Corn tortillas with tomato salsa

Yellow Corn Tortillas        Makes 12 corn tortillas
  • 1 ½ cups masa harina (approx 6 oz)
  • 1 cup hot water (8 oz)
  1. Mix the masa harina into the water.  
  2. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and knead gently just until a dough is formed.  Add more water or more flour as needed.  The dough should be very soft.  -Place the dough in a bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it rest for 30 minutes.  –
  3. Divide the dough into 12 pieces.  
  4. Test the consistency of the dough with one piece.  
  5. Flatten it into a small round disc.  
  6. Open a tortilla press, and put a plastic bag in it.  
  7. Place the disc of dough in the bag, setting it just off center near the back hinge of the press.  
  8. Close the press over the dough pushing the handle down hard.  
  9. Open it and remove the tortilla from the bag.  Make sure that the tortilla is not dry and crackly around the edges.  If it is, combine all of the pieces of dough and add a little water to make a softer dough. 
  10. When the dough is at the right consistency, use or wrap and refrigerate until next class
  11. Continue shaping the tortillas as described above while cooking those that have been shaped. 
  12. Heat griddle over medium-high heat.   
  13. Peel a tortilla out of the plastic bag and flip it back and forth between your palms a few times to enlarge it slightly. 
  14. Place the tortilla on the griddle and cook for 10- 15 seconds.  
  15. Flip it over and cook for about 45 seconds.  
  16. Flip it one more time on the hot griddle and cook another 45 seconds until both sides of the tortilla are speckled brown and cooked through.  
  17. Remove the tortilla to a basket lined with a towel, and keep covered while pressing and cooking the remaining pieces of dough.  
  18. Stack the tortillas on top of each other as they come off the griddle, and enclose them in the towel to keep them soft.
  19. For chips: cut into desired shape and deep fry until golden color and crisp. Drain and salt.

Roasted Jalapeño-Tomato Salsa with Fresh Cilantro 
Ingredients 
  • ½ pound +/- ripe tomatoes, preferably plum 
  • 1 to 2 fresh jalapeño or serrano chiles (1 ounce), stemmed 
  • 1/4 of a small white onion (1 ounce), sliced 1/4 inch thick and left in rings 
  • 2 garlic cloves, unpeeled 
  • 5 sprigs cilantro, tough lower stems discarded 
  • ½ generous teaspoon salt 
  • 1 T vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon lime or cider vinegar 
Preparation 
  1. Place tomatoes and chilies under broiler or in cast iron pan or comal.  Cook until darkly charred and blackened on top and tomatoes are completely tender, 6 to 12 minutes. The goal is not simply to char the tomatoes and chiles, but to cook them through while developing nice, roasty flavors. Set aside to cool. 
  2. Separate the onions into rings. On a similar pan or baking sheet, combine the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring carefully every couple of minutes, until the onions are beautifully browned and wilted (even have a touch of char on some of the edges) and the garlic is soft and browned in spots, about 5-10 minutes total. Cool to room temperature. Peel the garlic. 
  3. Transfer vegetables and their juice to a blender, food processor, or the cup of an immersion blender (core the tomatoes if necessary). Add half of cilantro. Blend in pulses until a rough puree is formed. 
  4. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over high heat until shimmering. Pour salsa into the hot oil all at once (it will steam and sputter). Immediately start stirring and continue to cook, stirring, until salsa is darkened and thick enough to coat the back of the spoon, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
  5. Finely chop remaining cilantro and stir into salsa. Season to taste with salt and lime or vinegar then serve. Salsa can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.