Homemade Tortillas

For my enchilada bake yesterday, I made my own homemade tortillas. I have tried to make tortillas before, but due to time constraints, they ended up being more like flat breads, as they were not rolled as thinly as they should have been. They still turned out very nice and tasty though, the only trouble I had was a bit of sticking to the pan, so this time I knew to make sure my pan was well oiled. This requires adding a splash of oil for every new tortilla you add. They need oil to cook and sizzle properly, but they don't end up greasy after cooking. Watch them carefully - they only need 30-60 seconds per side. Homemade flour tortillas aren't particularly difficult to make, although the technique of rolling and frying does take practice. The trick is to stretch them as thinly a possible - they should be almost transparent. I have discovered that if you accidentally rip them in spots, once cooked, the hole will tend to patch itself up, so you don't need to worry about minor tears. The dough is very smooth, and easy to work with. Tortillas are very simple - most recipes contain just flour, water, baking powder, salt, and a little fat. The dough requires a short kneading time, and sometimes a short resting time. Then it is divided into pieces, rolled out very thinly, and cooked in a hot frying pan for a very short time on both sides, until some dark spots appear. There are many different recipes for tortillas out there, although they all use the same basic concept. The internet is a good place to look, you can easily find a recipe to suit the amount of servings you need. Tortillas are excellent for burritos, tacos, enchiladas, fajitas, wraps, and even homemade nachos. They keep well, and can be frozen for prolonged storage. 

Enchiladas

For supper I made Enchiladas, which are tortillas rolled around a filling, typically ground beef, but often chicken as well. Then they are served with a topping to cover, tomatoes, cheese, salsa, lettuce, sour cream; typical taco toppings. Enchiladas can be prepared individually, and served as is or briefly warmed, but I made an enchilada bake. I filled and rolled several enchiladas, placed them in a casserole dish, covered them with tomatoes and cheese, and baked them. To prepare, I first scramble fried some ground beef with onion, mushrooms,  and seasoning. After assembling the casserole, I put it in the fridge until it was time to bake it. Although this dish is fairly fast and easy to make, it works very well when prepared ahead too. I have also read that these types of dishes freeze well too, either before or after being baked. I used homemade tortillas for this, which I basically just folded over the filling and arranged in a casserole, dish. Store bought tortillas may be used instead, and may be rolled around the filling. I really did like the texture of my homemade tortillas and how they made a great base for the tomato, meat, and cheese. They also had a very nice texture. You can easy vary the filling, sauce, toppings, and cheese in this enchilada bake.  I baked it at 325◦F for 40-45 minutes covered with foil in a glass casserole dish. It emerged piping hot and the cheese was melted. It turned out very well, and was easy to serve. Leftovers reheat well too, or even try them cold.