Text 16839, 125 rader
Skriven 2007-06-17 12:16:12 av Glen Jamieson
     Kommentar till en text av Joan Macdiarmid
Ärende: TORTILLAS   70617
=========================
 -=> Quoting Joan Macdiarmid to Glen Jamieson <=-

Hello Joan,
 
 DD> Title: Corn Tortillas (Texas Cooking)
 DD> Categories: Five, Breads, Latino, Classics
 DD> Yield: 12 servings
 DD>
 DD> 2 c  Masa Harina
 
 GJ> Isn't this the same as corn meal?

 JM> Not in the USA, at least. Corn meal is more
 JM> coarsely ground and milled.

Please refer to my reply to MLoo, to explain my puzzlement.
 
 DD> 1. Mix the Masa Harina and the water; knead to form your masa
 DD> (dough) 2. Pinch off a golf-ball sized piece of masa and roll it into

 JM> At least the size of a golf ball is standard
 JM> enough, where golf is played.

But the size of the ball would depend on the size of your press.
Tortilla presses come in all sizes.  In Monterrey there were hardware
shops with a range of presses on display, from tiny ones only suitable
for communion wafers, to huge ones half a metre or so in diameter.  The
one I bought is 17 cm (7") diameter, and weighs 3 kg. Mine is suitable
for corn tortillas; I was told that presses for flour tortillas have
slightly lower stops for the pressing plate, so that it makes thinner
tortillas.
 
 DD> Note: Do not confuse corn flour with corn meal. Corn meal is made
 DD> from a completely different process, and it simply will not work for
 DD> tortilla making.
 
 GJ> I find that statement confusing.  I have always thought corn meal and
 GJ> masa harina were the same, made from maize, and the fine, white corn
 GJ> flour was made from wheat.

 JM> huh? What you call cornflour, we call cornstarch,
 JM> I think. It's a way more refined product used
 JM> for thickening gravies. Americans do use corn meal
 JM> for some purposes, but as I mentioned above, this is
 JM> rather less finely milled and appreciated for its
 JM> slightly gritty texture in cornbread or polentas. I

I have had that in the past, and tried making tortillas with it,
unsuccessfully, as it turned out.

 JM> think masa harina is whole-grain corn ground to
 JM> the texture of flour. The Mexicans use it routinely,
 JM> but USan's not so often, so it's harder to find here.

 JM> Maybe you could make masa harina from corn meal
 JM> by milling it in a food processor or blender to
 JM> a flourlike state?

I can get masa harina.  I think it is the right stuff, but the cook is
the one at fault for any failures to produce perfect tortillas.

As an example of what I find confusing:

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.05
 
      Title: Chili Fried Gulf Oysters
 Categories: Chile-heads, Oysters
      Yield: 4 Servings
 
      3 c  Chili Corn Sauce
           Vegetable oil
      3 c  Texas sweet potatoes,
           Julienned
    3/4 c  Cornmeal or "masa harina"
           Corn flour
    3/4 c  All purpose flour
      2 tb Creole seafood seasoning,
           Divided evenly
     36    Texas oysters
           Chili Corn Sauce:
      2 tb Vegetable oil
    3/4 c  Texas onion, julienned
    3/4 c  Texas poblano pepper,
           Julienned
    3/4 c  Texas red pepper, julienned
  1 1/2 c  Fresh Texas corn kernels
    1/2 c  Tequila
  1 1/2 c  Whipping cream
      1 ts Ground cumin
      1 tb Chili powder Salt and
           Black pepper
 
  Prepare Chili Corn Sauce; reserve and keep warm.
  
  Heat about 2 inches of oil to 325øF in a deep fat fryer. Fry sweet
  potatoes until crisp, drain on paper towels and reserve. Combine
  cornmeal, flour and 1 tablespoon seafood seasoning in a medium bowl.
  Season oysters with remaining tablespoon of seafood seasoning, dredge
  in flour mixture, and fry in batches of 9 oysters at a time until
  crisp. Remove oysters and sprinkle with a little extra seafood
  seasoning; drain on paper towels on a rack. keep warm.
  
  Ladle 1/2 cup Chili Corn Sauce in center of each plate. Edge sauce
  with 6 oysters. Top the sauce with a mound of fried sweet potatoes.
  Heat oil in a medium-sized skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion,
  poblano and red peppers, and corn; sauté until vegetables are tender.
  Deglaze pan with tequila and cook until liquid is reduced by half.
  Add cream, cumin, chili powder; cook until reduced enough to coat the
  back of a spoon. Season with salt and pepper. Reserve and keep warm
  until ready to use.
  
  A Texas Semillon or Sauvignon Blanc is a great accompaniment to this
  spicy dish.
  
  :Chef Carl Walker Brennan's of Houston
  
  From: "Richard Lee Holbert" <oldag85tx@
 
MMMMM
 

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