For the love of tortillas!

Yes, I know... ANOTHER food post. What can say, food is a big deal in our house and Mama got a brand new toy! I happened across a new Mexican market and took a chance that they might have a tortilla press. I have been wanting to make my own flour and corn tortillas for some time. I mean really, I refuse to buy sliced bread because of all the preservatives and ingredients I can't pronounce, but I've still been buying pre-packaged tortillas! What's up with that? And let's be honest, most store-bought tortillas taste like flexible cardboard anyway! So last evening, armed with my new press and a recipe straight out of my favorite New Mexican cookbook, the Monkey Man and I tackled flour tortillas!

First you've gotta get your dough going. Flour, baking powder, shortening, salt and water. 5 ingredients and I can pronounce them all! SWEET! It's kind of a sticky dough. I learned quickly that leaving my wedding ring on was stupid! I spent 20 minutes rinsing and picking little pieces of dough from in between the stones and tines! Some people use a pastry cutter, I just used my hands. Sticky, but it's easier to judge the consistency. I rolled it into a nice ball and let it rise for 20 min.

After it had time to rise a little, I sectioned it off and made little balls.

And into the press! Now, I have to say, life would have been better had I realized ahead of time that I was out of wax paper. I ended up using plastic wrap, which worked but not as well. The Monkey Man enjoyed testing his strength with the new press, HRRRRRMMMMPH!

I used my big cast iron skillet on medium heat to cook them. No oil required, the shortening in the dough keeps it from sticking. The Monkey Man was in charge of flipping!

Don't these look awesome? They turned out a little thicker than I was expecting even though I seriously flattened the holy hell out of these things, but as they cooked, they plumped up. I was a bit worried... that is until the first one was finished, I slapped a little butter on it (you have to try them out to make sure they're edible) and the Monkey Man and I reveled in the sheer AWESOME-NESS of our creation!

Once tortillas were finished I set them in a warm oven and prepped the rest of the meal. I talked Big Daddy into grilling a lovely pork tenderloin that had been marinating all day in chile powder, garlic, cumin, salt, pepper and olive oil. I sliced some avocados, made a nice little pico de gallo, shredded some cheddar (although had I had Monterey Jack I think it would have been better) and made a little pan of black beans with tomatoes, onions and cilantro. Needless to say, I was STARVING by the time it hit the table!

So here it is, my masterpiece... Little Mama's Taco Magnifico with pork! Can I get a "HELL YEAH!"? And yes, the Monkey Man and I shared a few hi-fives after we tasted it!