CRUNCH!

Today was monumental. I re-introduced my first grain. Corn!!!!!

I will see how this affects me over the next few days. But whether it stays or not, it is great to have something crisp.

I made my own tortilla chips. From scratch. Really from scratch. Well, okay, I did not buy dent corn and grind it to make my own corn flour, but give me a break, will you? I only have one grain mill and my husband has been using it for his wheat flour. Cross contamination is not a good thing.

So I bought “masa mix” which is really a very finely ground corn flour. Mixed with water it makes really good corn tortillas. No additives, no preservatives, just pure corn goodness.

Of course, I couldn't stop there. I cut up the tortillas into chips and fried them in corn oil. And there I found it. The crispy crunchy texture than only comes from grain. Hooray! I enjoyed my tortilla chips with my Guaca-no-le. Yum. It's fiesta time!

Corn Tortillas

½ cup masa mix

1/3 cup water

Mix ingredients until they form a dough. Divide the dough into quarters. Roll each quarter into a ball. The ball will be slightly larger than a walnut but smaller than a golf ball.

It is best to use a tortilla press to flatten the ball. A tortilla press can be made or it can be purchased (they aren't very expensive). If you do not have a tortilla press, commandeer the strongest person in the house. Place ball of dough between two sheets of sturdy plastic. Place plastic sheets between two sturdy plates. Press hard!

Remember, you want the resulting tortilla to be as thin as you can without breaking apart. When you separate the plates, the tortilla should peel off the plastic easily. Cook the tortilla in a frying pan over medium high heat. NO OIL OR OTHER GREASE IS NEEDED. Corn has natural oils. Cook for a few minutes on each side. Remove to a plate and cover with a towel to keep the tortilla moist and warm.

If you are making tortilla chips, over-cooking just a little is allowed. You want your tortillas to be dry in that case. If not, stick with the recommended time.

Tortillas can be re-cooked depending on the use. For instance, my in-laws always fry their tortillas before making tacos. Or they can be eaten as is.

Enjoy!