The Proper Way to Soak and Cook Beans AND My Secret To Perfect Refried Beans

Long before I knew that the quality of a margarita was paramount to the the success of a Mexican restaurant, there was this little place in Memphis called Molly’s La Casita. There may still be a Molly's downtown on Central Ave, though I am not sure if it is open today. We would frequent the Park and Mendenhall location before it shuttered in the early Ninties.

Like the routine loving child that I was, I would always order the exact same thing at Molly's, the Tres Tacos. Three crispy tacos of seasoned ground beef with Mexican red rice and the most ridiculous refried beans imaginable. I can still imagine the taste, but I could not ever find a replacement to them. A nice dark brown color, they were the right balance of meaty and salty. They were ever so slightly pasty but the beans still held their shape creating a balance of texture. They did not reduce to a soupy one note sauce as many lazier restaurants' beans do. Molly's sublime legumes defined refried beans in my mind and virtually all my subsequent encounters with the side dish have been met with abject disappointment.

Recently I have unlocked the secret to these beans, these pearls of protein. Lard.

Yup. Sorry to burst your bubble. You were expecting paprika maybe? Lard is the secret of the best refried beans imaginable. But lard needn’t scare you. It is not any higher in fat than butter or olive oil. And many people are surprised to learn that lard is highest in monounsaturated fats, though it does contain some saturated fat like all fats do. Lard from ethically treated pastured animals is also high in Vitamin D. It is not a fat to be feared. But lard is tricky. Although it is an animal fat many manufacteurers hydrogenate lard to make it more shelf stable. And hydrogenation is bad. So few people are buying and cooking with lard these days that it is much better to render your own. Any butcher could get quality leaf lard for you. I order mine from Lewis-Waite Farm. It freezes well and the rendered fat keeps in the fridge indefinitely. And while my recipe isn’t necessarily authentic (I don’t know, maybe it is! I just kind of made it up), this warm-your-bones side dish is a great accompaniment to a lean meat dish!



Refried Beans
2 pounds of dried pinto beans, or a combination of pinto and kidney beans
Salt to taste (I used around 1-2 tablespoon)
1/4-1/3 cup of rendered leaf lard
Optional sliced onion, garlic, cumin, paprika and black pepper

Stay with me...the following recipe is longer than it needs to be. But I am specific for a reason.

Start by soaking your beans. It takes times. Properly soaked beans not only digest better, allowing your body to access the nutrition better, but proper soaking and long slow cooking helps to de-gas those beans as they work their way through your tummy. The Weston Price Foundation has a wonderful article on exactly how to soak beans called Putting the Polish on Those Humble Beans In it Catherine Czapp schools us on the proper temperature for your soaking water and why that is. I will attempt to recreate that here.

Start by placing a medium sized pot of water on the stove stop, about 10-12 cups. Take your beans and place them in a collander. Wash them thoroughly and remove any dirt, sticks or rocks. Transfer your beans to a large bowl. When the water begins to form tiny bubbles on the bottom of the pot but BEFORE it begins to boil, take the pot off the heat and pour it over your beans. Although the water is hot, you should be able to touch it without burning your hand. If it feels like a comfortable warm bath your water is not hot enough. If your hand burns upon touching the water, it is too hot. By the way, please use your common sense. Please DO NOT stick your hand in a pot of boiling water. I am absolutely not advocating that.

Once you've added your hot water, stir the beans and allow then to soak. Drain the soaking water and repeat the process 3-4 times over the course of 24 hours. After a day of soaking they will feel springy like fresh, uncooked beans.

Drain the final batch of soaking water and place them in a Dutch oven or large pot. Cover them with cold water and put them on to boil. To the pot place add half a sliced onion, one to two minced garlic cloves, paprika and cumin, a good tablespoon of salt and freshly cracked black pepper. If I was a better blogger I would have written down all the measurements. But I don't really measure as I cook. Oh well, I will make that as a goal for NEXT year. Let the beans come to a boil and then turn down the heat to a simmer. As they cook you can add more water if you need. You want to avoid a roiling boil or else the beans will cook too fast and the beans will be GASSY! Give yourself several hours to cook them. A crock pot is also a wonderful thing to use to cook the beans slowly. But whenever I use use a crock pot to cook beans I always end up finishing them on the stove top....but more on that later.



When the beans are cooked through and very soft, taste them for seasonings. Add more salt as needed. Remember you can always add more, but you can't take any away. Turn the heat on higher to evaporate any water. The higher boil will also begin to break up the beans. Stir the pot and they will break up more. That is what you can't get from a crock pot. The crock pot gets the beans soft, but it doesn't break them up. That's why I always finish them on the stovetop. When they are the right consistency, kinda pastey kinda spreadable but not destroyed, heat up a good heavy pan. And throw in your lard.



Melt your lard. When it gets hot enough to fry, spoon in your beans slowly. Stir them around to incorporate the fat. Add more water or adjust the seasonings.



And there you have it, refried beans. Meaty. Salty. Amazing with tacos. Not slightest bit vegetarian. Use the leftovers to make chili, or throw them over eggs with hot sauce for fantastic huevos rancheros. Or just eat them over rice with sensual slices of avocados. But please please please whatever you do, don't substitute the fat. It is lard, or it just isn't as good.

This post is shared with Traditional Tuesdays and Real Food 101 and Real Food Wednesdays and Healthy 2Day Wednesdays and Simple Lives Thursday and Fight Back Fridays and Momtrend's Friday Food Link

Recipe: Chiles Rellenos

As you all know, my love of all foods Mexican continues. My dear friend TQ again shows us a beautiful authentic Mexican recipe. With pepper and tomato season almost upon us (or totally upon you depending on where you live), this is a great meatless recipe to try out. Be sure to check out TQ's other post on Authentic Puerco en Adobo. Thank you again to TQ for contributing! Enjoy!

Chiles Rellenos (Poblano peppers stuffed with cheese in an egg batter)
Ingredients:
8 Medium to large Poblano peppers
Oaxaca cheese (mozzarella is ok too)
2 or 3 eggs
Flour for dredging
Tomatoes
Chicken Stock
2 cloves of Garlic
4 or 5 peppercorns
Salt
Oil or lard for frying

Roast the peppers in your broiler or directly on the flame of your burner until skin is charred and peeling. Let them rest, preferably in a paper or plastic bag, but it’s not necessary.

Meanwhile, boil tomatoes until soft and skin is peeling off.

While your peppers are roasting/resting and tomatoes are boiling, separate the cheese into segments about 3 to 4 inches long and 1 to 2 inches wide. It doesn’t have to be precise, you want it to fit inside the pepper but you want to fill up the pepper too.

By now your tomatoes are ready. Remove skins and discard. Place tomatoes into a blender with the garlic, peppercorns, salt and enough stock to loosen the blade. Puree.

Add a couple tablespoons of cooking oil to a pot, when it’s good and hot pour the tomato sauce into the pot and add a little more stock so it’s fairly thin and soup like, bring to a boil and then simmer. It should reduce a bit but you want it kind of thin.

Back to the peppers. Peel of the skin. Cut a slit down the side of each pepper and remove as much of the seeds and veins as you can without tearing the flesh. It’s not the end of the world if it tears, but do your best. Stuff cheese into each pepper and set aside.

Heat oil or lard in a deep frying pan, you want it ready for you because once the eggs are beaten you have a narrow window before they start to fall.

Now, separate your eggs and put the whites into a large mixing bowl. Beat with beaters or stand mixer to a firm peak. Then, one by one, add the yolks in and keep beating. It should look like yellow meringue.

One by one, dredge the stuffed peppers in the flour to coat, and then dredge in the whipped eggs carefully coating the entire pepper, your fingers will get battered too, that’s the name of the game! Then place carefully in the hot oil. When it’s good and golden on one side, carefully flip. It helps to spoon oil over the sides and edges if your oil isn’t too deep. Again, this is messy, wear an apron.

When the whole chili is golden, place on a paper towel to drain for a few minutes. When they’re all done, put them directly into the pot with the salsa. The batter does loosen a bit in the salsa but that’s ok.

To serve, place a chili into a bowl and spoon the soupy salsa over it. Serve with warmed corn tortillas.

Then a few minutes later it will look like this…
This post is shared with Healthy 2day Wednesdays

Why Doesn't My Lime Have Any Seeds?

I asked a simple question of my Facebook folks this last weekend. Why have I never seen a lime with seeds? I am still firmly in the grip of all things Mexican and so over the weekend I whipped up a marvelous taco fiesta with which we drank wine (so weird). I had to use up some grass fed steak that’s been hanging around the freezer and figured this would be a good way to do it. (FYI-Grass fed beef is awesome and the only thing I eat at home these days. But the steak version can be a little tough and sometimes chewy. So if you want to switch to the ethical grass fed meat but don’t know where to start, start with ground beef or any long and slow cooking beef cuts like brisket. Switch to steak last. We have totally switched and have come to love grass fed steak, though it took time.) Anyway in regards to the lime I made a fantastic sauce to go on the tacos, and I squeezed in the juice of a lime and the question rather asked itself of me.

I expected two or three people to respond something to the question to the effect of ‘Duh, haven’t you ever seen ‘X’ type of lime? It has seeds’. But…no one responded. Or at least no one responded before I could whip this post out and well, post it.

So I went online.

Turns out, according to the general internet consensus, that most of the limes on the market are Persian or Tahitian limes and they are seedless. The websites were inconclusive as the whether these particular varieties were bred to be seedless or were naturally seedless.

Some citrus are bred to be seedless. But many are naturally seedless, like the navel orange. The naturally seedless plants produce flowers that do not need to be pollinated in order to reproduce. And while I am a highly curious individual, I didn’t go the next step and find out what that was all about. I encourage one of you who is reading to figure that one out and report back for the good of the group.

The seedless varieties that are bred to be seedless are that way because of genetic mutations that are encouraged through breeding. So, of course, that begs the question, how do those plants reproduce? They….don’t, as it turns out. At the end of their lives they’d just die, if it weren’t for a crafty farmer who came along and planted a cutting. Yes, just like those fantastic houseplants that have propagated themselves around the world through cuttings, seedless citrus plants have been surviving this way for 100 years or more. The process is essentially cloning.

Whew! Halfway through reading some of these websites I was convinced that all seedless fruits were GMO’s. And I am highly fearful of GMO’s. BUT THEY ARE NOT!!! This is simple breeding. And breeding is fine. Breeding is the farmer’s way of exploiting nature. Seedless varieties are just genetic mutations, and while those mutations would be difficult to pass on in a wild growing environment (Duh! There are no seeds!), these sterile plants will live forever, so to speak, in the world of cultivation.

So, the secret is a secret no longer. Go make margaritas with all those inexpensive seedless limes. I wonder if you can make sour mix with lime juice and honey…

A Wicked Good Sauce for Tacos (I got the idea, if not totally ripped it off from this amazing blog)
4 Jalapeno Peppers, seeded and de-membraned
A good handful of cilantro
The juice of one lime
1 clove of garlic
I don’t know, 2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar?
I don’t know, ¼ cup of olive oil? I had wine that night, who really knows?!
Salt to taste (that’s the only half-assed measurement that sounds professional)

Chop the peppers into big chunks and throw them, the cilantro, garlic, lime juice and vinegar into a blender. Pulse until chunky, add the olive oil and run until mostly smooth. Spoon onto tacos like a hot sauce or salsa. Wow it’s hot. Expect that you will act fresh all night. Keep in the fridge a few days. I am not planning on keeping it longer than the very next day when I will finish it off with huevos rancheros.

Authentic Puerco en Adobo

I am thrilled to host my dear friend and frequent commentor TQ. TQ has been reading and supporting The Table of Promise since my forst post, for which I cannot thank her enough. Today she has written a lovely guest post on authentic Puerco en Adobo as she learned it from her Mother-in-Law. TQ, thank you so much for taking the time to contribute.

When you love to cook and then you marry a Mexican man, an exciting culinary adventure soon follows! My Suegra (mother-in-law) has laughed at me many times as I follow her around the kitchen, pen and paper in hand, taking copious notes and asking a lot of questions. She’s told me more than once, “No te complicas toda!” Don’t complicate everything! Through her, and my husband and several of his aunts and sisters, I have learned to cook many amazing and delicious traditional, authentic Mexican dishes. As it relates to The Table of Promise, I have specifically noticed how modern processed foods have made their way into the traditional Mexican kitchen. I can kind of understand the appeal, after all, many of these dishes would take 8 hours to prepare without modern conveniences. But the down side, of course is that Mexicans are experiencing a rampant increase in obesity and obesity related diseases, thanks to our creeping western diet. Just Google “Obesity in Mexico” and you will see a woeful amount of results.

Since the dawn of this blog, whose author is my personal friend (a little bragging there) I have started asking my Suegra not how she makes it, but how did she make it 30 years ago. As much as I can I try to incorporate the traditional methods into my Mexican cooking. My MIL used to use lard and homemade stocks, she used to literally slaughter a pig, sell off parts to the townsfolk/neighbors and then cook or preserve the rest. She would grow their own corn and she would prep it and my then young DH had to run it into the village to the miller who would grind it and soak it in Lyme to make it into masa. One time he forgot to pick it up and got into trouble because they had no tortillas for dinner: a sacrilege in Mexico...one of his favorite stories.

Now she buys tortillas from the tortilla lady, uses American bouillon, and Wesson vegetable or canola oil. She resisted the microwave for years but has over the last two or three succumbed to its convenience.

I also see things in Mexico that make me sad. For example: traditional Mexican pastries are not very sweet at all, more like bread with a hint of sweetness. Their cakes always have fruit in them. But over the last 10 years there has been a proliferation of prepackaged, ultra sweet Hostess like things. A company called Bimbo makes these packaged sweets. I used to think they were owned by Hostess or Little Debbie or Entenmanns' but it's not. Bimbo is just a huge sugar producing conglomerate like any other. Mexican sodas used to be club soda with fresh fruit syrups, now it's all chemicals, food coloring and added sweeteners. Dominos Pizza, among other obvious fast food restaurants has become increasingly popular in Mexico, as has Wal-Mart and its wholly owned subsidiary Bodega, which is the same thing only cheaper if you can believe it. Originally Wal-Mart put up Bodegas because Wal-Mart was not a terribly recognized brand. That's changed over time and they have been putting up more Wal-Mart’s instead of Bodegas lately…with devastating affects on the already unstable economy and putting thousands of small businesses out of business.

I see Mexico following in the footsteps of the gringos for better or worse and I try to be a positive influence against the tide of cheap, refined food. I try to encourage my Suegra and sisters-in-law to stick to their traditions, but often time and money win out over things like taste, tradition or nutrition. To me, the flavor of the traditional Mexican cooking is worth the effort, but I find many dishes are just as easy to prepare in the traditional method.

The following dish is one of my favorites and I try to make it as authentically as I can. Puerco en Adobo is pretty spicy normally but you can do it with less spice if necessary…me and my DH, we like it burning hot, so this is tailored to our preferences:

Puerco en Adobo:

Lard or your preferred cooking fat

Meat, any kind in any amount, for this recipe I used about a pound of pork loin, cut into manageable pieces

Dried chilies*, any combination of your favorites, I prefer Ancho for spice and Guajillo for depth, but I used Pasilla this time cause it’s what I had around. I also like Morenos but they are REALLY spicy.

1 cup Chicken Stock (or 1tsp bouillon, that’s what Suegra uses today)

3 to 5 Whole peppercorns

2 or 3 cloves

1 to 3 cloves of garlic

Rice, prepared as you like

Beans, already cooked and mashed

Tortillas, preferably corn

Queso Fresco to garnish

Crema Mexicana (sour cream) to garnish

*A note about dried chilies and other traditional Mexican ingredients, you can find them in any Mexican or Latino grocery store. I PROMISE you almost every town in America has one: it’s a tiny little hole in the wall place with a sign like Mexican Deli, or Latino Grocery. They’re everywhere if you just look for them. They have bags of dried chilies and cans of adobo and boxes of Tia Maria cookies or Abuelita hot chocolate mix. And behind the refrigerated counter they have the fresh chorizo, queso fresco and fresh chilies. I have lived in NYC, Bumble Town, USA and many places in between and I can always find one.

Instructions

Get your rice going first, it should be ready by the time the meat is.

Place 5 or 6 chilies into a small sauce pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Cover and let them boil for about 5 minutes or so. Turn off the heat but leave them covered while you do the next part.

Trim and slice your meat however you like. If it’s big, boney pieces boil them with lots of salt and pull them out when done. If it’s smaller boneless pieces (like mine were) salt and pepper both sides, heat some oil or fat in a pan over medium heat and put the meat in the pan. Cover and cook over medium heat for about 5 to ten minutes. Keep an eye on the meat and flip it when ready sometime during the next few steps.

Crush and peel the garlic, toss it into a blender (or mortar and pestle) along with the peppercorns and cloves.

If you’re using a blender you can also add the bouillon or stock, if you’re using a mortar and pestle, you won’t add the stock till you’re putting things in the pan.

By now your chilies should be nice and soft. You can pull the stems right off and the seeds will just fall out. Put the chili skins into the blender or mortar. If you’re using a blender, also pour some the chili water in to the blender, use a strainer if you’re spice-conscious or the seeds will go in and make it killer hot! Blend till smooth, or mix and mash till a nice thick paste forms.

By now your meat should be done. You’re supposed to take it out of the pan and then add it back in after your sauce is well mixed, but I never do, that just dirties extra dishes IMHO.

Pour the sauce into the pan. (if you’re using the mortar and pestle you kind of have to take the meat out, add the paste and mix well with juices in the pan, then stir in the stock and a little chili water for added depth and flavor - about ½ cup, then add the meat back in)

Bring to a boil (WEAR AN APRON!! It will be bright red and splattery, I’ve ruined many shirts) then simmer for 5 minutes or an hour…depending on how much time you have and how much liquid you put in. If you used the mortar and pestle you’ll probably have to simmer longer to get the thick gravy-like consistency we’re aiming for.

While it simmers you can get your beans and rice together and heat your tortillas, preferably on a Comal, or put each one directly on the flame of your burner for about 3 seconds on each side. Wrap them in a towel or put them in your tortilla warmer.

Serve your meat in Adobo with the rice, beans and heated tortillas. If desired crumble the Queso Fresco over the top and keep the crema handy in case you made it spicier than you thought…heehee.

Enjoy!

This post s part of Food Renegade's Fight Back Fridays

How to Make Homemade Tortillas

I have been really obsessed with Mexican food of late. I can’t say why. It just tastes good! Chorizo and super green guacamole, tacos…but its homemade tortillas that are knocking the socks off of anything else. And their ease has fueled my obsession.

A couple of things to know about corn tortillas before you make them at home, or buy them...

· Corn tortillas must be made with Masa Harina, Spanish for ‘dough flour’. Masa Harina is not just cornmeal, you CANNOT substitute plain ole’ cornmeal. Dried corn kernels are cooked and then soaked in lime water. Then the kernels are dried and ground to make masa. Check out this link, it is really interesting. I am pretty adventurous, but maybe not enough to make my own masa.

· The vast majority of corn grown in North America is Genetically Modified. And we avoid GMO’s at all costs. I bought Bob’s Red Mill Masa Harina because they are a great organic resource and in the FAQ section of their website they state that they do not use any GMO seeds. But when I pulled out the package today, it did not say organic!! Rats! But then thankfully, I saw online that the process of soaking the corn in limewater is not allowable under organic guidelines and so BRM cannot use the term ‘organic’ on the labeling. So if you have been searching trying to find organic masa in vain, now you know why.

· The masa I have been buying is kind of pricey, and I only see it sold in 1 lb 8 ounce bags (24 ounces). I have searched for 5 or 10 pound bags. But it is probably better that it comes smaller. Smaller packages stay fresh and turn over more often. You can buy Bob’s Red Mill Masa Harina online in 4-packs. But BRM not package it in larger sizes. I did however find this very interesting family farm in Idaho. Some of their various flour prices are the same as my local Cayuga Pure Organics and some are lower. It is interesting though. I am not convinced that buying online gets you anything except a shipping bill. That is, if you already have a good local source.

· One 24 oz package is about enough to make 2-3 batches of tortillas. The below recipe is for one batch. But in my pictures I am making a double batch. My double batch made slightly less than 40 tortillas that are 4-5 inches in diameter. Your number per batch can change depending on how large you make them. And of course wetter dough will make thinner tortillas because the press will press them out more.

· I really recommend a tortilla press. The effort required to roll out 20 tortillas with a rolling pin might defeat the purpose. The dough can be slightly sticky, not like gluteny wheat dough. Presses are cheap. Mine is cast iron and was only about $15.

· I used a cast iron griddle to fry my tortillas. Any cast iron pan would do. Although much is written about reheating tortillas directly on your gas burner without using a pan, that is only for reheating. Cooking them is different. The tortillas are a soft and mashable dough before being cooked. They need to be cooked on some kind of pan. I have a feeling that any skillet would do. Just be careful to not use too much fat and deep fry them, you may end up with something crispy, more like a tostada.

Place 2 cups of masa harina into a large mixing bowl. Add ½ teaspoon of salt. Mix in 1 and ½ cups of water. If the dough feels too dry, add up to ½ cup more. If your dough feels too wet, add in more masa and mix it in with your hands. My dough was a little too wet today. I think I might have put in an extra cup of water in making my double batch. I guess I wasn’t paying close enough attention. But I fixed it before I started cooking.
Let the dough rest for an hour with a towel covering. When you are ready, form a small ball. I haven’t bought wax paper in years, so I used a plastic baggie (that I use over and over again with my press). I don’t have anything against wax paper. I just haven’t bought any in a while. Place the ball in the tortilla press and…well…press.

The dough needs to be handled delicately. The tortillas can fall apart or get stuck to the paper or plastic you are using. Expect that the first few will be terrible looking. Ball them up and try again a few times to get the hang of it.

On your griddle, with the heat on medium, put a little lard. You could use coconut oil too. But lard is so good. And I just rendered some this week! Use just enough fat to keep the tortillas from sticking and burning.

My griddle fits three tortillas. Let them fry on for a few minutes on each side. I noticed mine started to look dryer and started to curl at the edges when they were ready to be flipped. When both sides have cooled, transfer them to a plate. I tend to wrap them up in a clean dish towel to keep them warm. That is perfect is you are making tortillas right before they are to be eaten. But also I think it softens and finishes them even if you will be freezing them.

I froze mine in 2 packages of 10 each and one container for this week to make something. And of course I ate 3 while cooking straight off the pan with butter and honey. Ridic. What I haven’t decided is what I will do with my tortillas, enchiladas? Chilaquiles? Tacos? The possibilities are endless. Seriously, try this. Regular tacos suck in comparison. I might never be able to eat store bought tortillas again.

This post is part of Sustainable Eat and GNOWFLINS Simple Lives Thursday

Meatless Monday: Avacado and Kale Gorditas

I have noticed a new trend on the Internet, and many folks are talking about it—Meatless Mondays. If I understand properly it began as a way to highlight the unsustainability of the modern meat system. So much conventional grain is grown using pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers that run off into local water supplies contaminating groundwater. The animals themselves should not be eating corn and so their tummies bloat, they gain weight faster. Their digestive systems struggle to digest the corn making the cows prone to disease. The reasons I eat grass fed meat is because it is higher in omega threes, lower in fat, higher in Vitamins A, D and E. But it is also because the animals are more ethically treated. Pastured animals have more room to move, more freedom. They eat grass which is what their tummies have evolved to eat.

But most meat is not grass fed, and so you have a modern industrial meat industry that is a threat to our environment. I fortunately have a source of local (my farmer is in VT) grass fed meats. But if I didn’t, I would consider limiting my meat consumption. And I think that is a conclusion many people come to in the natural course of this whole ecological, ethical eating adventure. But conversely, one must also consider that most people need protein for optimal body function. Many many of the vegetarians I have known (especially the very young and the newbies) eat too many carbs, both refined and of the potato variety, in moving away from meat. I know that the vegetarian diet can be more than properly filled with proteins by incorporating beans, dark leafy greens and dairy (and possibly eggs and fish if that is the way you swing). But lots of people eliminate meat from their diet for reasons of principle or ethics without adding in other protein sources. This is a case of one’s heart being in the right place, but one’s head not. Do you need protein? Yes I firmly believe so. And if you agree with nutritional typing you also believe that many people can’t function properly without it.

Yet in my reading, such as Nourishing Traditions, it becomes obvious that humans have evolved to eat meat. Evidenced in part of our short (and single stomached) digestive track. So that makes the decision to eat meat, or not eat meat, all the more complicated. It is a situation of damned if you do and damned if you don’t. That being said, I know I don’t need to eat 8 or 10 ounces of meat in a day. I get lots of other protein foods. So I have made it a goal to have a meatless dinner once a week. I have been trying to incorporate beans into one dinner a week. And I would say I am successful every other week. But the popularity of Meatless Monday posts among food bloggers might motivate me to make more of an effort every week. Oh and did I mention that neither of the kids are eating beans right now?

Last week I got an inspiration to buy myself a little toy. A tortilla press. We don’t eat a lot of tortillas. Not because we are boycotting them, but just because we…well…don’t. But I love authentic Mexican food. It is the one ethnic food that I could eat every day and never get sick of it. The cast iron press was relatively cheap $20 (you can get them cheaper I am sure, this one is cast iron). And though it does only one thing, I mean, it is a really great thing!! The heartache it saves is more than compensates the $20 I spent.

I was itching to use the press, so I settled on Gorditas. Mostly because the recipe was sitting right there on the back of the masa harina I had gotten from Bob’s Red Mill. And for some reason I was intimidated to make tortillas (who knows why). ‘Gorditas’ means ‘little fatties’, and that’s because they are rather like a tortilla that hasn’t been pressed out all the way. The recipe for the dough as it read on my package is as follows:

Gorditas
3 ½ cups of Masa Harina (fine corn flour that is ground after the corn is first soaked in lime and water)
2 ¼ cups warm water
¼ cup of vegetable shortening (Though I could not in good conscious recommend vegetable shortening. Use coconut oil during Meatless Mondays and lard every other day of the week)
1 teaspoon of salt
½ cup of flour (I used whole wheat)
2 teaspoons baking powder
Oil for the griddle
Heat Griddle to medium low (don’t do it too high, they will burn…uhhh…just trust me on that one). Mix Masa and water. Add in shortening, salt, flour and baking powder. Knead until well blended and masa forms a ball. Wet hands. Shape dough into 1 ½ to 2 inch balls. Cover to prevent drying. With moistened hands flatten into ¼ inch patties forming a 3 to 4 inch circle. Cook on a hot griddle in a little oil 6 to 8 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Remove and when cool enough, slice each gordita about halfway through forming a pocket (I see it more like a clam shell. Then stuff with anything slightly taco like. Makes 12-14 servings.

A couple of notes, I just halved the dough and made 7 balls out of each half to ensure they were all about the same. And when I used the tortilla press I put the dough in between a cut up plastic Ziploc bag in order to keep the dough from sticking to the press. On a side note, it was a bag had already used. I didn't destroy a bag for this purpose. I always encourage multi-tasking your plastics.

I found that it was best if I pressed gently on one side and then flipped the cake around to gently flatten out the other side. Otherwise I either ended up pressing too hard and making tortillas or I ended up with a lopsided ramp looking thing that was too think on one side and too thick on the other. Also I didn’t use that much oil for frying them. But if I had to do it all over again, I would have actually pan fried them in a greater amount of oil.

When I mentioned my gordita experiment to my friend WKG, who is my go to expert on all Mexican food queries, she mentioned that her mother and grandmother always deep fried their gorditas in lard. And that explained the squeals of delight that she gave me when I told her that I had made gorditas.

In honor of Meatless Mondays I stuffed my gorditas with a soft cheese Hawthorne Valley calls Bianco (it is like cow’s milk chevre), slices of avocado and chopped lacinto kale. Oh, and some Frank’s Red Hot. Actually a lot of Frank’s Red Hot. Delish. As far as protein, I served all this up with some crock pot black beans stewed with onion and garlic and cumin. Ridiculous.

And the kids? Well they didn’t go hungry. Though they didn’t give the meal its proper dues. They nibbled on some of the gorditas, but both had had too many afternoon snacks (not my fault I swear!!!) and so, this dinner was a big fat fail on the child frontier. And have I mentioned that the kids don’t eat beans? Such a travesty. DH and I were thrilled with them. It was kind of like eating a cross between a taco and a tamale. And the best thing? It was like a cross between a taco and a tamale!