted corn tortillas. Primaveratortillas from organic stoneground corn are also available at the Berkeley and Ferry Plaza farmers' markets. Call a day ahead and the company willbring fresh masa to the market for you.

-- El Grano de Oro, 1710 Francisco Blvd. (at Carmel), Pacifica; (650) 355- 8417. El Grano de Oro manufactures corn tortillas from fresh masa made onthe premises. The tortillas are sold at Casa Lucas and other Bay Area locations. The company will sell fresh masa for pickup at the Pacifica factory ifyou call a day ahead.

CORN TORTILLAS

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 pounds fresh masa, or 2 cups Maseca masa harina combined with approximately 1 2/3 cups warm water

INSTRUCTIONS: Preparing the masa: The trickiest part of the recipe is getting the masa just right. If it is too dry, the tortillas will crack around theedges and cook too quickly. If the masa is too moist, it will stick to your hand when you try to place it on the griddle.

After you make a tortilla or two, you will know if the masa needs adjusting.

You can always add a little more water or a little more masa harina to perfect the texture.

Because the masa has no gluten, you don't have to worry about overworking it.

The ideal masa is as moist as it can be without sticking to your hand. A moist masa will generate steam when the tortilla is cooked, allowing thetortilla to puff, which signals that it is cooking through properly.

I find that the directions on the Maseca package produce a masa that is too dry. I add more water, working it in with a spoon at first, and then by handwhen it gets too stiff to stir.

If you are using fresh masa, you may still need to adjust the texture. It probably will need moistening. Add a little water at a time, kneading it in byhand until it feels right.

Keep the prepared masa covered with a towel to prevent drying while you get ready to cook the tortillas.

Forming and cooking the tortillas: Cut a heavy plastic bag, such as a high- quality supermarket produce bag, into two identical squares that are a little



Forming and cooking the tortillas: Cut a heavy plastic bag, such as a high- quality supermarket produce bag, into two identical squares that are a little

larger than the surface of your press.

These plastic squares keep the tortilla from sticking to the press. (Many cooks use garbage bags, but some garbage bags are not made from food-grade

plastic.)

Preheat a griddle or cast-iron skillet over moderate heat.

Make a test tortilla: Shape 1 to 2 ounces of masa into a ball. The amount depends on your taste and the size of your press; smaller tortillas are a little

easier to work with.

One ounce of masa makes a ball about the size of a Ping-Pong ball.

Open the tortilla press.

Cover the bottom with one of the plastic sheets.

Put the masa ball almost in the center but a little closer to the hinged side.

Cover with the other plastic sheet.

Close the press and firmly press down the handle to flatten the ball.

If you press too hard, the tortilla will be too thin and impossible to get off the plastic. If you don't press hard enough, the tortilla will be too thick.

It will take a few tries to determine the right amount of pressure to use. You can always gather the dough up again and reroll it without harm.

Immediately release the handle and open the press.

Flip the tortilla over and carefully pull back the top sheet of plastic. If it doesn't release cleanly, either the tortilla is too thin or the masa is too sticky.

Put your hand (your right hand if you are right-handed) gently, palm down, over the left half of the tortilla.

With your left hand holding the bottom sheet of plastic, flip the tortilla again so your right palm is face up, the plastic is on top and the left half of the

tortilla is dangling off the left side of your hand. Carefully pull back the plastic; it should release cleanly.

Keeping your palm up, lay the tortilla on the griddle in a single sweeping motion, as if you were brushing dirt on the griddle away from you with the

back of your hand.

The dangling part of the tortilla will land on the griddle first and then the rest will follow as your hand and arm move away from your body.

It's tempting to want to turn the tortilla over and place it on the griddle,

palm down, but that's asking for trouble.

Let the tortilla cook on the first side until it begins to dry around the edges and release from the grill. You will also notice a color change as the masa

begins to cook through.

It should take about 20 to 30 seconds for the tortilla edges to firm up enough so you can flip it with your fingers. But if you prefer, you can flip it with

a pancake turner.

At this point, you have more indications of whether the masa is correct and the griddle is the right temperature.

If the tortilla cracks a lot around the edges, the masa is too dry.

If the tortilla doesn't release in 30 seconds, the griddle is too cool.

If the tortilla browns on the bottom, the griddle is too hot. Adjust the masa and griddle temperature as needed.

Assuming the masa and griddle are as you want them to be, cook the tortilla on the second side for about 30 seconds. It should not brown, but it may

develop a few speckles. (Again, adjust griddle temperature accordingly.)



Flip the tortilla a second time and prod it firmly once or twice with your fingertips.

This prodding will help it to puff, which is the sign of a well-made tortilla. If it doesn't puff, it still may taste OK, but a puffed tortilla is one you can beproud of. Let it cook for 20 to 30 seconds longer, then transfer it to a napkin-lined basket and cover it.

Once the masa is the proper texture, shape the remainder into balls so you can cook the tortillas quickly.

Keep the balls covered as you work.

If your griddle is large enough, you can make several tortillas at a time, stacking them in the basket as you go.

Let the tortillas steam together in the basket for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. This final steaming softens them and makes them more pliable.

Yields about 16 tortillas.

PER TORTILLA: 50 calories, 1 g protein, 11 g carbohydrate, 1 g fat (0 saturated), 0 cholesterol, 1 mg sodium, 1 g fiber.

FOLDED TORTILLAS IN TOMATO SAUCE (ENTOMATADAS)

Adapted from "1,000 Mexican Recipes," by Marge Poore (Hungry Minds), to be published this fall. According to Poore, a Novato-based cooking teacher andMexican food authority, these sauce-coated tortillas are a specialty of Oaxaca.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups Tomato Sauce (see recipe)

About 3 tablespoons oil for frying

8 corn tortillas

1/2 cup crumbled queso fresco or grated panela cheese

1/2 white onion, very thinly sliced

Chopped cilantro

INSTRUCTIONS: Prepare the tomato sauce and keep it warm in a wide saucepan.

Heat the oil in a medium skillet and, using tongs, dip the tortillas one at a time into the hot oil until soft and hot, about 3 seconds.

Drain each tortilla briefly, then stack them on paper towels.

Dip the softened tortillas, one at a time, into the warm tomato sauce.

Using tongs, fold each tortilla into quarters to form a triangle shape.

Place 2 sauced and folded tortillas on each serving plate.

Spoon a little of the sauce over each tortilla.

Sprinkle with the crumbled cheese and garnish with onion slices and chopped cilantro.

Serves 4.

PER SERVING: 360 calories, 9 g protein, 40 g carbohydrate, 20 g fat (3 g saturated), 10 mg cholesterol, 607 mg sodium, 5 g fiber.

TOMATO SAUCE

INGREDIENTS:

2 pounds tomatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped



2 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil

1 white onion, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano, crumbled

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (Mexican canela preferred)

1/8 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon crushed hot red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

3 to 4 grinds of black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS: Put the tomatoes in a blender and blend until smooth.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and saute, stirring, until it has softened, about 5 minutes. Add the choppedgarlic and cook until it is lightly browned.

Add the pureed tomatoes, crumbled Mexican oregano, the cinnamon, allspice, red pepper flakes, brown sugar, salt and a few grindings of blackpepper.

Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer until the sauce thickens a little, about 5 minutes.

Taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary.

Yields about 2 1/2 cups.

PER TABLESPOON: 15 calories, 0 protein, 2 g carbohydrate, 1 g fat (0 saturated), 0 cholesterol, 60 mg sodium, 0 fiber.

SOFT TACOS WITH QUESO FRESCO

The simplest possible taco is also one of the best.

INGREDIENTS:

16 homemade corn tortillas

3/4 pound queso fresco, crumbled

3/4 cup salsa cruda (fresh tomato salsa)

Chopped cilantro

INSTRUCTIONS: While the tortillas are hot, sprinkle crumbled queso fresco on top. Add a spoonful of salsa (use a slotted spoon to leave juicesbehind) and some chopped cilantro.

Roll up and eat.

Yields 16 tacos.

PER TACO: 90 calories, 4 g protein, 14 g carbohydrate, 2 g fat (1 g saturated), 7 mg cholesterol, 122 mg sodium, 1 g fiber.

SOFT TACOS WITH RAJAS & QUESO FRESCO



This is my approximation of the tacos with roasted chiles served at Berkeley's Picante Cocina.

INGREDIENTS:

4 large poblano chiles (about 1 pound, total)

2 tablespoons peanut oil

1 small or 1/2 large white onion, thinly sliced

1 garlic clove, minced

Kosher or sea salt, to taste

Large pinch of dried Mexican oregano

8 fresh corn tortillas

3 ounces queso fresco, crumbled

INSTRUCTIONS: To make the rajas: Under a preheated broiler, on a charcoal grill or directly over a gas flame, cook chiles on all sides until they areblackened and blistered. When cool enough to handle, remove the skin, stems and seeds. Cut into 1/4-inch strips.

Heat the oil in a skillet over moderate heat. Add the onion and saute until softened and golden, about 10 minutes.

Add the garlic and saute 1 minute to release its fragrance.

Add the sliced chiles and season with salt and oregano. Cook for about 2 minutes to blend the seasonings.

Divide the rajas among the tortillas. Top with crumbled cheese.

Serves 4.

PER SERVING: 250 calories, 8 g protein, 35 g carbohydrate, 10 g fat (3 g saturated), 7 mg cholesterol, 118 mg sodium, 4 g fiber.

Janet Fletcher | Freelance Writer

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Tortillas a mano / One cg them at home - · PDF fileTortillas a mano / One cook's quest for fresh ... I haven't traveled widely in Mexico and don't cook a great deal of Mexican food,