"tortillas" news and stories

This is a simple vegan take on Huevos Rancheros. It has all of the flavor and substance of the original dish, but is a great healthy alternative.

Mexican Tofu Scramble
From: Moosewood Restaurant New Classics
Serves: 3

You will need:
6 small tortillas
2 Tbsp. veggie oil
1 cup chopped onions
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup chopped red bell peppers
1 cup chopped green peppers
1 green chile, minced
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. salt
16 oz. soft tofu, pressed between two plates for 15 minutes, then drained
6 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped
1 1/2 cups salsa


Wrap tortillas in foil and warm in a 300 degree F oven for 10 minutes.

Heat oil in a wok, and then saute onions for five minutes. Add garlic, peppers, chile, and all spices and herbs, and saute for two minutes more.

Crumble the tofu and cook for 5 minutes (don't stir) until moisture evaporates. Then, stir and cook for two minutes more.

Remove tortillas from oven and mound scramble in each shell. Roll them up, cover with salsa, and set in warm oven until serving time.

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It's been known for quite some time that blueberries are high in antioxidants. Recently I learned that another blue food is also high in these healthful compounds: blue corn tortillas. Not only that, the pale blue-gray discs also have more protein and less starch than their white-corn cousins. All of this comes as very good news for me, considering I usually eat things like pork fried in lard betwixt my tortillas. Now all I need to do is convince some local taquerias to start offering blue tortillas.

Mexican and Venezuelan researchers recently published their findings on blue corn tortillas in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. Since blue corn is so high in antioxidants, the scientists believe consuming it may help to fight colon cancer and other diseases. The high levels of antioxidants in blue corn result from pigments called anthocyanins. What I'd like to know is whether these guys did any research on the inky purple Peruvian beverage chicha morada made from, you guessed it, blue corn.

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If you've been sitting on the edge of your seat rapidly surfing through the 'Net waiting to find out about tortilla prices, well, the conclusion is here. According to CNN, Mexico president Felipe Calderon has signed an agreement with businesses "to curb soaring tortilla prices and protect Mexico's poor from speculative sellers and a surge in the cost of corn driven by the U.S. ethanol industry." It also moves to allow more importation of corn from countries like the US.

So fire up those fryers and make up some tortilla chips. Your SuperBowl will have nachos! (At least, my SuperBowl will *phew!*)

When I watch too much TV, I crave Taco Bell. A primitive neuron deep within my brain stem fires. Within days, if not minutes, I find myself running to the border.

Normally when I'm in the mood for Mexican, I settle for nothing less than homey soft corn tortillas. Best case scenario: Standing at a taco truck downing a double layer of lard-griddled goodness topped with carnitas, cecina or al pastor, while cilantro-and-onion-infused reddish grease threaten to ruin my outfit.

To make their way into my kitchen supermarket tortillas must pass a strict test. The package needs to showcase the words "tortilleria" and "hermanos" and bear an address within a 45-minute drive from my humble abode. I never purchase "tortillas" that bear the dreaded word "wrap."

Hopefully the above rant explains my issue with a recent article on tortilla sales. I have no beef, cecina or otherwise, with citing 2002 Tortilla Industry Association stats that rank the delectable discus just behind white bread. I understand that those figures are no doubt the latest digits. Perhaps, I'm jonesing for pork and lard, but I was put off by what I found to be a puff piece for Tumaro's Gourmet Tortillas, which earned top honors from Men's Health's for wraps. But who am I to say, maybe Tumaro's pineapple flavored tortilla will hit Taco Bell just after I've maxed out on Seinfeld reruns.

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If ever you've torn open a bag of Doritos, or dived into a mountain of nachos, or simply scooped up your favorite gucamole with a tortilla chip, you have Rebecca Webb Carranza to thank.

Rebecca Webb Carranza passed away in mid January, but is remembered for pioneering the machine-manufacture of tortillas in the late 1940s. When once tortillas were made by hand, Carranza's El Zarape Tortilla Factory was pumping them out more than 12 times faster. Sometimes, the machines were turn out slightly misshapen tortillas. Carranza cut her factory-rejected tortillas into wedges and deep-fried them for a party. Thus, the tortilla chip was born.

By the 1960s, the tortilla chips were being made and sold commercially. Thank you for inventing one of my all-time favorite snacks, Rebecca!

[Photo: LA Times]