Dinner Blogging: A New Frontier
I wrote a long post earlier that I lost by accident. Then I went downstairs to run on the treadmill only to discover that the DVD of Heroes I just got from Netflix is the exact same DVD of Heroes that I finished watching and returned last week. Feeling a little cursed, I decided to take the blog in a whole new direction.
But first, a quick knitting status report: I finished up the Tokyo top on Sunday morning and wove in all the ends. It’s fab. I’ll try to take pictures and get a finished object post up sometime in the next few days. Meanwhile, you may have noticed a new sweater project listed over there on the sidebar. It may be the first sweater in a new sweater collection. I’m actually not quite done yet with the Ruthless Knitting Fall/Winter 2007 collection, but I need some time to plan the (rather complicated) sixth and final sweater. And before I knit a stitch on it or on the new collection, I’m going to finish up the second Bird in Hand mitten, which I should have made in December.
Let me delay my revelation still further to point you in the direction of Whatifknits. Sarah-Hope is having a raffle for her one-year blogiversary to benefit animal welfare and protection groups. She’s giving away some fabulous prizes, including a beautiful hand-knit Swallowtail Shawl. Have a peek at her website for details.
So. I was thinking today about websites that I enjoy, and I really do love the ones that include some cooking. Faith of The Knitting Cook posts recipes often, and so does Ysolda, and DesiKnitter. I love to cook, but I don’t particularly like reading about cooking at any length, so I am always pleased when cooking guest stars on knitting blogs. Perhaps five parts knitting + one part cooking = the perfect blog?
In order to investigate this possibility further, I give you a tortilla recipe. I’ve only been making tortillas for a few months, but I am a total convert. Fresh tortillas are relatively easy to make (particularly if you are someone who makes bread regularly), they taste fantastic, they don’t contain any of the freakish ingredients that appear in Azteca "tortillas" and other store brands, and the leftovers make killer huevos rancheros. The recipe I use is from Madhur Jaffrey’s World Vegetarian, which is my favorite cookbook.
Wheat Tortillas
2 c. all-purpose flour [I use King Arthur bread flour]
1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil (I use olive oil)
warm water
Sift the flour and salt into a bowl. [I am actually too lazy to sift.] Add the oil and rub it into the flour as evenly as possible. Begin to add very warm water slowly, gathering the dough into a ball. You will need about 1/2 cup or a bit more. Knead the ball for about 10 minutes. [Don’t skimp on this part. It’s the only difficult part of the whole recipe.] Now divide it into 8 even portions and make 8 balls from them. Flatten the balls into patties. Put the patties on a large platter or baking tray and cover with a dampened towel or plastic wrap. Set aside for 30 minutes or more.
Set a cast-iron frying pan or griddle on medium-high heat. Allow it to heat up.
Take a ball of dough and dust it lightly in flour. Now roll it out into a 7-inch round on a floured surface. Lift up the tortilla and slap it back and forth between your palms to shake off the extra flour. [I don’t do this, since there is never any excess flour on mine by this point.] Slap the tortilla onto the hot griddle. Let it cook for 45 seconds. It will puff up. Turn it over and cook the second side for another 35 to 45 seconds. Put the cooked tortilla on a plate and cover it with a towel or another upturned plate. Make all the tortillas this way, making sure to wipe off the cast-iron pan with a paper towel after each tortilla is made. [I never wipe off the pan.] If it takes you a while to roll out the next tortilla, turn the heat under the cast-iron pan down to low while you roll it and then turn it up again. [You can easily roll out each tortilla while the previous tortilla cooks.]
I cook the leftover tortillas in a skillet with a little olive oil and whatever toppings I want. You can also reheat them in the oven.
February 4th, 2008 at 8:20 pm
Those tortillas are great. I have World Vegetarian, too, and love it!
February 4th, 2008 at 8:29 pm
hooray! these look great. homemade tortillas are incredible. (i live in the southwest, and will be in serious breakfast burrito/green chile withdrawal if i ever leave.) the next step is to have a salsa party (dip, not dancing) — and then everyone makes the tortillas!
February 4th, 2008 at 9:35 pm
Thanks for posting that! I love tortillas, and tortilla-based dishes, but it’s hard to find ones in the store that aren’t laden with weirdness and fat.
Having lived all my life in the Northeast, tortilla making isn’t part of my cultural heritage–so i really appreciate the tutorial.
Kathleeen
February 4th, 2008 at 10:03 pm
I like the 5+1 formula, works for me!
And you know, if you substituted whole wheat flour for the all-purpose, you could have north Indian rotis instead of tortillas! The rotis in the Indian restaurants here are ghastly, but homemade ones are made exactly this way. I am a rice-eater myself, but occasionally get the craving.
Looking forward to the Tokyo top - and I have done that Netflix thing often with Law and Order DVDs so am glad am not the only one…
February 5th, 2008 at 9:15 am
Leftover tortillas are great for breakfast the next morning too, just heat for about 8-10 sec in a microwave and smear some jam and roll it up, delicious!
By the way, your designs so far are amazing, looking forward to what’s coming up!
February 5th, 2008 at 9:35 am
My stomach’s growling!
I always enjoy the food posts too.
I liked the poem from the silent reading too - Thanks for sharing!
February 5th, 2008 at 10:50 am
Thanks for the mention, Ruth! I’ve made regular flour tortillas, but not whole wheat. Those look delicious!
September 6th, 2008 at 8:36 am
I too love chapatis, rotis and tortillas (all variations on a theme). If you have leftovers you use them up in one of the following ways -
Indian style:
tear day old chapatis or tortillas into pieces. heat a heavy frying pan and add brown (black) mustard seeds and whole cumin and toast lightly until the mustard seeds begin to pop out of pan like popcorn. add a touch of oil or butter or both (depending on whether your pan is well seasoned, non-stick or other and your taste preferences) and saute a chopped onion or two until soft. Add a 1/2 to 1 tsp of tumeric and a finely chopped pepper (if you like heat). Throw in the torn chapatis or tortillas and lightly fry until warm and toasted. We eat these for breakfast with yogourt.
Mexican style
tear up stale chapatis (whole wheat or wheat/corn blend seem to work best) and add to heated frying pan. add 1 part salsa verde + 3 parts water to just cover the torn tortillas and cook over medium heat until all liquid is absorbed and tortillas are soft (you may need to add a bit more water) - about 5 to 10 minutes. take off heat and serve with favourite taco type condiments (grated cheese, queso fresca, chopped tomatoes, sour cream, cilantro, avocado, refritos - whatever).
I hope you enjoy these as much as we do. Go crazy and experiment.