great quesadilla tortillas....

[mike_c]

If you're unlucky enough to live somewhere without a good local tortillaria-- like me :-( --I've recently found a flour tortilla that's almost as good as a fresh-off-the-griddle Baja tortilla de harina. Guerrero now sells partly cooked flour tortillas, at least here in northern California-- and they're MUCH better than any of the fully cooked plastic wrapped supermarket flour tortillas we gringos normally have to suffer with. I'd pretty much given up eating flour tortillas unless I had the time to make my own until I found these. They're sold as listas para el comal, fresqui, ricas-- the package says "ready to cook" in the lower left corner.

I can't find a picture online anywhere, otherwise I'd post it. I found discussion board references to them in Texas as well, so I assume they're being widely marketed. They have a purple band at the bottom of the package. They keep very well in the refrigerator.

These tortillas are not ready to eat-- they need to be heated on a dry griddle for 15 seconds to a minute or so per side. That's what makes them so fresh tasting-- you cook them yourself.

Anyway, if you've given up on gringo flour tortillas from the supermarket, try these fresh ones. They're quite good. Now if I could only find real nixtamal masa tortillas de maiz ready-to-cook....

[Warpy]

1. Too bad they don't travel well

One of the things that threw me into culture shock here in central New Mexico was a small grocery's selection of Wonder Bread white and "wheat," and that was it, next to a selection of over 20 varieties of corn and flour tortillas.

There are several makers here who do great ones, but like old wine and young cheese, they do not travel well.

What I can't find in this town is a real bagel. The closest is Lender's frozen.

[mike_c]

2. these flour tortillas travel well as long as you can cook them...

...just before eating them. But yeah, after a few hours even the best tortillas are only edible in chiliquillas or under fried eggs and salsa.

[SW FL Dem]

3. Unfortunately :(

I know that all too well. I spent most of my life in the southwest and now find myself in Florida where good Mexican food is a myth. I have to have my sister send me care packages from Arizona. At least the canned green chilis are better than anything I can buy here.

[Tab]

4. I have had real Long Island / New York bagels

My mother's family is from that area, and I have many memories of fresh NY/LI bagels.

That said, there's something oddly compelling about a Lender's Onion Bagel. It's not a "real" bagel, but damned if I don't like them nonetheless.

[babylonsister]

5. Ii've bought them and agree; they taste like the real thing

fresh out of the tortilla machine. :9

[wryter2000]

6. I'll look for those

What a great idea! I buy Guerrero tortillas, anyway. They're the only ones that are soft. Trouble is, the only come in large packages. I freeze the extras, but they're not the same.

I need a good chilaquile recipe or tortilla soup recipe. On edit: I'm taking about corn tortillas.

[politicat]

11. Chilaquiles recipe I use

took it to a potluck solstice party today and it was well received....

1/2 pound tortilla chips or dried tortillas or similar
1 pound ground pork, carnitas, picadillo, or a whole B/S chicken breast
2 cloves (or more) garlic, minced
2 TB vegetable oil
3 oz can green chiles - fire roasted if possible
1/2 pound grated Jack cheese
1 medium onion, diced
2 cups milk or fir a thicker sauce, half and half
jalapenos to taste

Cook the meat or, if using leftovers, reheat to 170. If using a chicken breast, poach, then cool to handling temp, then shred.
Saute the onions and garlic in the olive oil. When wilted, add the milk and bring to a boil. Salt and pepper to taste. Add meat and mix until well coated. Remove from heat and set aside.

Layer the 9x13 baking pan with chips or dried tortillas to a depth of about an inch for chips. Ladle in half of the sauce mixture. Sprinkle on half of the cheese, then the green chiles. Start over with the chips, the sauce, the cheese, and add jalapenos to the top. Add any other garnishes, then bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Serve with salsa.

[wryter2000]

7. If you're in NoCal

You ought to have some latino markets around. I'm sure they'd have what you need.

[mike_c]

9. nope-- not up in Humboldt County....

We have two local latino markets, to be sure, but NO tortillaria, so the latino markets sell the same packaged tortillas as the supermarket. The corn tortillas are not awful when heated, but they're not nearly as good as the ones that come fresh from a tortillaria. The tortillas de harina are terrible (except for the uncooked Guerrero ones that are newly available).

[snowbear]

12. me too (make them occassionally)

But crazy enough.. we actually have a place here in.. yep.. Anchorage, Alaska that makes fresh flour and corn tortillas DAILY :o :o :o ...I know, nuts - huh?

"Taco Loco" http://www.alaskan.com/tacoloco/ is like a little bit of Mexico right here in Alaska!! ;)

As far as salsa goes though.. even though several of the Hispanic markets up here sell it, I =HAVE= to make it homemade. No one seems to add enough cilantro for me! I love that stuff in salsa :p

[wryter2000]

8. Is this what you're looking for?

http://www.texmextogo.com/store/PPF/parameters/55_3/more_info.asp

[mike_c]

10. no-- I make tortillas occasionally...

...but it's generally not worth the effort except to make a specialty product UNLESS you do the whole nixtamal process, starting with hard corn kernels and lye. And even then it's still not the same as the tortillas that come wrapped in newsprint from a neighborhood tortillaria, all warm and soft and corn tasting. Packaged dry masa is better for tamales IMO.

[politicat]

13. For harina tortillas, I buy them from a local restaurant.

Uncooked, of course. If For some reason, they don't have enough to spare, I can usually convince a Qdoba or a Chipotle to sell me a dozen.

I find that I really like them uncooked, and the tortillerias around here cook theirs - or just offer the packaged ones that supermarkets sell....

[wryter2000]

14. Hey

I saw uncooked flour tortillas at Costco on Monday.