With the completion of a circumnavigation of the rectangular Province of Saskatchewan by foot, he had reached the bottom of his Bucket of Lists and thought, Oh, my goodness. I have no more reasons to live. But then, he noticed a thin slip of damp paper stuck to the side about half way up. Using the tip of a cracked fingernail, he peeled the paper off the side of the bucket and read a note he’d made so many years before– a time when his commitment to Southwestern cuisine was at the forefront of his compulsiveness. “Make Homemade Tortillas,” read the simple ambition.
Why this? He figured that store bought tortillas– resembling cardboard cutout Frisbees– couldn’t really be what tortillas were all about. No. There had to be more to them than serving the role as a neutral non-entity platform for fillings.
Now with a reason to live, he forged ahead to perform a task which gave a whole new complex level of meaning to a life desperate for accomplishments.
Homemade Tortillas
(Adapted from allrecipes.com)
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons lard or shortening or even margarine
1 1/2 cups water
Combine the salt and the flour with the baking powder in a bowl. Mix the lard or shortening or even margarine into the bowl and work it with your fingers until you get an even consistency similar to cornmeal. Combine with the water and create a dough. Knead the dough for 10 minutes, adding water if too dry or more flour if too sticky.
Under the cover of a dishcloth, let it sit for 10 minutes. Divide into equally sized balls. I made six with this recipe and rolled them out to be as large as possible. You could make them half the size if that’s your preference.
Fry in a pan with oil until they bubble on the surface then flip. Keep them warm in the oven while you cook the others. With the amazing flavour of these tortillas, you can go fully minimalist on the fillings and still have a satisfying gastronomic experience.
When you’re done, you can make a great big checkmark next to “Make Homemade Tortillas,” on your Bucket List and be assured that your life has a much greater depth of meaning.
The Barbarian in the Kitchen 