El Cheapo Tortillas

You can cut the family food budget and increase your eating enjoyment by serving homemade tortillas.

Tortillas can be made with masa, a meal made of cooked dehydrated corn. Masa is found in the staples area of most supermarkets. One five-pound package costs about $1.00 and will yield approximately one hundred tortillas—clearly a bargain when compared with ready-to-heat tortillas.

Other advantages of making your own tortillas besides that of economics are that the tortillas are fresh, they can be made any size you wish, and hard or soft as desired.

To make, put 2/3 cup masa in a small bowl, add 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Gradually add 1/2 cup water while mixing with a fork. When the dough is crumbly, continue mixing with fingers. If the dough feels dry, add a few more drops of water. Mix and add water until the dough forms a ball and is slightly sticky to touch. Pinch off a walnut-sized piece, roll it between your hands to form a ball, and roll the ball in all-purpose flour to coat all surfaces. Place the ball between two sheets of waxed paper and use a rolling pin to roll the ball paper thin. Carefully remove the tortilla from the paper with a pancake turner and place it in a frying pan with two tablespoons of hot salad oil.

For soft shells, cook the tortilla until it starts to brown, flip it over, and cook on the other side until browned. Remove it from the pan and drain it on a paper towel. For hard shells, cook longer on each side, flip, and drain.

Use for tacos, enchiladas, or tostadas, or sprinkle with salt and eat as corn chips. Ellen F. Trickler, Provo, Utah