Appetizing Muse

Yesterday's tortilla/pork mixture was today's lunch again, only this time I poured Salsa con Queso over the meat. If possible, the little feast turned out better this afternoon than when it was fresh from the skillet.

On the subject of tortillas, when I first met Wilbert I found his habit of heating tortillas on stove elements a bit irritating. But then his mother and brother did it as well, and it never seemed to leave cooked-on bits of tortilla on the burners. There is a trick to it, as I discovered: leave a tortilla on the element for twenty to thirty seconds at medium-high (setting number 6 on my stove), before flipping it over and cooking the other side in the same fashion. If the tortilla is left any longer, it will leave cooked-on flakes and give the tortilla burn stripes. The best way to determine when it's time to flip is when the tortilla starts to puff slightly. How to pick up and move the tortilla from the element? Very carefully, but made easier when an edge is hanging off the side. Sometimes I also use a fork to gently lift the edges of tortilla from the element to flip it over or remove it. When cooked properly, the tortilla has a nice texture along with light golden bake stripes. I also like the fact that "element cooking" does not involve the use of oil or deep-frying.

When we first moved to Washington two years ago, Wilbert and I tried the Diane's brand of tortillas and found them too doughy and rather tasteless. Shortly thereafter, we tried the Guerrero brand and have bought those since. They are very nearly perfect, as close as one can get to homemade tortillas. However, on occasion I still make tortillas from scratch using Quaker Oats Tortilla Mix. Don't let the name brand fool you – the mix is prepared Masa Harina flour, but there is still a lot of rolling and forming to be done before the finished product gets to the plate. Again, I prefer the tortillas because no oil is needed in order to cook them.

I've been a big fan of Mexican food all my life, but my experience was limited to restaurant-style cuisine and the ritual tacos at home with my parents every Friday night. However, because my husband is Spanish-Mexican I have been exposed to all sorts of authentic cuisine. I haven't liked all of it – in particular what Wilbert terms barbacoa (baked cow head) and menudo (cooked beef tripe) – but I love freshly made tortillas and tamales. I was lucky enough to be part of the tamale-making process just before my marriage when my future-mother-in-law prepared the homemade delights. The event took the better part of a day, but it was something I won't soon forget. Besides, the resulting tamales were out-of-this-world delicious.

The closest to consumer homemade is the Ruiz-Monterey brand of tamale. The little grocery store near my house sells the frozen bundles of ambrosia stuffed with either beef or chicken.