Something as simple as adding a couple of herbs to flour tortilla dough can make a huge difference in the taco or quesadilla it is used for.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 cup shortening or lard (you can substitute butter) cold
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup warm water (plus an extra 1/2 cup, to use as necessary)
- 1 cup of cilantro leaves, loosely packed
- 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
Preparation:
With a pastry blender or back of fork, blend flour, baking power, salt and shortening, until it resembles coarse meal. When well combined, slowly add water until soft dough forms. Coarsely chop the cilantro and garlic. Add in the cilantro leaves and garlic, and continue to knead the dough until all ingredients are well combined. Add additional warm water as necessary to keep the dough moist, but not sticking to the kneading surface. Knead the dough for 5 minutes. Separate into 12 portions for small tortillas and 6 portions for large tortillas. Roll each portion between the palms of your hand to form a ball.
Heat a comal or griddle over medium heat. Using a rolling pin, roll each ball of dough out into a round shape, approx. 1/8 inch thick.
Place each raw tortilla on the hot comal and cook on each side for about 1 minute. If it puffs up at all, you can poke a hole in the puffed area to release the steam. Cook it until it is no longer doughy, which takes about thirty seconds on each side. Remove from the comal and place onto a plate covered by a towel. Use the edges of the towel to fold over the tortillas as you cook them, to keep them warm.
