tortillas!

Meal: Beef, Bean, and Potato Tacos
Approximate per person cost: $2.65

I did a per person cost today because I didn’t keep track of how many tacos we ended up with; this is approximate because some ingredients were purchased last month, and I can’t locate my receipts, so I’m relying on memory. We also ended up with leftovers. Three tortillas, enough beans for two bean tacos, and enough potatoes to make eight small potato cakes to go with today’s lunch.

***

Last night, we had company over for dinner. Oftentimes when you’re having people over, it’s tempting to order pizza or go for take-out. However, cooking for company is fun and easy, and cheaper than take-out (as illustrated above). When you’re cooking for company, a meal that you can prepare before the company arrives (lasagna and salad is one of my favorites) is often advisable, but it can also be fun to cook with your guests. I turned last night’s taco night into an audience-participation event; it gave me an excuse to hang out with my cousin and my sister while we were cooking, and it made the work go much faster.

We did tacos with homemade tortillas. The sister is a vegetarian, my cousin and I are pretty omnivorous (but I don’t care for beans), and Jeff edges more towards the carnivorous end of the spectrum, so tacos were a meal that could be easily tailored to everyone’s preferences. (Another meal that works well for a crowd with varying taste buds is a pasta bar.)

Before people arrived, I:

- Chopped up a couple of tomatoes, doused them with a little olive oil with garlic and onion powders, and tossed them into a plastic container in the fridge.
- Chopped up a green pepper, also stored in the fridge (the vegetables were both local.)
- Pulled out the cans of corn and beans and put them on the stove so that I didn’t have to hunt for them later. (These were both organic, purchased at Deep Roots.)
- Made the tortilla dough.
- Made sweet tea.
- Pulled out the beef (1 pound) to thaw. (Actually, it was a 2 pound package; as soon as it was thawed enough to slice, half got sliced off and stuck in the fridge to be used sometime in the next couple of days. Our beef is also local and grass-fed.)
- Microwaved four medium sized potatoes for 8 minutes

After people had arrived, we:

- Shredded the cheese. The four of us went through 8 ounces of a cheese called marble, which is basically Colby jack, and probably could have gone through more. We like cheese around here. (Our cheese is local enough to suit us; it’s from Ohio, but purchased from our farmer’s market, and made from milk that is sustainably raised.)
- Mashed the potatoes (also local…)
- Cooked the beef. Cook it in a pan until it’s cooked through and brown; drain off the fat. Add back to the pan and follow the directions on the back of your taco seasoning if you use the packaged stuff; if not, spice to taste. (I had forgotten to get taco seasoning this last grocery trip, because I neglected to put it on the list, so we spiced the meat with a bit of jarred enchilada sauce and it was fine).
- Opened the beans and warmed them in a pot on medium heat.
- Opened the corn and warmed it in a skillet with a little seasoning salt.
- Shredded a bit of lettuce (also organic and purchased from Deep Roots).
- Opened up the olives my sister brought over.
- Cooked the tortillas.

Prep time before people arrived was about half an hour, with another 40 minutes in the kichen after people arrived. This could have gone faster, but part of the fun of cooking with other people are the kitchen conversations. Talking slows things down.

And that was it. Put out all of the toppings and let people pile up their tacos in whatever combinations suit them.

The tortilla recipe I’m currently using comes from Dishes from the Wild House Desert: Norteno Cooking of South Texas. It has an egregious amount of oil in it - Liz, if she’s reading this, may want to avert her eyes. :) They’re incredibly tasty, however.

Flour tortillas:

4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon salt
1 cup vegetable shortening, lard, or vegetable oil
up to 2 cups warm water

(Note: this would make a lot of tortillas. I made a half batch last night for four people, and had three tortillas leftover. I usually make a quarter batch for just Jeff and I.)

Mix the flour and salt in a bowl. Stir in the shortening or oil slowly with your fingers or a fork; you’re aiming to have the shortening evenly mixed with the flour, with the mixture having a texture of cracker or bread crumbs. Gradually add the water - I rarely need the full amount. Last night for 2 cups of flour and 1/2 cup of oil, I needed half a cup of water. You’re aiming for a smooth dough that is soft and not sticky. If you add too much water, add a little more flour. It’s pretty flexible and hard to describe; next time I do this, I’ll document the whole process with photos, but once you’ve nailed the dough once, you’ll know what to look for.

Once the dough is made up, you have two choices: cook the tortillas right away, or save the dough for later. The dough can go into the fridge for up to 24 hours. If you choose the right away option, let the dough rest at room temperature for about 20 minutes. If you make the dough in advance, try to pull it out of the fridge early enough to rest for at least 20 minutes before you start making the tortillas. Refrigerated dough will be easier to handle and roll out, but will be harder to roll out very thin. Experience with making tortillas will let you see what your preferences are.

Once you’re ready to make the tortillas, heat a large skillet to very hot; I generally use setting 7 on my electric stove. Meantime, roll out the tortillas. I use a cutting board set on top of a dish towel (to keep it from sliding) set on my counter; a section of your counter, cleared off and well cleaned, would also work. Flour the board. Line a bowl with a clean kitchen towel and have another ready to cover it, or cover a plate with a dish towel. Pinch off a small piece of dough, and squish it out into a rough circle with your fingers. Using a rolling pin or dowel (or a drinking glass, in a pinch) roll out the circle. Your first tortillas will not be perfectly circular; they will still taste good. When you’re happy with the shape (and what you see is what you’re going to get), place the tortilla in the hot pan. Cook for about a minute on the first side, until bubbles start to appear, then flip it and cook until the tortilla is brown and puffy. Place the hot tortilla in your bowl or on your plate, cover with the towel, and do it again (you can be rolling out the next tortilla while one is cooking, as long as you’re paying attention to the one in the pan.) This will go much quicker if you have one person to roll and one person to cook, but it is entirely possible to do it yourself as well. Keep the cooked tortillas covered except for when you’re adding latest one. These will keep in the fridge and reheat for a few days, though they’re certainly best freshly cooked.