"tortilla" news and stories

Learn how to make tortillas soft, warm and pliable for your next taco or fajita night.

Tortilla. Photo: formalfallcy @ Dublin (Victor)/Flickr

Like paella, tortilla española is a quintessential Spanish dish. Ubiquitous on tapas bar menus, the circular potato and onion omelet is also versatile. Add peppers (as above) or chorizo for color and texture, or follow the lead of Michael Fiorello, chef de cuisine at Chicago tapas bar Mercat a la Planxa, who loves tossing in jamón Ibérico or seasonal mushrooms.

While labor intensive, basic tortilla española (an original recipe is after the jump) is well worth the effort for its inimitable flavor and flexibility. Adapt this recipe to suit your own needs -- perhaps finish it on the stove top, perhaps in the oven, as done at Mercat a la Planxa. Fiorello agrees: "You can cook tortilla using many different techniques." No matter how you slice it, tortilla española is addictive. If you can wait this long -- and you ought not -- it will keep for a couple of days.

Recipe after the jump.

In a world where we're inundated with super-sized flavor, it's easy to forget how delicious simplicity can be -- the one exercise in restraint that makes life all the sweeter. It never fails to astound me how delicious a piece of toast with butter is, and the same can definitely be said for tortilla chips.

These days, we've got a whole variety of powdery flavors to up the junk food ante, but while many of them are tasty, nothing compares to the simplicity of a homemade tortilla chip. Simply make some tortillas (I use the Robert Rodriguez recipe), rip or cut them into the shapes and sizes you prefer, and then bake them on a low heat until sufficiently crisp.

A homemade tortilla chip with salsa is like a fine, rustic bread with your favorite cheese. That simple combination of ingredients makes the perfect pairing for salsa, helping and emphasizing the spicy tomato flavors rather than overpowering them. Try it -- there's nothing quite like it.

Mom said, "Don't play with your food," but I don't recall her saying, "Don't paint on your food." She probably thought it wouldn't come up - little did she know.

According to their Flickr site, The Great Tortilla Conspiracy is an art show that uses tortillas as a canvas to "raise issues related to identity, immigration, miracle tortilla apparitions, the high price of tortillas in Mexico, and the rise of Transgenic Corn".

The tortilla art exhibit runs through April 23th at San Fransisco's SomArts Bay Gallery. It features a tortilla hall of fame with portraits of artists and community leaders on tortillas. What a "corny" honor to be drawn on a tortilla!

Next time I'm out for Mexican food I may have to use my fork and some red and green salsa to start painting. It sounds like fun!

If you could paint something on a tortilla, what would it be?

For more information on the art show, visit The Great Tortilla Conspiracy.

[via Bunrab]

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Here's a great, easy way to use tempeh, whether you're a tentative tempeh virgin or a seasoned tempeh veteran. (A reminder for the newbies: tempeh is made from fermented soybeans, and I swear, it's really quite good).

I whip this up a lot when I'm in a hurry and am in desperate need of protein. Just heat a little olive oil in a skillet and toss in cubed tempeh, mushrooms, red bell peppers, spinach, or whatever else you happen to have on hand. Sprinkle it with seasonings (I use some random herb and spice blend), and fry for about eight minutes, or until the tempeh gets brown.

Hint: tempeh tends to be an oil hog, and it soaks it up really quickly. To alleviate this, I usually add in some veggie stock and water, which works just as well as the oil and doesn't add any unwanted fat.

If you don't like the taste of straight tempeh, you can simply marinate it in balsamic vinegar, barbecue sauce, or soy sauce beforehand, or grill it instead of frying, which gives it an edge. Then, toss some shredded soy cheese and chunky salsa on top, wrap it in a tortilla (I use chile-flavored), and devour.

Want some additional ideas about how to feature tempeh in your meals? Check out the gallery.