Halvsies Quesodillas

Just a very very quick note about last night's dinner. I wasn't going to post it, and wish i'd taken some pictures as it was beautiful as well as FREAKIN' DELICIOUS! Andy declared that i MUST make this for guests - so invite yourself over for dinner soon!

The reason i didn't want to post, was the ingredients were declared by what was ripe in the garden: peppers, a few tomatoes, and purple hulled peas. Plus some on sale avocadoes and cheddar in the fridge, miracles were made.

Basically, this is like quesodillas, but instead of sandwiching cheese between two tortillas, i topped one tortilla with cheese then salsa. Like a chalupa but not as crispy - these had the perfect balance of being flexible enough to hold and bite without sharding everywhere, but crispy enough to hold the toppings without any droop.

• Corn tortillas - i used homemade
• 3/4 masa, 1/3 ww flour, sprinkle baking powder and salt, water to mix - mush up and press flat in a tortilleria
• Shredded cheese
• Salsa
• Ripe tomatoes
• Fire roasted jalapenos with some seeds scraped out 
• Just turn on the gas on your stove and flip the peppers over the flame
• Garlic chives and onion greens
• Some purple hulled peas, shelled
• Salt, pepper, tiny splash vinegar, cumin, chilly powder
• One whole avocado diced small

Mix it all up!  I cooked the tortillas and kept them to the side. For dinner, i heated up the pan, toasting three at a time with some butter spread on the underside of the tortilla and cheese sprinkled on top. I toasted until the cheese was melted and there was some browning to the bottom of the tortilla. Top with salsa, side with salsa, get giant grin on face while consuming fresh amazing flavorful YUM.

Perhaps i'll make this again soon and take some shots.
Happy Monday!

Fish Tacos in Homemade Corn Tortillas

I got a new tortilla press for my birthday, and i am stoked to try it out!
Homemade corn tortillas sound super easy - but will they be plagued with the same "cracked in the middle when trying to fold, taco contents everywhere but in mouth" problem many store bought corn tortillas have?

Tortillas (makes 7-8):

• 1 cup masa
• 2/3 cups cold water
• 1/8 tsp salt
• optional flavorings, i added some chilly powder

(ratios of masa to water are generally found on the package of masa - can be increased or decreased per the amount of tortillas you desire)

Fish filling:

• Fillets tilapia, one per person
• Generous lathering of the following herbs/seasonings
• cumin, cardamom, salt, pepper, chilly powder (optional), lime juice, garlic powder

Optional filling ingredients/condiments:
Chopped cilantro, salsa, ranch dressing, habanero sauce,  coleslaw (without the mayo or miracle whip, plus more vinegar, some mirin, and green onions from my garden instead of a vidalia).

Mix the masa with the salt then the water, blending to form a dough. Let dough rest, covered for about 20 minutes. When ready, form into 1 1/2 inch balls, one at a time placing in tortilla press (sandwiched betwixed wax paper) and press flat. Carefully peel wax paper off of tortilla, not the other way around. If you accidentally break off a chunk of tortilla, just reform the ball and squish again. Heat two minutes per side in a hot pan on medium heat. Place in a tortilla warmer or lidded pan (off heat) until ready to use. Tortillas can also be frozen.

For the fish, simply slather the herbs on each side of the fish, stick them on a baking sheet and back about 15-20 minutes on 350. You want the fish to be sizzling, cooked through (firm to the touch) but not dried out. Can be kept on 'warm' or on top of the warm-from-cooking oven between taco construction/consumption.

Delicious! Pictured here with habanero sauce, diced cilantro and freshly made coleslaw (with a side of homemade mayo for the heck of it). The little tortillas ended up being about 65 calories a piece and scrumptious! AND: They folded well! No breakage! Yipee!
No picture of the folded taco,  (again i was anxious to EAT not photograph) but the husband agrees: "These fold great, very sturdy."

FYI: i skipped the 'let them rest' portion of the preparation: i simply mixed the dough, rolled into balls and covered with a moist towel while preparing the fish. As fish cooked, i pressed and cooked the tortillas. By the time all the tortillas were made the fish was perfectly cooked: couldn't be easier.
So, don't be afraid to make your own tortillas. The press was a whopping 17 dollars at my local feed store, a great investment for quick, delicious, bendable, homemade tortillas anytime you please.

Do you prefer corn or flour tortillas? Have you ever made your own?