I wanted tortillas, so I made them.

Since living alone, I have been trying to make as much food from scratch as possible. I would like to have the time to make my own bread, but I haven't gotten there yet. So, this weekend when I was craving tacos, I figured I should make my own tortillas. My grandmother used to make tortillas with me whenever I would ask her. She is able to use her hands and slap the dough into perfectly uniform rounds that puff and brown beautifully when cooked on her cast iron skillet. I don't think she has ever even measured the ingredients, she just knows when the dough is right. Paired with her wonderful homemade refried beans, they are one of my favorite comfort foods.


I cut flour, shortening, baking powder and salt using a fork and then added enough water to make a soft dough. I kneaded it on my counter for about 5 minutes and cheated by using my rolling pin to get the tortillas thin enough to not be considered a pita. One tip; keep the pan hot and dry to get the tortillas to cook all the way through. I made some salsa in my mortar and pestle using green zebra heirloom tomatoes and a lot of garlic. Chopped some onions and garlic, sauteed it with some chopped rib eye and hot sauce. I refried some beans and covered them in some cotija. Cut up some of the other normal taco fixins and made my self some tacos.
They were good. Not straight out of Mexico good, but tasty none the less.