It turns out the second verse is not quite like the first. Two weeks of eating local in wheat- and sugar-free MA is a lot harder than one. Around the end of the first week I realized I was missing a lot of things - the crunch of a good crust of bread, the intense sweetness of jam or chocolate, and the filling warmth of pasta. On Wednesday a blood-sugar crisis and a couple glasses of wine caused me to suffer a psychotic break and eat half a bag of Hershey's pumpkin spice kisses while hanging out at a friends place (verdict: surprisingly good, until about kiss number 10). I knew something had to be done if I was going to make it through the month. The first thing turned out to be taking a lot of borderline exceptions while being socially obligated to eat out all weekend, but the second was a true marriage of intention and desire: homemade corn tortillas.
They are simple, if not quick, to make, and the fresh-ground Gray's cornmeal creates the most intense corn flavor I've ever tasted in a tortilla. The hint of home-rendered lard in there doesn't hurt either! The variations in thickness and texture created by my uneven rolling and cooking make for a delightfully varied mouthfeel. And a second cooking in the oven, after a quick coating of oil and salt, produces the perfect snack food, rivaled in my current universe only by roasted squash seeds. They are excellent eaten plain, coated in honey or topped with melted cheese and egg. I just might make it through the next two weeks after all!
Erica's Local Tortillas
- 1 1/2 cups Gray's cornmeal (or masa harina)
- 2 tsp lard
- 1 1/4 cups water
- 1 tsp salt
Boil the water and lard together. Mix the cornmeal and salt together in a bowl and pour in the boiling water and lard. Mix with a spoon to incorporated the water, and then knead by hand for a few minutes, until the dough is smooth. The dough should be on the dry side, but hang together after kneading.
Pinch off pieces of dough and roll them out between sheets of parchment paper - it will stick! I prefer a ball about the size of a jawbreaker, which makes a pretty small tortilla, but anything between that and a ping-pong ball size will work fine. Roll them out to about an eighth of an inch. Try different sizes and thicknesses to find what kind of tortilla you prefer.
Fry the tortillas in a hot, dry iron skillet. They will flip easily when the first side is cooked. Again, you can choose how much to cook them: quickly for soft, flexible tortillas, a little longer for browned and crispy ones. Store in an airtight bag in the fridge.
For a crunchy treat, brush the tortillas with oil and sprinkle with salt, then bake in a 350 degree oven until golden brown.
Where do you get your cornmeal? I couldn't figure out local grains at all during the Eat Local Challenge.
Omg, I know, the grain situation is really difficult. The only thing I found was Gray's Grist Mill, which is in Rhode Island - they sell it in Formaggio Kitchen, outside Harvard Square, and I think other places around the Boston area.