Making my own tortilla's... sort of.
Once I got into my later teen years by brother 'J' and I (he's younger by 2 1/2 yrs) started having some of the same friends. We went to church a lot - which included both Sunday morning and evening services. A big part of the 'raison d'etre' around especially a Sunday evening service for me (and eventually my brother) was so that we could all pile into a car and go out after church and enjoy ourselves whilst eating junk food. For both J and I, our junk food of choice became Taco Bell. What could be better - cheap food that was tasty (ok, I know... but really, it kinda is), great hot sauce and it filled the car with ridiculously hilarious sounds and smells on the way home after. I recall on more than one occasion having hot pepper packet eating contests - Gross!
Anyway, thus began my fascination with Tex-Mex. Lately, here in T.O. I've given up trying to find something that is really well-done (if anyone has some good suggestions, PLEASE pass it on) and taken to either making my own thing or once a year or so making a homage back to the nasty fast food joint (making sure to load up adequately with hot sauce!)
I do make 'taco's' here at home for the kids but haven't really tried to do much with it - ground beef, beans, spices. Well, I finally discovered that it's really not that hard to make reasonably adequate flour tortilla's. AND I actually really like them. So, with my new tortilla recipe under my belt, I ventured successfully into veggie bean/corn and rice taco filling which was really good. Add to that the awesome chipotle powder from my 'Big Carrot' extravagance last weekend and the veggie rice just knocked it out of the park. Serve with some sour cream (no low fat stuff... ok? We've had this talk) and salsa and you'll be making these puppies at every available opportunity... YUM
Flour Tortilla's
adapted from Homesick Texan
makes about 8 large tortilla shells (double this recipe if you are having a crowd, or are really hungry)
2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp vegetable oil
3/4 cups warm milk
Mix together dry ingredients in a large bowl and set aside.
Slowly add warm milk. Stir until a loose ball forms. Knead for a couple of minutes on a floured surface until the dough is firm but still soft. Place dough back in the bowl and let it rest for about 20 minutes. Separate the dough into 8 sections and roll each into a ball. Cover each of the balls with a damp cloth while you roll one out into a large circle. Let it be thin and about 8 inches around.
Place the tortilla into a heated caste-iron skillet, I didn't use any oil but you could lightly brush with butter or oil if you would like. Cook each side for about 30 seconds. Store the cooked tortilla's on a plate covered with a cloth until you are ready to use it.
Bean and Corn Rice
(adapted from 'Taste of Home Magazine - my Mom awesomely gets me a subscription every year)
serves 6
3 cups cooked rice
1 large can of black beans or kidney beans, drained mostly
1 1/2 cups of corn (frozen or canned - just not creamed corn!)
2 tbsp oil of choice
1/2 red onion, chopped fine
1/2 green pepper, chopped fine
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 tsp smoked chipotle powder (!)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp coriander
(you could also use a premixed taco seasoning instead of all of this - it would turn out just fine.)
In a heated Dutch oven saute the veggies in oil for about 4 min. Once the veggies are wilted add in the beans and mix well. Add in the corn and mix well and allow the mixture to cook over a medium to low heat for a few minutes. Add in all the spices and check for taste. Once you are happy with that then add in the cooked rice and mix well. Check tastes again and serve!
I think that stuffed green pepper would also be really nice here - some cheese on top, a little salsa on the side. Nice 'no-carb' option (not that I give a rats ass about 'no-carbs' ;-)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
About Me
- Wanda Thorne
- St Michael's Choir School is celebrating it's 75th anniversary year of service to St Michael's Cathedral. Part of the school celebration is a trip to Italy where our boys from Grades 5 - 12 will be performing and celebrating Mass. This blog will be chronicling our adventures. Wanda Thorne is the Vocal Coach at St Michael's Choir School. Gerard Lewis is the Grade 7/8 Homeroom teacher at the Choir School.
About Me
- Wanda Thorne
- St Michael's Choir School is celebrating it's 75th anniversary year of service to St Michael's Cathedral. Part of the school celebration is a trip to Italy where our boys from Grades 5 - 12 will be performing and celebrating Mass. This blog will be chronicling our adventures. Wanda Thorne is the Vocal Coach at St Michael's Choir School. Gerard Lewis is the Grade 7/8 Homeroom teacher at the Choir School.
FBC Member
0 comments:
Post a Comment