Tortilla love

[vgqn]

We had beef fajitas for dinner tonight, a great way to use some of the sweet pepper and onion bounty from the garden. But the star of the show were the fresh corn tortillas. When I bought them at noon from Mi Pueblo, they were still warm. I scarfed two of them while heating up soup for lunch. Heaven!

The only problem is that even their smallest package is huge -- 54 tortillas, 3 lbs worth. We've eaten ten of them so far leaving, uh, 44. We can eat a few more tomorrow, I can bake a few for crackery treats. But what then? Mind you, I feel we've already gotten our $1.29 worth just in today's eating, so it's not about the money, just the waste of good food. And I can always compost them, which usually makes me feel better about food going bad, but I'd still be sad about these.

So I'll probably give away packs of them to friends and neighbors tomorrow. Anyone in the area, give me a holler.

Mmm, my hands still smell like corn tortillas,even after washing. Sublime.

Comments

[idahoswede.livejournal.com]

Freeze them!

[vgqn.livejournal.com]

Seems like the obvious answer, doesn't it? Unfortunately, their texture deteriorates horribly -- they get dry and crumbly. I've frozen them as an enchilada torte which works okay, but still not great. For the price, I'd just as soon buy a fresh bag when I need them.

Hey, you're a former New Mexican, aren't you? Got any great recipes involving tortillas?

[idahoswede.livejournal.com]

You bet. Take any kind of chopped cooked meat - chicken, beef, pork - put it along the center point of the tortilla with some chopped onion and a bit of graded cheese, roll and put in a baking dish, cover with red chili sauce (make a roux of 2 T. lard or butter, 2 T. flour, add 1/4 cup chili powder, 2 cups cold water, cook, stirring, until thickened. Add some garlic powder, about 1/2 teaspoon. If you can't handle hot, you can make it with tomato juice instead, which will cut the heat), top with more grated cheese and bake in oven until hot and bubbly. This DOES freeze well also.

[vgqn.livejournal.com]

Aha! I've always wondered how to make that thin, slightly bitter sauce that I think of as enchilada sauce. I have some ancho chile powder from Penzey's even, which should be great. Thank you!!

[idahoswede.livejournal.com]

Lard makes it (as well as other stuff) tastier, that's what gives Mexican stuff like refried beans the best flavor. Can't go wrong with heart attack on a plate animal fat for flavoring.