I was taken out to lunch this week as a thank you for my work. We went to Hugo's here in Houston. It is a high end Mexican resturant. The food was very good but what impressed me was their corn tortillas. They are handmade. It is really the simple things in life.
I decided I needed to try making corn tortillas again. The last time I tried, they were very unimpressive. But I decided to go with a bit thicker tortilla. That worked.
These tortillas make everything that much better. They take a good enchilada and make it a great enchilada. And for a simple tacoish meal, it makes it not seem so simple.
They are easy but a bit of work. Well worth the effort.
corn tortillas
2 cups masa harina (I used Bob's Red Mill - very fresh)
1 1/2 to 2 cups water (dependent on the humidity)
1 teaspoon salt
Mix all the ingredients together. Once you bring it into a ball, knead for a few minutes. It is very easy not to get all the masa moistened.
Cover and let sit 30 minutes to 2 hours. This is very important because it will let the masa hydrate better.
After the resting time, heat a griddle to a medium heat. Take a golf ball size bit of dough and roll out between two sheets of parchment paper.
Move to the griddle and cook a couple minutes on each side. You want little brown spots. Remove and put in a cloth as you cook the others.
Serve with whatever you wish or use in enchiladas or just eat plain. We were having mushrooms and caramelized onions with a bit of cheese here.
Makes for happy tummies.