Corn Tortillas: Or, The Female Valentino

She was billed The Female Rudolph Valentino, the dark exotic beauty from Hollywood's Silent Film Era. Orson Welles, ten years her junior, fell deeply in love with her and called her the "most exciting woman he had ever met." And yet I doubt that the fabulosa Dolores del Río knew how to make homemade corn tortillas.

As I see these vintage publicity shots of her wearing the fine gowns that the best designers of the day created just for her, I cannot see this daughter of an aristocratic Mexican family mixing the ground corn, lime and water with her lady-like hands or rolling the masa (dough) into balls or flattening them in a tortilla press. It is hard to imagine her standing over a hot fire while she heats up those homemade corn tortillas on a cast iron comal and serving them with beans and rice to her family. And why would she? Leaving behind a Mexico that had been ravaged by a bloody revolution that left at least a million dead, she came to Hollywood and gained international acclaim as a singer, dancer and actress. And yet, despite her extraordinary talents and undeniable beauty, the advent of Talkies revealed her foreign accent and so her star gradually began to fade. By the 1940's she returned to her native country and made some classic movies that are a part of the canon of The Golden Age of Mexican Cinema.

Who can forget María Candelaria with Dolores in the title role, which won Mexico The Cannes Film Festival's Palme d'Or Award for Best Picture in 1943? Her portrayal of Maria Candelaria, the beautiful but doomed Indian girl is heartbreaking to watch, so much so that is hard to believe that Dolores did not understand how it felt to be poor and dark and misunderstood. In other films, hers is the tragic but stoically dignified face of the rural woman who loses a husband or son to war. Watching her films as a young girl, I think I finally found a window into the world that my mother spoke about but is no more.

Perhaps I was wrong about Dolores del Río. Could it be that her world was not as rarified as I thought? Maybe, just maybe, this beautiful and fine artist knew a thing or two about making corn tortillas after all.

Homemade Corn Tortillas

It is difficult to image Mexican food without corn tortillas for their history goes back thousands of years to Pre-Hispanic times. Once you make them at home, you will see tacos and tortillas in a whole new light—like homemade bread, its flavor is irresistible. No dried out, store-bought corn tortilla can compare. Besides being lots of fun to make, those friends of yours who have never tasted a homemade tortilla will forever rave about your cooking. It's true!

Depending on how hard you press your tortilla press, your tortilla can be thin or as thick as you want. I like mine a little thick. I like to buy my flour at the Mexican foods market in my neighborhood, but you can find corn tortilla flour at almost any grocery store, especially in the Western part of the United States.They are absolutely no trouble to make. Just make only as much as you need, because if you make a lot, you are going to eat way too many of them, and what will happen to your waistline?

(Note: I couldn't help but notice that that corn tortilla flour that I buy at my Mexican market makes the softest and flexible corn tortillas I had ever tasted. Their secret? Just add a bit of Harina La Pina flour to your corn tortilla masa as I have done in this recipe. This is especially nice if you have to save a few tortillas for later but you don't want them to harden. Still, an all corn tortilla is more flavorful.)

Ingredients:

2 cups corn tortilla flour

1 1/3 cups hot water water

To make soft corn tortillas (optional): Add 2 to 3 heaping tablespoons of Harina La Pina white flour that is made especially for making flour tortillas. Add 1 tablespoon water for every tablespoon of white flour. Please do not use all purpose flour.
Instructions
Pre-heat your griddle to medium-high heat (cast iron is best, but any griddle will do). When a drop of water sizzles and dances on the griddle, you are ready to heat the flattened corn tortilla.

While the griddle is heating, take the corn flour and water and mix them together. Knead the masa (dough) until it is no longer sticky. (If you have added Harina La Pina flour, the balls will be somewhat sticky.) Form into small to medium size balls and put each one between two plastic sheets and press flat it with a tortilla press as shown.

Carefully peel the plastic sheets away from the flattened tortilla and carefully lay it on the griddle. Heat the tortilla on the heated griddle for about 30 seconds or so, and, using a steel spatula, flip it on the other side. Flip the tortilla once again, and put in a tortilla warmer or wrapped in a cloth. Put any unused corn tortilla masa in a plastic bag and store in your refrigerator. It will keep for about a week. Before making the tortillas, bring the masa to room temperture so they will not come out stiff.

Enjoy corn tortillas with any kind of Mexican food, or do as I and most Mexicans do: eat them with everything, even with a hotdog and mustard!

Roasting Chiles: If a Chile Were a Woman

If a chile were a woman, who would she be? Why María Félix, of course. La Gran Diva of the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema. Muse to Agustín Lara, one of Mexico's greatest musical composers (María Bonita is about her). Painted by Diego Rivera. Successful thoroughbred racehorse owner. Collector of famous husbands and über-fine jewelry--she reportedly walked into the Cartier boutique in Paris with a baby crocodile in tow when she commissioned them to create a this gold double crocodile necklace studded with emeralds and yellow diamonds--and Chili-eater extraordinaire, María Félix was considered Mexico's most beautiful woman (take that, Salma Hayek). Celebrated in Europe and throughout the world, lionized and adored in her own country, especially by the male segment of the population (In this muy macho of countries, maybe it was love at first sight when they saw her character smack Pedro Armendariz upside the head in Enamorada, a Mexican-style Taming of the Shrew.) And all without going Hollywood or learning English. Not bad for a girl born in Sonora.

Fiery, intelligent, talented, flamboyant and beautiful. I like to think she had chiles with her caviar.

Roasting Chilies a la María Félix
Chilies and Mexican Cuisine are synonymous. For centuries chiles have been roasted over a flame to bring out their extraordinary flavor. You can use roasted chiles to make Chiles Rellenos, in salsas, tacos, soups, with caviar (well, why not?), you name it. Just roast a bunch of them and refrigerate. Why buy those bland little cans of chilies when you can roast chilies at the fraction of the price? And the flavor? I'm sure La Doña María Félix would have approved.

Roasting chiles is easy. Just choose the method you prefer. Remember to leave the stems intact. (Note: you can also roast tomatoes and tomatillos using the same methods.)

Step 1:

Stovetop Method #1: Take a pair of metal tongs and hold the chili over the flame until the skin is charred on all sides. This method is perfect if you are roasting a chili or two.

Stovetop Method #2: Place some chilies on a pan and roast them until all sides are charred.

Broiler Method: Preheat broiler to 500 degrees. Line cookie sheet with aluminum foil and place chilies. Place about 5 to 7 inches from heat or flame. Check every 5 minutes or so, rotating chilies until the outer skin is charred. Remove from broiler. This method is good if you are roasting a lot of them.

BBQ or Grill Method (not shown): Place chilies on the barbeque or grill. Rotate until all sides are charred. This is probably the most delicious method because it imparts a certain smokiness which is hard to beat.

Note: The object is to roast the chiles, not burn them to death.

Step 2:
Place the roasted chilies in a plastic bag and seal. Then roll them up in a towel. There they will cook in their own juices for at least 30 minutes until they are tender.

Step 3:

Holding each chili by the stem, carefully use the back edge of a knife to scrape of the charred skin from the chili. Handle the chili very carefully, or your fingertips will burn. Or, use plastic gloves and carefully tear off the charred skin with your fingertips. If you want to reduce the heat factor, remove the seed and inner veins.

I love to eat my roasted chilies straight with my meal, or topped with a bit of queso fresco (a semi-soft, part-skim Mexican cheese found in the cheese section of your grocery store).

How does your abuelita roast her chiles, and what does she make with them? Just click "comments" link below.