Mini-quesadilla on a Talavera de la Reyna plate
Who would have thought that making fresh corn tortillas would be so easy? I have watched for years as Magda takes her organic corn kernels to the local molina (corn grinder) in Teotitlan del Valle, then adds lime and salt, mixes the dough, tenderly pats out the little corn circles by hand, and tends them with her thumb and forefinger at the hot comal in the garden kitchen. I make a mental note: Too much trouble. Easier to buy them. But it doesn’t have to be like that!
I discovered the simplicity of homemade tortillas during the cooking class I recently took with Pilar Cabrera Arroya, chef of La Olla Restaurant in Oaxaca. She bought the masa (corn dough) already prepared fresh that morning at her local market. Back at class, we used the tortilla press to make 6″ tortillas that we used for mini-quesadillas — a perfect botana (appetizer).
Testing the masa (dough) for pliability
So, back home in North Carolina I bought a similar tortilla press at my local Mexican tienda, stopped at my local organic market and purchased a bag of Bob’s Red Mill Masa Harina (not organic), followed the recipe on the bag and went to work. (Readers recommend using Gold Mine organic masa harina.) Of course, the comal (griddle) you see below is a thin steel one that I picked up from the Tlacolula market, hauled home and then seasoned. You might be able to find a comal like this at your local Mexican store, too. Thinner is better for making tortillas and roasting peppers, garlic, onions, tomatoes, etc. Season it first before using!
I use Bob's Red Mill Masa Harina (organic)
Steps for excellent, fresh and easy tortillas:
1. Mix the dough according to package instructions. Let it rest for an hour in a covered bowl. Test the dough with your thumb to be sure it is soft and no cracks appear on the surface. If needed, flick water on it, then knead to absorb moisture. Your thumb should make a nice, soft impression!
2. Take a small thin plastic bag that you have used to package your vegetables from the supermarket. Be sure it is clean has has no veggie residue on it. Cut it in half and trip off any excess. Lay one half on the bottom of the tortilla press.
Dough ball is centered on plastic
3. Heat your comal on a medium-high burner. Do not add oil. The comal should be dry.
4. Form a 1-1/2″ to 2″ ball of masa with your palms. Center it on top of the plastic. Lay the second sheet of plastic on top of the ball. Press. Flip the plastic covered dough to the other side and press again. Flip and press again (3x).
5. Lift the plastic encased dough off the press. Gently remove one side of the plastic. Careful, don’t tear the edges of the tortilla! Then, remove the second sheet. Place on the hot comal.
Gently peel the plastic from the tortilla
6. Good things come in 3’s! Pilar says to cook the tortilla on one side for about 30-45 seconds, turn it, cook again, and then turn it and cook one more time. I like a little color on my tortilla, so you can watch to see how well you like it done. There should be little bubbles on the surface of the first side, then the second side should be smooth and a little puffy.
Cook tortilla until it begins to puff, turning 3x
Lay tortilla onto hot comal (no oil)
7. Make a little quesadilla: use Oaxaca string cheese (quesilla) or a slice of Swiss or Monterrey Jack cheese. Put the tortilla back on the hot comal. Add the cheese, a tablespoon of green salsa verde, chopped onion or scallion, a sprig of cilantro, and Buen Provecho!
Quesadillas with fresh corn tortillas hot off the comal
And the taste is so much better than what you could buy in the store. Plus, this would be a great party activity — make your own tortillas!
P.S. Come to Oaxaca with us for the 2011 Day of the Dead Documentary Photography Expedition led by Bill Bamberger. Register today!
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Oaxaca Organic Indigo Blue Dye — Añil or Teñido de Reserva
Indigo blue color is derived from an organic botanical plant that grows on the coast of Oaxaca in the village of Santiago Niltepec near Tehuantepec on the Isthmus. Do you hear the añil in the name? It takes 200 kilograms of plant material to end up with 1 kilogram of the hardened rock of blue that has dried from the fermented paste. It’s what Levi Strauss used to make the original blue jeans during the California Gold Rush and even today, a bit of natural organic product is used to “stimulate” the chemical color of blue that was developed in 1904 during the Industrial Revolution.
Eric Chavez Santiago, the Museo Textil de Oaxaca‘s director of education, keeps a stock pot of indigo going in his dye kitchen almost constantly. Eric says it can be refreshed with fructose crystalline. He recently took a workshop from French dye master Michel Garcia who uses mango skins to activate the dye chemistry.
During a three-hour indigo dye workshop at the museum that I took from Eric, I learned that indigo has been in use for thousands of years in Egypt, Africa and India. It was used by the Mayans, Incas and Zapotecs of Oaxaca! It is grown in South Carolina, U.S.A. and most of the world’s production comes from San Salvador. A small production, boutique crop, only 100 kg of añil is produced each year in Oaxaca state, but the market is growing as more local people are using natural dyes in their woven textiles. They only produce the indigo in Niltepec. They don’t dye fabric with it there.
It is tricky dyeing with indigo. Añil oxydizes in water and becomes yellow green. It is very important to gently immerse what you want to dye into the dye bath so the indigo is not disturbed by movement. No stirring allowed! When the cotton or silk or wool is removed from the dye bath, the fabric color is yellow green and changes to blue as soon as it meets the air. Multiple dippings are required to get a deep, intense blue and the indigo must not be “tired,” according to Eric.
During today’s workshop, we create shibori and tritik designs on the white cotton cloth we bring to dye. We have not actually created the dye bath — it is already prepared for us! Eric Chavez Santiago offers this indigo dye workshop once or twice each month at the textile museum. Check the museum’s calendar for exact dates. The cost is 50 pesos and you bring your own fabric to dye. Very fun.
See my next post for more about Oaxacan indigo.
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Posted in Cultural Commentary, Oaxaca Mexico art and culture, Oaxaca rug weaving and natural dyes, Textiles, Tapestries & Weaving, Travel & Tourism, Workshops and Retreats
Tagged anil, blogsherpa, blue, class, indigo, Mexico, natural dyes, Oaxaca, organic, shibori, tritik, workshop