ROSVELIA’S HOMEMADE CORN TORTILLAS

My cleaning lady Rosvelia was here today and taught me how to make them – I’m so excited!  I had bought a tortilla press and already had the comal so all I needed was the lesson.  Surprisingly they go very fast and of course they are SO much better than ones from the grocery store.  It takes practice to get them onto the comal smoothly, but I am determined to make them as well as she did.  Of course she didn’t measure anything so I tried to measure as best as I could.

2 c. Ma Se Ca (Instant corn masa flour)*

1 c. flour
Water (will measure this next time I try to make them)

On the tortilla press cut out two pieces of a plastic bag the size of the circle.  I had understood you should do it with a ziplock bag, but Rosvelia just cut up a plastic grocery sack.  The tortilla will be pressed between these two pieces of plastic. 

Start heating your comal on high heat so it will be really hot.  Once it is really hot turn it down a little bit.

Put the masa and flour in a bowl.  Slowly add water, kneading as you add it go.  The mixture should be very pliable and soft and kind of moist but not at all wet.  Pinch off about a golfball size piece and roll it in your hands to make it round.  Press it a little so it is about ½” thick.   Set it on the bottom piece of the plastic bag on the press and put the other piece of the bag on top.  Press down with the handle of the tortilla press.  Flip the tortilla in the bags over and press again.

Here is where it gets tricky to us novices.  Peel off the plastic on one side and as you peel off the other side of plastic lay the tortilla on your right hand with half of it hanging off.  This makes it easier (supposedly!) to lay the tortilla on the comal without it getting wrinkled.  If it gets wrinkled don’t bother it.  Heat it on that side for a few minutes and then with your hand (!) pick up one edge and flip it over – hoping to straighten out the wrinkles if you have made any – but don’t fuss with it – you can pinch off the bad parts and just have an ugly tortilla.  I’m thinking by messing with it, the tortilla might get tough, since that’s what happens with pancakes.  Rosvelia didn’t share why but she was adamant that I not mess with it even when parts of it were flipped over and laying on top of the tortilla.  You will need to flip the tortilla several times until it starts to puff up.  Once it puffs up it is ready – but you want to wait until the whole thing is puffy before taking it off the comal.

Stack the fresh tortillas in a tea towel to keep warm and fresh.

*There is a white corn masa and a yellow corn masa.  The white doesn’t say white on it but at the bottom the yellow one says yellow corn masa flour.  Rosvelia says the yellow one is for tamales, and the white one is for tortillas.