Ingredients
FOR 16 TORTILLAS
1 1/2 cup masa harina
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 1/2 tbsp oil
1 1/3 cup warm water
Directions
Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl and beat with a
wooden spoon until thick and smooth. Scrape the sides of the bowl,
and cover the surface of the dough with plastic wrap while pressing
and frying individual tortillas so the dough will not dry out. To
form the tortillas, wet your hands and pull off a lump of dough about
the size of a golfball. Roll it into a ball. Tear off 2 pieces of
plastic wrap about a foot long. Either in a tortilla press, or
between 2 dinner plates, place the ball between the sheets of plastic
wrap. Press down with the palm of your hand to flatten slightly, then
press firmly to form a thin circle. Use the first tortilla to test
the consistency of the dough. If the edges of the tortilla are uneven
and crumbly, the dough needs a little more water. If the sheet of
plastic sticks to the dough and it is very soft, add a few
tablespoons of masa harina. Repeat with the remaining dough, leaving
individual tortillas between the sheets of plastic wrap. Heat a heavy
skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Peel off the top sheet of
plastic and invert the tortilla into the hot pan. Grill until
stiffened, about 30 seconds; turn for 1 minute or less, until the
side is slightly browned, then turn to the first side for 30 seconds.
The time for grilling each tortilla is less than 2 minutes. Repeat
with the remaining tortillas. Source: SouthWest Tastes
Servings: 16 servings
Corn Tortillas (Making) Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Bread; Breads; Mexican
The History of Recipes
It is possible to read the history of meal recipes way back into the distant past, certainly as far back into recorded history as the Egypt of the Pharoahs, and maybe even further. However, sadly, these old cook books were just very simple pictorial recipes for food preparation.
In fact, the oldest recipe found, according to academics are a few stone tablets in Sumerian which show the baking of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as making those who drank it feel wonderful and blissful. Later, there are a couple of recipe books published in the 1300s : a cookery book published under the title `Forme of Cury`, and another, similary titled `Curye on Inglish`. Surprisingly, these are nothing to do with the indian food that is familiar to us all today, but rather recipes for the types of food prepared for the rich and wealthy people of that time. Later, in the fifteenth century, the Crusaders brought back a variety of foods and spices from the East, including spices such as coriander, parsley, basil and rosemary. These new herbs and spices prompted a surge in recipe publications, most of which still exist in private libraries. For the decades that followed, the powerful families of the West competed to serve the most extravagent banquests, and as a result chefs and their collection of recipes were much in demand. Nevertheless, it wasn`t until the 1800s that haute cuisine and recipe books became really popular. Mrs Beeton in the UK, and the equally famous Fannie Farmer in the US, dedicated years of their lives to collating, trying out, and publishing recipes common in their social group. By the time we get to the 1900s, recipe books are highly popular as a result of increased literacy, increased leisure time and having more disposable income. The arrival of television brought us TV cooks and the demand for the spin-off recipe books. Which brings us neatly to the present day and the invention of the internet, allowing everyone to search through massive numbers of recipes like the ones you can find on sites such as the one you are reading now. |
We hope you enjoy this Corn Tortillas (Making) recipe.
