Friday, April 17, 2009

Mexican Africa


A girl's gotta eat, right?

I found this recipe online. I'd never thought about making tortillas myself. I had a bit of trepidation at the thought. The first time not so great, although Ruth, Rachel and Renee ate them and SAID they were great. This is the third time I've made them, and I can say, they are getting better. I have found the trick is to not knead it too much. The more elastic it is, the more pliable they are after cooking.


Nice, huh? (And Ruth has a normal size head) But this avocado was REALLY pricey - 25 shillings... yeah, 35 cents. And, I guess it goes without saying, but all fruits, vegetables and meats are organic over here. No option...

Flour Tortillas


3 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup shortening
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups warm water

Mix first four ingredients with a pastry cutter until it resembles coarse crumbs (that's what they always say). Add the water until it is well blended (a cup tends to be the right amount), and then knead - generally about 4 minutes, but it depends on if you've had a rough day or not. You do NOT want it to be too firm, - unless you want very firm, unbending tortillas - then pound away until it's like a rock. What I have found is that how the dough is BEFORE you cook them determines how they will be when they are finished.

Pinch off a piece and roll out until it's really really thin. 1/8 inch. Put into pan - 1 minute on each side. I set the timer so that I can roll others out or chop tomatoes for the pico de gallo etc.

This recipe generally makes about 12 medium sized tortillas.

A hint about onions: Here they put them in water and salt once they're chopped and let them sit for about an hour to make them less strong.

A word about our vegetables and meats, etc. They are all organic - it's all they have... not a bad deal.

1 comment:

  1. I just caught up on all your posts and absolutely loved it! I love Kenya and reading your blog takes me back there. It sounds like you are living an incredible adventure. Thanks for sharing it with the rest of us.

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