The Chinese New Year detritus was still in full effect outside of SF Market. Some year I'll remember to head to South Sac on the actual day to check out the festivities.
Have you ever made flour tortillas? EC clued me into it. I got out the ol' Diana Kennedy and checked out the recipe. First, you mix the lard into the flour by hand, kind of like a pie crust. Even just lard and flour together smells good. Don't get those yucky white blocks of lard, go to a Mexican market (like La Esperanza) and get the light brown stuff they render. I put in half wheat flour because why not?
This dough was really nice to work with. Moist but not sticky.
Charring pasilla chiles to make rajas.
I made up some tomatillo salsa and it was not that great.
I asked for some asada-type steak at the carniceria.
My only mistake (ever, in life) was not chopping up the asada smaller. Next time!
The dough keeps in the fridge for about 4 or 5 days if it's wrapped up well. When you get home from work, take the dough out for 15 minutes to warm it up. Anything becomes taco filling! Leftovers watch out!
ReplyDeleteIt is a boon to dinner making.
ec
Hecka -Are you rolling and stretching yours or are you tortilla pressing?
ReplyDeleteI've never tried flour ones in the press.
ec
We did them in the press. Biggest drawback was that they shrunk to about half the size once you took them out. But myabe that's just what happens.
ReplyDelete-miller
I think if you use the press they are going to be thick no matter what, which is tasty. However, the thickness means you get less and that Scott and I probably each ate about an 1/8th cup of lard last night.
ReplyDeleteHow do they work out for home-made Crunch Wraps?
ReplyDelete-skpr
This cookbook lady I like a lot -Jacqueline Higuera McMahon - says to take however many tablespoons of lard the recipe calls for - replace it with canola oil- mix the canola with a few tablespoons of the flour and then freeze it. when it's frozen you can work it into the rest of the flour, just like lard - but without the evil. and the tortillas puff and act just like ones with lard or butter.
ReplyDeleteec
lard's not evil! it's good. just ask bobby flay
ReplyDelete1/8th cup of lard a day keeps the doctor away.
ReplyDelete-miller
Isn't canola kind of evil? Monsanto or something?
ReplyDeletegbomb
You could also use Olive ? or Sunflower ? Full disclosure: I am Lard-o-phobic but I love Butter. Doesn't make any sense.
ReplyDeleteec
oops, I meant Rick Bayless not Bobby Flay. Lard has way less calories than butter: fact. I think.
ReplyDeletealso, it makes you smell like a pig, which is a known aphrodisiac
ReplyDeleteI have yet to make a tomatillo salsa that was worth a damn... I've try a bunch of different recipes too. The tomatillo salsa at Mercado Loco is bomb tho and so hot you can sometimes feel it in the back of your throat before it even hits your tongue.
ReplyDeleteStickin' up for Butter-
ReplyDeleteLard has 15% more calories than butter.
Both are a blend of saturated and unsaturated fats, but Lard has more unsaturated. So your lard is not all evil.
ec
Calories (1 T) Fat (in grams) Sat Fat (%) Monounsat (%)
ReplyDeleteButter 100 12 50 30
Lard 115 13 39 45
Duck Fat 115 13 33 50
Olive Oil 120 14 14 77
excuse my shitty formatting.
ec
It has half the cholesterol, not calories, at least according to Rick Bayless.
ReplyDelete