If there is one thing that is near and dear to my heart - and my waist
line, Im sorry to say - its cooking. I can cook almost anything. And a
lot of it, I unfortunately cook without a recipe.
Its a hold
over from my days of studying chemistry - my lab partner and I had a
rule: If a little bit is good, a shit load will clinch it. I learned
what I had to measure, and what I didnt, and thus was able to shortcut
my efforts with a scale and graduated cylinders. And I oftentimes do
that with my cooking. I measure what I have to, and the rest I do by
sight and feel.
But when I became quite ill a few years ago,
my daughter was worried about how she was going to get fed if I died,
so I started to write a cookbook. We smilingly called it "The In Case I
Die" cookbook. Over the past few years, Ive added to it, and Id like to
share some of it with you. And then, I hope over time, youll share some
of your favorite recipes with the rest of us. You can submit your
recipes to me at: kathleen@thecheers.org And if you have a story about
them, all the better. Please tell me the city and country you live in
with your name.
I made these just a few days ago, and they were
just perfect, but you have to make sure to let the dough rest after
mixing for at least 30 minutes.
Tortillas
6 cups wheat flour + extra
10 Tablespoons solid vegetable shortening
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups hot water
Cut
the shortening into small pieces, and add the flour slowly, mixing it
in until the flour and the shortening are completely mixed together. I
use a Bosche mixer for this, but it can be done with a food processor
or by hand. Add the salt, and mix it in well. Then all at once, add the
two cups of hot, but not boiling, water and mix very well. You will
have a dough that seems a bit too sticky to work with, but have
faith!!! Either leave it in the covered mixing bowl, or wrap it in a
piece of plastic or a floured towel. Let it rest for AT LEAST 30
minutes. When you look at it after it has had a nice nap, it will be
much more firm and less sticky. Its rather like magic. A few million
Latinas cant be wrong.
Now flour your board and rolling pin
lightly, and pull the dough off to form balls about the size of a golf
ball, or about 2 to 3 cm in diameter. Flatten it, and roll it out into
a nice circle, but dont go too thin - it makes them hard to handle.
Cook on a flat surface over medium heat for about a minute on each side
- until nice and light brown. It wont get light brown all over - just
in spots.
These are wonderful used as a burrito or just with
beans and rice. Of course, warm and slathered with a bit of butter is
pure heaven also. These got my children to be quiet and eat for a full
half hour. Enjoy!
Measure Conversions:
Flour - 1 cup = 125 gm
Water - 1 cup = 250 ml liquid measure
Salt - 1 teaspoons = 5 ml dry measure
Shortening - 1 Tablespoon = 15 ml dry measure
line, Im sorry to say - its cooking. I can cook almost anything. And a
lot of it, I unfortunately cook without a recipe.
Its a hold
over from my days of studying chemistry - my lab partner and I had a
rule: If a little bit is good, a shit load will clinch it. I learned
what I had to measure, and what I didnt, and thus was able to shortcut
my efforts with a scale and graduated cylinders. And I oftentimes do
that with my cooking. I measure what I have to, and the rest I do by
sight and feel.
But when I became quite ill a few years ago,
my daughter was worried about how she was going to get fed if I died,
so I started to write a cookbook. We smilingly called it "The In Case I
Die" cookbook. Over the past few years, Ive added to it, and Id like to
share some of it with you. And then, I hope over time, youll share some
of your favorite recipes with the rest of us. You can submit your
recipes to me at: kathleen@thecheers.org And if you have a story about
them, all the better. Please tell me the city and country you live in
with your name.
I made these just a few days ago, and they were
just perfect, but you have to make sure to let the dough rest after
mixing for at least 30 minutes.
Tortillas
6 cups wheat flour + extra
10 Tablespoons solid vegetable shortening
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups hot water
Cut
the shortening into small pieces, and add the flour slowly, mixing it
in until the flour and the shortening are completely mixed together. I
use a Bosche mixer for this, but it can be done with a food processor
or by hand. Add the salt, and mix it in well. Then all at once, add the
two cups of hot, but not boiling, water and mix very well. You will
have a dough that seems a bit too sticky to work with, but have
faith!!! Either leave it in the covered mixing bowl, or wrap it in a
piece of plastic or a floured towel. Let it rest for AT LEAST 30
minutes. When you look at it after it has had a nice nap, it will be
much more firm and less sticky. Its rather like magic. A few million
Latinas cant be wrong.
Now flour your board and rolling pin
lightly, and pull the dough off to form balls about the size of a golf
ball, or about 2 to 3 cm in diameter. Flatten it, and roll it out into
a nice circle, but dont go too thin - it makes them hard to handle.
Cook on a flat surface over medium heat for about a minute on each side
- until nice and light brown. It wont get light brown all over - just
in spots.
These are wonderful used as a burrito or just with
beans and rice. Of course, warm and slathered with a bit of butter is
pure heaven also. These got my children to be quiet and eat for a full
half hour. Enjoy!
Measure Conversions:
Flour - 1 cup = 125 gm
Water - 1 cup = 250 ml liquid measure
Salt - 1 teaspoons = 5 ml dry measure
Shortening - 1 Tablespoon = 15 ml dry measure
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