166 replies to this topic

[Chris Amirault]

Big batch for a dinner party tomorrow: 18 hour soak, a bit less water, and went a bit longer with the grinding than before. I'm also letting the masa sit in the fridge overnight for the first time, so that I can make the tortillas fresh tomorrow just before dinner (and after work). I should let it come to room temp before pressing and cooking the tortillas, yes?

[Chris Amirault]

Oh: the answer is, indeed, Yes.

Just back from Tucson, where I cajoled a local tortilleria to part with an entire bag of corn. A 50 pound bag:



Bought some Ziplok bags, loaded up the carry-ons, and now the whole sack is at home less a few kernels from one burst bag. (Insert smuggling jokes here.)

So, way back uptopic, esperanza wrote:

And I have a question: what are the dark yellow flecks in your masa and in that tortilla? The flecks look like pieces of very coarsely ground corn. I've never seen that kind of fleck in any tortillas in Mexico, or even in the USA.

Now that I have this batch, I can answer this definitively. The corn that I have been using included what's known as the tip cap, the pointy part of the kernel. Most of these kernels do not have those dark tip caps; instead, they seem to have been broken off.

[ariggsby]

I'm a Texan recently removed to Rome, and I'm feeling an increasing need for several masa based dishes. Looking at this thread and elsewhere, it seems to me that the choke-point here will be the grinding. I'm pretty sure I can't get a Mexican corn grinder, but I do have access to a general-purpose (meat) grinder. There was some brief discussion above, but it didn't look to me like anyone had actually tried this. Any help?

Andrew

[Chris Amirault]

'm afraid that it doesn't work at all. The worm in a meat grinder depends on the elasticity and flexibility of muscle, which nixtamal doesn't have. In addition, the nixtamal needs to be repeatedly ground down with a crushing, not cutting, action.

Break out your metate!

[jsmeeker]

The guys over at Cooking Issues blog weigh in on nixtamal.


http://www.cookingis...ixtamalization/

WARNING: It's a long entry. Very extensive. I've only just begun to read it.

[Shaun Ginsbourg]

I have been making fresh masa for tortillas at home in Melbourne, Australia, for a few weeks now and can post some pictures if there is still any interest given the length of this thread.

Although we do not have many Mexican grocers here, I have sourced both yellow and white dried field corn: the former from an African supplier at our local market, and the later from the pet food store.

I am using slaked lime sourced from a Thai grocer (similar to that referred to in the excellent blog in the previous post).

I have been using Alton Brown's nixtamalisation technique which seems pretty standard. Having read the previous post I will try and refine it and post the results.

Grinding, of course, is the biggest challenge. I agree that Alton Brown's suggested use of a food processor for tortilla masa is laughable. My solution is a hand operated Messershmidt steel cone grinder. Grinding with the hand crank was hard work so I motorised the unit using a 1/3 hp motor with a pulley wheel and belt that slows it to about 125 rpm. It is necessary to firmly push the corn down into the grinder but with the motor going this is easy work. The results are splendid. The grinder also works very well for dosa and idli batter.

The resulting tortillas have wonderful flavour that beat, hands-down, packaged factory tortillas and even tortillas made freshly from masa harina.

[Shaun Ginsbourg]

I should also note, in response to some previous posts, that Rick Bayless is adamant that neither the nixtamalising corn or the finished product should be refrigerated at any stage and certainly not frozen. He says that fresh masa kept at room temperature, as it should be, perishes within 12 hours. Therefore I start the process 25 - 36 hours before I want tortillas: 24 hours for nixtamalisation and 1 - 12 hour sitting time for the masa. Bayless is also adamant that tortillas can be made a few hours in advance and then reheated (using a steamer and teatowl). However I find that they are best used straight away after they have been cooked and allowed to sit to "steam" briefly whilst wrapped in a tea towel.

[Chris Amirault]

Agree with your last point, Shaun, about aging, steaming, etc.

And: pet store! What a great idea!

[Shaun Ginsbourg]

One more post whilst I am on a roll ...

As well as torillas, I have successfully made excellent tostaditas using my fresh masa. I was mindful of Bayless's warning that home made tortillas generally do not deep fry well because they are too thick and just soak up all the oil. In this limited sense, so he says, factory tortillas are better suited to the purpose. With full size tortillas I have found this to be true.

After some experimentation I found that by using smaller quantities of mases (10g instead of the 40g I use for a full size torilla) I get an 8cm disk that comes out of the tortilla press thinner than a full size tortilla and deep fries beautifully, bubbling and puffing up in the middle. They can be done in advance, sprinkled with powdered sea salt and reheated in the oven without losing their crispiness. They make great tostaditas or corn chips.

A little labor-intensive, but worth the effort if you are really trying to impress.

[EatNopales]

A note about tostadas... my dad is a master tostada maker... it is a serious art in the Highlands of Jalisco where the small plate epitome is a tostada of pickled pork feet & skin.

The secret to making tostadas from hand made tortillas is to peel a thin layer of "skin"... typically you are working with day old tortillas... you let them soak in salted water and this will release a thin layer of skin on the surface which you peel by hand then find a clean place to dry the peeled tortillas in the sun. It is a multi day process.

This is not just a more laborious way of making a thinner tortilla... the resulting texture is fantastic & superior to just making thinner tortillas or buying factory made. This procedure is also used for making superior taquitos or flautas (which are also a specialty in that region)

Those of you with access to a Mexican grocer can save alot of time & effort by asking for Tortillas Raspadas... I can even get them here in Hawaii!

[patrickamory]

Chris, where did you get your original dried corn and cal?

I'm in NYC - does anyone have recommendations for sources?

Rancho Gordo, did you ever your get heirloom varieties available for mail order sale?

[Chris Amirault]

I use Mrs. Wages pickling lime (click), but for the life of me cannot find the corn anywhere online or elsewhere. Thus I recruited my wife and two young children into a life of muledom on our last trip to Tucson. Details here.

[rancho_gordo]

Rancho Gordo, did you ever your get heirloom varieties available for mail order sale?

We're importing heirloom corn for tortilla production and I've considered offering it but I'm really concerned that people will confuse it with the prepared hominy and just try and cook it. We also grow a variety originally form Jalisco, here in California.

Do you think there's a consumer market for it?

[patrickamory]

Do you think there's a consumer market for it?

Seriously, I'm totally unqualified to judge that.

However if there were some way of measuring the people who own the Ultra Pride+, the Nixtamatic and mano y metates, I'd suggest multiplying those figures by 5%, 100% and 20% respectively. That might give a general idea of the market...

[Chris Amirault]

Given that I forced my wife and children to carry 50 lbs of corn in their luggage from Tucson, I'm probably not qualified to judge, either. However, I know of several people (including me) who would regularly buy it if available.

[EatNopales]

FYI... if you have a little extra masa that you don't want to freeze... make sure you make Tejuino (soured masa beverage) or something else of you inspiration.. there are quite a few very interesting savory indigenious made with soured masa... that of course are still seen as backward in mainstream Mexico... but will probably be on the menus at Izote in a few decades (beat the trend people!)

[Chris Amirault]

Just got 25 more pounds from Tucson -- thank you, my dear wife -- and have been on a tortilla binge. As noted elsewhere, a wetter, thinner round of dough will, indeed, make a puffy tortilla one out of five or ten. Tough to handle that very wet dough, however....