Tor-till-uh Time

I've been making my own flour tortillas for about half a year now and I have to say, IT'S DOPE!
I wanted to get this posted sooner or later because I've had multiple conversations now with you all about making them and you all seem a little daunted. It's really not that bad, the hardest part of it all is the half hour that you have to let them rest. If Judge Judy is on, that's perfect, you won't even notice the lag.
The recipe comes from Rick Bayless. I don't really fuck with anything he does. He knows his stuff, and he knows how to make Mexican food easy for white people's kitchens.
You'll need a non-stick pan or a seasoned skillet to cook these. I also let them cool off a bit before throwing them in the fridge. That's where you store them by the way. In a sealed plastic container or bag in the fridge. If you put them away hot, they form all this condensation and can get mushy. Blech.
This uses that bacon fat you've been keeping in the fridge so diligently. Reap your reward!
Eat these with your beans! i think the best way to warm them up is directly over a gas flame on your stove. Just turn the flame to medium or so and throw the tortilla on there. Flip it before it burns or catches on fire. Toasty, soft goodness. Try them with a little butter and sugar in the morning instead of toast.

Ingredients:
3/4 pounds (2 3/4 cups) all-purpose flour, plus a little extra for rolling the tortillas
5 tablespoons bacon fat or vegetable shortening
3/4 teaspoon salt
about 3/4 cup very warm tap water

Make the magic happen...

1. Make the dough. Combine the flour and salt in a food processor. Give it a whir to aerate it. Add the 5 tablespoons of bacon fat or shortening. Distribute them pretty evenly in the flour, it'll mix better. Turn your processor on and add the water in the top in a thin, controlled stream. You'll see the dough start to come together. You can pause every now and then to assess the situation. You might not need all the water, it's one of those "depends on the weather that day" things in baking. What you want if for the dough to come together in one big clump and start whirling around the food processor bowl. Once that happens you're done. Scoop the dough onto your work surface and knead until smooth. It should be medium-stiff consistency -- definitely not firm, but not quite as soft as most bread dough either.

2. Rest the dough. Divide the dough into 12 portions and roll each into a ball. Set them on a plate, cover with a kitchen towel and let rest at least 30 minutes (to make the dough less springy, easier to roll).

3. Roll and griddle-bake the tortillas. Heat an ungreased griddle or heavy skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Not greased is important. Butter is for later, this is what i like to think of as dry roast baking. It's how you get that toasty taste.

Now we roll. these are Rick Bayless's words. "

On a lightly floured surface, roll out a portion of the dough into an even 7-inch circle: Flatten a ball of dough, flour it, then roll forward and back across it; rotate a sixth of a turn and roll forward and back again; continue rotating and rolling until you reach a 7-inch circle, lightly flouring the tortilla and work surface from time to time."

that's a lot right? My tortillas are never that round. I'm no Mexican grandmother. I'm happy if they are around 7" across and an even thickness. They taste the same. the thickness is the most critical thing, you want them to cook evenly.

Lay the tortilla on the hot griddle (you should hear a faint sizzle and see an almost immediate bubbling across the surface). After 30 to 45 seconds, when there are browned splotches underneath, flip it over. Bake 30 to 45 seconds more, until the other side is browned. If you over-bake it, it will be stiff and crisp. Not as good. Remove and wrap in a cloth kitchen towel. Roll and griddle-bake the remaining tortillas in the same manner and stacking them one on top of the other under the towel. Now, if you do over-bake it, just throw it in the stack anyway and say a little prayer. I find most of those soften up over the time it takes you to cook and cool them.

They are best fresh, of course, but they will keep for up to two weeks in the fridge. I think it's two weeks...they never last that long at my house.

The Bean Variations

Beans, beans, the musical fruit
The more you eat, the more you toot
The more you toot, the better you feel,
So let's have beans for every meal!

My father loved this little diddy. If your beans are really making you toot, you haven't done them right. I'm a soaker. It takes a bit of forethought, but I rarely encounter the toot problem. There are totally those of the other school of thought who say that you can just cook them from their dry state. I think the only way this can really work is if you start them in cold water. Ever seen Daily Martinez on the Create channel? She does all that Puerto Rican cooking? She never soaks her beans and they turn out fine. On TV anyway. BUT she does start them in cold water, then brings them to a boil and simmers them for at least two hours. One advantage of soaking them before hand is that you don't have to cook them quite as long. Maybe one hour instead of two. What you will find here is my basic formula for beans. Depending on the bean, I might soak them longer, like with garbanzo beans, or maybe add a bit of bacon like with...well, pretty much any bean can get the bacon treatment.

BASIC BEAN BEGINNINGS

What you'll need:
2 cups of dried beans (this is good for two people with some leftovers)
2 dried Bay leaves

Put your 2 cups of dried beans in a big bowl. Cover them with cold water, enough so that there is about 2 inches of water above the surface of the beans. Put a plate over the top of the bowl and let it sit on the counter for 4 - 8 hours. The longer they soak, the less time they need to cook. Careful about over-soaking though. Since they aren't in the fridge, they can get moldy. Overnight is okay, but you'll want to start cooking them by lunch time the next day.
Once they've had their soak in the pool, rinse them off in a colander. Pick out any bits that aren't beans. Sometimes there are little stones of twigs in there. Place your beans in a big, heavy bottomed pot and cover them with water. This time, I put about an inch above the level of the beans. You can put more in as they are cooking if you need. Drop in your 2 bay leaves and turn on the heat. Bring them to a boil, then take the heat down and simmer. Don't salt them. Salt makes the beans tough. Blech.
Start checking them at one hour. Take a couple beans out of the pot and squish 'em. They should be smooth and creamy on the inside. No "bones" in your beans. Once they have reached this divine state, you are ready for anything. Don't forget to pick out the bay leaves. Here's a couple of my go-to bean variations;

REFRIED BEANS

What you'll need:
2 cups of cooked black or pinto beans
2 pieces of bacon cut into small pieces
Red pepper flakes (this is one of those basics I always have on hand)
Half an onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic
Salt and pepper

Get out your skillet. Toss in the bacon, spreading it out evenly in the pan. Throw in the red pepper flakes once the bacon fat has rendered a little bit. Toast them a couple seconds. Once your bacon has cooked about half way, which to me means that the edges are a little crispy but there is still white fatty bits visible, toss in the garlic and the onions. Cook all these guys together until the bacon is done. Now, when I do this I have my bean pot next to the skillet, still hot, awaiting participation. At this point, I use a slotted spoon to add my beans to the skillet with the bacon. Mix the beans, bacon, onion, and garlic all together in the skillet. As you mix, add some of the beans cooking liquid to keep it moist. Experiment with the amount of liquid that YOU like. More or less, there's no rule. It's all about what you want. If you don't use all the beans, don't stress. Save them in the fridge, we'll use them for something else.
Salt and pepper to taste. Easy on the salt since you have a bunch of bacon in there. At this point you can either eat the beans as is, or you can squish them up with a potato masher. I find that left whole, the beans are great for tacos. Smooshed, they make for good dipping with chips.

LIDIA'S GARBANZO BEANS WITH CHARD.

I don't do this very often, but I'm copying a recipe below. GASP! Well, okay, it's an augmented copy. I changed a couple things, but it's from Lidia Bastianich, the big Italian woman from the Create channel. (I watch a lot of public access, in case that wasn't obvious already.) Garbanzo beans want to be soaked longer, but you can use the basic cooking technique just like the other beans. In fact, there is no shame in using canned garbanzo beans, like this recipe does. I like canned garbanzos over any other canned beans. I also really like that this recipe includes her reserving and using the water that the pasta is cooked in. It's wonderful stuff! It's flavorful and has some starch in it so it thickens sauces. This recipe is also a great example of good fast-food. It takes as much time as the pasta takes to cook. Hoooo-ray.
This is also another one you can tweak. You could add onions, or bell peppers. You could do this with chard instead of spinach. Squash? Why not, zucchini is one of Christine's favorites.

Tuscan Gemelli with Ceci

• 6 cloves garlic, chopped

• 4 slices bacon, chopped

• salt (to taste)

• 1 bag fresh baby spinach

• 1 15oz can chick peas

• ¾ lb gemelli

• reserved pasta water

• 2 tsp Extra virgin olive oil
  

• ½ cup shredded pecorino romano cheese (or parmesan)
  

Cook gemelli according to package directions in salted water until al-dente. Reserve water. Add 1 tsp oil to large saute pan. Add bacon and cook until crisp. Add garlic and cook 1 minute, or until garlic is just before burning. Add some pasta water to pan and deglaze the bottom. Add 1 tsp oil to pan and add spinach. Toss and cook until spinach is wilted down. Add gemelli and mix well. Add just enough pasta water to create a slight sauce. Cook, stirring occasionally, until flavors are well blended. Salt to taste. Stir in cheese and serve.

Mexican-ish SALSA

Leave it to the whitest cracker in the box to start with the Mexican stuff. But you know, its cheap, it's tasty, and all the ingredients are easily found here. "Here" being anywhere in California. Except maybe Mill Valley.
We begin with the snacking cornerstone, SALSA. This is "guilt-free" so to speak, but I'm not really partial to that phrase. You shouldn't feel guilty about eating, especially if you've taken the time to make it yourself. Save the guilt for when you buy fast food or shop at Wal-Mart. Yeah, you can go ahead and feel real guilty about that. But salsa is nothing but vegetables and a bit of salt. It's a version of a salad, really. you can also tailor your lot to whatever makes you happy. If you like hot, add more pepper. Hate cilantro? Don't use it. Living on the adventurous side? Add mango or peach. If you do that, you can top fish with it. I say YOU because I'm highly allergic to mango, hence I threw the peach option in there. You won't wanna eat after seeing my mango reaction. Anyway, I do pratter on so. Let's do it.

WHITE CHICK SALSA

What's in it:
5 fresh tomatoes
1/4 of an onion (any type you like)
2 limes
Handful of cilatro
1 jalapeno or serrano chili
Salt

Get out that food processor.
The first thing you want to do is get some of the extra water out of those tomatoes. Otherwise this salsa can turn into a bit of a gazbacho. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but a dryer salsa sits more pretty on your chips. Cut the top stem or stem base off the tomatoes, then cut the tomatoes in half. Give those halves a squeeze over the compost bin. You want to get most of the seeds out. Then roughly chop them into quarters and set them aside.
Now we deal with the onions and pepper. Chop the 1/4 of an onion into a couple pieces. It just helps it chop more evenly in the food processor. Then you shall perform a little salsa trick. Rinse that onion in water for a couple seconds. It helps get rid of that zowie, overpowering onioness that can happen in salsa. Shake the water off the onion pieces and chuck it in the bowl of the food processor. Now the pepper. I cut my pepper on a paper towel so I don't permeate my cutting board with hotness. Cut the stem off and slice the pepper in half lengthwise. At this point, you have a choice. Hot or not so hot. All the heat of peppers is in the seeds and the ribs. I leave about half of mine in. The other half I scrape out. Then I cut the halfs in half to get four pieces. In the food processor it goes with the onion. WATCH OUT FOR THOSE HANDS OF YOURS. Remember that after you have touched the pepper you have burning hands of death. Don't touch your nose, your eyes, the cat, anything. Ow.
Whir the onion and pepper into a medium chop in your food processor. You don't want it to be soup, and you'll be whirring it again with the tomatoes. In fact, here we are, it's time to toss in the tomatoes. Process the tomatoes with the onion and pepper in pulses so you don't overdue it. Pulse it until it looks like salsa. Then spoon it all into a bowl.
Chop up your handful of cilantro into fine little pieces. Stir that into the bowl of salsa. I caution against putting the cilantro in the food processor. It chops it up too much and I find it harder to gauge how much you're putting in.
Now squeeze the juice of the two limes into the salsa. Last, add salt. Salt to taste, I'd be surprised if you put in more than 1/2 a teaspoon. Mix it up and dig in!

Variations on a theme:
My old housemate used to use canned tomatoes in a pinch. They even make canned tomatoes Mexican-style with spices already in there that add some good flavor. I also use tomatillos with this recipe in place of the regular tomatoes. You can dry roast these on a cookie sheet under the broiler or on a griddle on top of the stove. Try roasting the onions and pepper too, it's a nice smoky touch.

Stuff you'll need part deux

Ho HO!
My primary eater reminded me of a couple things I left off of the list. Hopefully, you haven't run out and done your shopping already and if you have well, bummer. Don't hate the playa, hate the game.
These are some essential fluids I neglected to mention.


Walk, bike, or public transit to get yourself some...

Olive Oil:
Here's another possible dissertation. You can really shop a full spectrum with this one. Go with McEvoy at $30 for 12 oz. and it's like eating liquid gold. Buy Safeway brand light olive oil and you might as well just flush it down the toilet. Never fall short of extra virgin, no matter what you go with. Here's a place where we can practice our label reading skills. Lots of farms in Napa are growing olive trees and there's really not much reason why you shouldn't be able to find a California grown olive oil at the store. Try and save a bottle so you can buy it in bulk. You don't have to buy imported to have it be good stuff. (The Italians and Spaniards like to think that though.)

Balsamic vinegar:
Fancy fancy, we can be. You do NOT have to break the bank to get a good balsamic. I think the organic generic brands are fine. This will save you when you're in a tasteless tailspin. Even in desserts, which will impress your friends. Although, at the moment I'm always praying they'll invite ME to dinner.

Red wine vinegar:
It's cheaper. It's my go-to for salad dressing. Call it an everyday vinegar, if you will. Sherry vinegar will serve you just as well.

Canola Oil:
I buy this in bulk too. You'll need it for frying. Who doesn't love fried things?

Last but not least...

BACON:
Yes, bacon. It ain't a luxury, I have it in my fridge all the time. It keep forever, but you won't have it around very long. This is the beauty of moderation. If you don't eat as much meat in your life, you can have bits of yummy things around like good ol' bacon. It's also a shape shifter. Chop it up and fry it with kale for a quick pasta. Do the BLT standard. Crumble it on salads and MAC AND CHEESE. Whoa nelly. Best part? Save the grease in an airtight jar in your fridge and use it for flour tortillas, re-fried beans, and biscuits. My girlfriend Christine makes those, I'll include her recipe for sure. She's the baker among us. Speaking of which...

FLOUR (4 - 5 lbs.)
Seem like a lot? It's not when baking bread at home. That will be more from Christine.

EGGS:
They last a long time and make great brain food at the top of the day. I like keeping a couple hard boiled in the fridge for salads. It's an easy way to get your protein in. And, I mean, you have the bacon so...

Since I'm here, a word on meats. Eat less, buy well. Don't buy shit. That means when you want to have meat in your life, try to make sure it comes from a sustainable source. Why eat tortured cows? They're not happy, why would eating their misery make us happy? I know it sounds corny, but it's true. These are also huge, faceless, food corporations who don't give a fuck about your health or your family's. That sucks. Don't let them win and buy from the little guy. This usually means I have to shop in more than one location. My meat shop is El Cerrito Natural Grocery. But really, you don't have to shop at a high brow place to buy good meat. Just pay attention to labels and talk to your butcher people. They know more than you think. They're the ones spending the most intimate time with that product.
Bacon and chorizo are my two exceptions. Bacon I like to buy on sale in bulk, you know those $9.99 packs that way a couple pounds? Yeah. If I did that with Applewood smoked bacon we'd have to refinance the house. I buy El Mexicano chorizo because that's what they sell in my neighborhood. I saw it at the Berkeley Bowl yesterday, if anyone tries that and digs it let me know. Sounds a bit hypocritical, huh? It doesn't have to be all or nothing. Change is hard, do a what you can, a little bit at a time. Otherwise, who wants to stick to it? It'll seem like a burden and you'll forget about it. There are enough difficult things, right?
We'll start with recipes next.

Let's start at the very beginning...

There are some things you will want in your pantry before starting to try these recipes. Now, I'm not saying that you should go out and spend a lot of money buying new stuff, especially if you end up hating this blog and leave wondering why that dumb bitch told you to buy all this stuff you never use. The other thing is this list is my list. After a while you may make your own list of essentials, or just add to mine. That's the beauty of it. I'm here to quell you fears about making your own food and get you going, then you take over the wheel.
Here's equipment that will make your life easier;
A good chef's knife:
You can buy a used one and have it sharpened by a sharpening dude. No need to spend your life savings on a Wusthof. (Although if anyone asks you what you want for your birthday keep that knife in mind.) Chopping garlic with a paring knife sucks, it will make you not want to do it at all.

Food processor:
Lots of things that I make are WAY faster if you do it in one of these wonderful things. Go on craigslist and see if anyone is getting rid of one. There's lots of kitchen stuff on craigslist, and often it's free free free.

Big soup pot with a lid:
I love one pot meals. This is another thrift store buy. Don't overdue the size, but it is nice to have one big enough so you get leftovers. Oven-proof with a heavy bottom is best.

Oven-safe casserole dish:
THRIFT SHOP. I always see a ton of these and for less than $5 each. Get two even, you'll use them for hot stuff and cold stuff too. Everything from mac and cheese to rice krispie treats go in these.

Good-sized frying pan:
I have a Lodge-Logic iron skillet that I use for everything. New, they cost anywhere from $30 - $50. I do have to say that these are hard to find used because people keep them for generations. If you don't want to spend money on that you can find a frying pan of 12" diameter or similar size to fit whatever budget you've got. I will say that this is another thing that you want to enjoy using. Non-stick is fine. Oven-proof handle is best.

Tongs:
Get them. You'll use them everyday.

BONUS MATERIAL:
A good vegetable peeler

Salad spinner:
It will change the way you think about salad. Makes dressings stick to every nook and cranny of your freshly washed and dried greens)

Microplane ( I just recently fell in love with this thing):
You could use a regular grater too, I won't think less of you for it.

Alright, that's the equipment corner. Now on to essential food ingredients i always try and keep at my disposal. The point is to use fewer ingredients to get lots of flavor. We'll use these things a lot.

Packaged Instant Ramen:
Pick your favorite flavor. Oriental has the least sodium (wink).

Canned tuna in water:
Unless you are buying the Italian tuna packed in olive oil, I fail to taste much difference between different brands. Buy what's cheap. The Italians are actually fishing blue fin tuna into extinction, so props to us for using the cheap stuff. That blue fin tuna is good though. Damn.
Todd's tip: Cats love the tuna water. Drain the water into their little cat bowls for a special treat. Don't overdo it though, one cat shouldn't get more than half the water in the can. Canned tuna is high in salt and can mess with their urinary systems. Or make them barf which is just as unpleasant.

Canned whole, peeled, tomatoes:
Go organic here if you can. I usually buy a buttload of organic tomatoes if I see they are on sale. Then I can scratch it off my list for a while and know I saved some cash in the long run.

Beans:
Canned or dried, beans will become your new best friend. They are rich in protein and so a great meat substitute. Poor folk don't eat a lot of meat, and it's no different here. Everyone has had bland, awful beans. We're gonna turn that stigma on it's head.
SOAK dried beans at least 6 hours before using them. I always try and remember to put them in water the night before I plan to use them. Otherwise, you'll get the toots.

Pasta:
We'll learn how to make fresh pasta, but dried is easier most of the time. Pasta making is really fun with some other people so you can save that for a group activity.

Good cheeses:
Now here is a place where you will see me spending some money. There is just no substitute for a good parmigiana. Freshly grated, man, you could eat horse shit if it was sprinkled with that. I also keep a big block of sharp Tillamook cheddar in my fridge. You can get mega-blocks at Costco, or semi-mega blocks for about $8 at FoodMaxx or Safeway. Feel free to buy the cheap brand cheddar, but I know you'll come back to the Tillamook.

Black olives:
Cheap. Tasty. They are cheaper if you buy the whole, pitted black olives in the can and then chop them into pieces yourself.

HOT SAUCE:
I'm a big fan so I have a couple kinds. Frank's Red Hot, Tapatio, and Sriracha are my go-to friends.

Bay Leaves:
We'll use these in stocks and sauces.

Salt and Pepper:
Freshly ground black pepper is always better. Salt? If you had asked me a year ago what salt to buy I could have given you a two paragraph response. These days I just use whatever I have. We'll talk more about salt variations later, but for now if you have a carton of Morton's table salt you're golden.

Fish Sauce:
Made from fermented fish, this Phillipino treat adds UBER flavor to whatever you put it in. Don't be afraid.

Paprika:
I use it in salad dressings and egg salad, which I make a lot of.

Pepperoncini:
Little dried red pepper flakes that you're probably used to seeing as a pizza topping. I just grab a couple extra packets when I go for pizza and hoard them in a jar in my pantry. Italian cooking uses these chili flakes.

Lawry's Seasoned Salt

Mayonnaise

Mustard:
Choose one you like. I'm a dijon fan and it's way versatile. It ain't just for sandwiches.

Okay, now a word on fresh stuff. My partner and I get a produce box from CSA delivered to our house every two weeks. I'm a big fan because it's fresh produce at my door and it cuts down on my shopping trips. Ours is about $30 per box. The rest of our produce is bought at the Richmond Farmer's Market on Fridays. I like to buy seasonally. It's cost effective for the farmer and for me. You know, what you are paying for when you buy peaches in the winter is the shipping cost from Argentina or wherever the hell they come from. Try to buy only as much produce as you will need in the week. Otherwise it might go bad. Don't buy things you know you won't like in a valiant effort to change your eating habits. If Americans actually ate as much as they bought the food industry wouldn't need the mass production they do and our land fills wouldn't be as overflowing with refuse. I know, I know, we compost now but it's still waste.
Anyway, here's a list of produce I like to have that keeps for a relatively long period of time.
Onions (2 - 3)
Garlic (2 - 3 cloves)
Celery (put one plastic bag on each end to wrap it up)
Carrots (4)
Potatoes (4. Russet or Yukon Gold are great)

Everything else you can buy when you need it.
I'm going to start with my Mexican type meals. I live in Richmond, it's easy for me.

My Mission

Greetings everyone,
I used to be able to spend a lot of money on food. In fact, I enjoyed it. How can you not when you are living smack dab in middle of the food mecca, San Francisco's mission district? I lived on 15th and Guerrero for five years. Whitefish salad from the Bi-Rite on 18th St. with a light smear of imported french mustard on an organic pumpernickel bagel, or perhaps an heirloom tomato salad with fresh, Italian mozzarella di bufala, McEvoy olive oil, Maldon sea salt, and hand-torn basil, or screw all the prep and go get a chicken mole burrito at Papalote's on 25th and Valencia.
Oh, how things change.
Eight months ago, I left my full-time profession as a theatrical stage manager to become a student again. I'm now in the throws of cardiology, radiography, pharmacology, chemistry, and parasitology (eee...), all with the end goal of becoming a registered veterinary technician. What the fuck was I thinking, right? Well, I tell you what. Being a student is awesome. If you can do it later in life, DO IT. It's not like being 18 and taking GE classes. I've chosen these subjects because I want to learn, I find them interesting, and I'm motivated to put the amount of work into it that it takes to know my shit.
Here's the tricky bit. I'm the one paying for all this, no one is paying me. Yet.
How do I resolve my love for food and all it's costliness? That's why I'm writing here.
I know I'm not the only one out there trying to slash their food budget, especially since the economy is in the toilet. I've chosen my broke-ass state, some people have not. I think I can help, you guys. In the following entries I'm going to share how I manage my budget and my eating habits. It's hard, right? You're tired, you can't imagine turning on the stove and dealing with chopping anything... Hell, you may have had you fingers in dog's asses all day like me.
You don't have to buy $1 boxes of frozen dinners. You don't have to buy 3 boxes of sugary cereal to get that 4th box for free, even though that sounds like a deal at Safeway. It's not a healthy way to be and you won't feel very good. If you eat like this (and you know who you are) you don't even know that you feel like shit right now. But wait until you start eating the good stuff and cut back all that sodium. You'll light up like a Christmas tree.
Back to basics, people. What will you find here, you ask?
Wholesome? Absolutely.
Organic? Meh, we try.
From scratch? Most of the time.
Quick? I don't know about you, but when I get home I'm hungry NOW.
Cost effective? That's the point!
Local? It's easier than you think. We're gonna read some labels.
Thanks for tuning in everyone. Share it with your friends. Hell, make it for your friends. They'll all be very impressed that you have created...
SOMETHING FROM NOTHING!