It’s just all so … basic.  When you start with seasonal produce grown down the road and picked the same day, you just really don’t have to do much.  And late summer has all of our favorite stuff — corn, tomatoes, raspberries — which are not exactly challenging to eat up.  Zucchini, on the other hand…

So after my little pep talk, I decided to make something slightly more “recipe worthy.”  A counter full of heirloom tomatoes, a crate of sweet corn, a bunch of basil, and some beautiful artisan sourdough bread were the inspiration — and I’m pretty sure nothing bad can happen when you combine those ingredients.  The key to dishes like this are simple, but high quality ingredients.   Your dish will go from delicious to “out of this world and I feel like I’m in Italy” if you invest in wonderful olive oil and have a great artisan baker for the bread.

This would be perfect for a picnic or party and is still good the next day (the bread in the leftover salad loses its crispness, but my daughter and I didn’t mind and polished the rest off for lunch.)  Pour yourself a large glass of red wine and savor summer.

Garlicky Bread Salad with Heirloom Tomatoes and Sweet Corn

Serves 6-8

1 1/2 loaves of sourdough bread (about 1.5 pounds)
4-5 ears of corn, husked
1 large handful of basil, washed and torn into pieces
4-6 heirloom tomatoes, cored (I used 2 large and 4 smaller ones)
3-4 T good quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil (plus 1 T)
1 1/2 T lemon juice
1-2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
Coarse sea salt or kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

1.  Prepare bread:  Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  Remove crusts from bread (reserve crusts for another use) and tear bread into bite size pieces.  Don’t cut it — the rustic nature of the torn bread is perfect.  Toss the bread with 1 T olive oil and salt and pepper.  Place on a baking sheet and toast (stirring occasionally) for about 8-10 minutes until just lightly toasted. Set aside.

2.  Prepare corn:  Cover ears of corn in a large pot with cold water.  Bring water to the boil (as soon as it boils, the corn is done).  Remove and allow to cool for a few minutes.  Cut corn off the cob and set aside.

3.  Prepare dressing:  Mix 3-4 T of olive oil with lemon juice, chopped garlic, a healthy pinch of salt, and freshly ground pepper.

4.  When you are ready to serve, cut tomatoes into wedges or small chunks.  On a large platter or in a bowl, gently mix toasted bread, corn, tomatoes, basil, and dressing.  Taste and adjust with more salt and pepper or additional olive oil if necessary.  Using a vegetable peeler, make large strips of Parmigiano Reggiano and scatter over top of salad.  Serve immediately.

And this all with cocktail time not starting until 5:00 PM?  Can’t we push that up a little?

Oh, but I kid.  I complain a good game, but I am actually looking forward to summer.  Just the idea of relaxing mornings where we aren’t rushing around to get out the door … or the idea of making a pot of coffee and actually being able to drink a few leisurely cups… and not having to think about getting homework done every night… or throwing dinner together at a seriously uncivilized time just to get to soccer practice.  We are all ready for a little vacation.

This dinner was put together on one of those rushed evenings where we were hurrying to get to an end of the school year concert, but I think it would also be a great aprés swimming dinner when you have to divide your energy between hanging up that wet stuff, making a meal, and unpacking the pool bag. To non-parents I know this sounds like a pathetically small task — but you are wrong. Unpacking the pool bag is a terrible task filled with wet stuff, soggy snacks, water bottles, leaky sunscreen, loose change, hats, visors, goggles, Spiderman diving toys, wallets, cell phones, floaties, allergy medicine, and reading material that rarely gets read.

Ahh.  Summer.

Late Spring Couscous with Spinach, Zucchini, and Pumpkin Seeds

Serves 4-6

2-3 cups of spinach, stemmed and chopped
1 small zucchini, trimmed and diced
1 clove garlic
Salt and pepper
Olive Oil
1 1/4 cups water
1 cup couscous
3/4 cup pumpkin seeds, toasted
1-2 large green onions, trimmed and finely chopped
4-5 sprigs of oregano (remove leaves from stem and chop)

Dressing:
2/3 cup canola or olive oil
1/3 cup sherry vinegar
1 large clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 t salt
Freshly ground pepper

1.  In a large sauté pan, heat a few teaspoons of olive oil with chopped (1 clove) garlic.  Sauté spinach until wilted.  Season with salt and pepper.  Remove to a bowl.

2.  In same pan, heat a bit more oil and sauté diced zucchini until lightly browned and softened.  Season with salt and pepper.  Remove to a bowl.

3.  In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil.  Add one tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt.  Add cous cous, stir, and cover pan.  Immediately remove from heat and let stand for about five minutes.  Stir to fluff the cous cous and allow to cool a bit.

4.  Whisk together dressing ingredients.

5.  In a large bowl, combine cooked spinach and zucchini, cooked cous cous, toasted pumpkin seeds, chopped green onions, and chopped oregano.  Re-whisk dressing and pour about 2/3 of it over cous cous mixture, tossing well to combine all ingredients.  Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.  Salad can be served at room temperature or chilled.  Reserve remaining dressing and add to the salad before serving if necessary (if the cous cous sits in the fridge for a while it will soak up the dressing and may need more.)

The things that occupy my days are the same old things.  People ask me what’s new and I struggle.  The driving to and from school and activities? The laundry that needs to be put away again? The twenty minute crying benders over the wrong pair of socks or the lack of cookies? The cooking? The grocery shopping? The loading and emptying of the dishwasher? The cleaning up of toys and clothes from the floor? The piles of junk that stack up in the exact same places?

I spend my days in constant do loops and nothing is ever done.

And because of it, I end up mostly frustrated and bored out of my mind.  Is that honest enough for you?

The spring weather helps.  Activities and schedules are changing a bit.  I have gone back to work ten hours per week.  I’m thinking about heirloom tomatoes and swimming pools.  These are good things.  But, damn if I still don’t feel absolutely unproductive and unrewarded.

And it’s the ultimate “it’s not you, it’s me” thing.  The love I have for my kids and husband is beyond anything I have ever known.  I am so truly fortunate in that and I thank the Baby Jesus for them every day.  My rewards come climb in bed with me early in the morning and write me notes telling me how much they love me.  I know that is enough for now and forever.

But what is it about motherhood that makes you feel like you are in Edvard Munch’s “The Scream,” silently crying out, simply hoping that the act might break up the monotony and frustration?

Or is that just me?  And beyond, what do you do when you have a leftover ham bone?

Black Beluga Lentil Salad with Ham and Kale

Serve 8-10

3/4 lb. dried Black Beluga Lentils
1 ham bone/ham hock
1 small bunch of kale, stemmed and chopped
1 large leek (or 2 small), trimmed, well washed, and white part thinly sliced
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 stalks celery, trimmed and chopped
1 1/2 cups of cooked ham or prosciutto, chopped
Salt and pepper
2/3 cup of olive oil
1/3 cup sherry vinegar
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 T dijon mustard
Juice and zest of one lemon
Chopped fresh herbs, if desired (thyme or chives would be nice)

1.  Place lentils and ham bone in a large pot and cover with plenty of water.  Bring to a boil and cook for about 20 minutes until lentils are tender.  Strain and remove ham bone.  Place lentils in a large bowl.

2.  In a sauté pan, cook chopped kale in a bit of olive oil over medium heat until wilted.  Add 2-3 T of water, reduce heat, cover, and cook about five minutes longer until tender.  Season with salt and pepper.  Remove and place in large bowl with lentils.

3.  In the same pan, sauté chopped leeks for 2-3 minutes in a bit of olive oil until just wilted.  Remove and place in bowl with lentils.

4.  Mix the dressing by combining olive oil, sherry vinegar, garlic, dijon mustard, juice/zest of lemon, and about 1 t of salt and pepper to taste.

5.  Add chopped carrots, celery, and ham to lentils, leeks, and kale.  Toss with dressing and season to taste with additional salt and pepper and chopped fresh herbs if desired.  Can serve slightly warm or make ahead and chill.

But I think I hated the lima bean eating even more than the shelling.  This is meant to be of no disrespect to the hands that cooked them, but HOLY SHIT, did you have to cook them so long?  I’m sure that some people like their lima beans really cooked, but I could never get over the mushy, paste-like texture.

When I started to get involved in our CSA and local farmer’s markets, I decided to give lima beans another try.  I guess the nostalgia of my childhood got the best of me and I was pretty sure there was a reason the adults loved them so much.  And low and behold, I realized that I do indeed love lima beans.  And my kids do too.  But we tend to season them heavily and err on the side of about five minutes of cooking — unless we have a lot of art projects to do.

Lima Beans with Garlic, Lemon Zest, and Herbs

Serves 4-6

4 cups of lima beans, shelled
1/2 red onion, chopped (can use shallots also)
2 T butter
1-2 large cloves of garlic, finely chopped
Zest of two lemons, finely chopped
1 T lemon juice
Chopped Chives
Chopped Mint
Salt and Pepper

1.  Melt one tablespoon of butter in a saute pan, and cook red onion until very soft and slightly caramelized.  Set aside.

2.  Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of salted water to the boil and cook lima beans for 4-5 minutes until just tender.  (Larger beans will obviously take longer than smaller ones.)  Drain the beans and immediately plunge into an ice bath or rinse in cold water to stop the cooking process.  Put beans out on paper towels and dry off a bit.

3.  Reheat red onion over medium high heat and add the additional tablespoon of butter.  Add beans and cook 1-3 minutes, just until hot.  Remove pan from heat.

4.  Stir in chopped garlic, lemon zest, mint and chives (several tablespoons of each), 1 T lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste.

In one scene, Steven is eating street corn and it always looked absolutely delicious.  And when he offers it to Nacho, he yells “get that corn outta my face” and swats it away. It has become a standard line in our house anytime corn is served.  Actually, movie lines are a big part of almost everything we do (Hello National Lampoon’s Vacation? We can’t start a trip without some reference to it.  OK, so maybe not that part I linked to though.)

When we saw that a local vendor started serving grilled corn at our farmer’s market, I immediately told the kids we were going to have Nacho’s “Get That Corn Outta My Face” for lunch that day.  After trying it, my three year old decided we needed to call it “Get That Corn In My Face.”  He devoured it.  And then, somehow, ideas for Mexican Corn or Cuban Corn were everywhere.  I saw recipes in Cooks Illustrated and my hometown newspaper all in the same week.  It is apparently the “Tuscan” anything or the dulce de leche of this summer — somehow everyone decides it’s popular and pretty soon Pizza Hut is serving it.

I decided I was going to figure out my version of it in time for corn season — even though I generally don’t fuss too much with corn beyond boiling, buttering, and salting.  I never want to risk the fleeting season by wasting a dozen ears on a dumb recipe.  This, however, is worth it.  It is divine.  I will warn you that it is rich — much richer than the corn you are probably used to.  Grilling the corn really enhances the sweetness and the kernels lose a little bit of their pop, making it almost meaty.  The toppings make it even richer — so it’s almost a meal in itself. Definitely serve it with something light.  If I could get my act together, I’d love to have a grilled corn party where I serve nothing but corn in this style with lots of different sauces and toppings.  What a great end of summer party that would be …  served up with appetizers and lots of real margaritas.  And, of course, we’d all have to wear our stretchy pants.

Grilled Mexican Corn

Makes one dozen ears

Mayo mixture:
1 cup mayonnaise
1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped finely
1/2 t ground cumin
1 t smoked paprika
Zest of one lime
Pinch of chipotle powder (or more to taste if you like it spicy)
1/2 t salt
Freshly ground pepper

Butter mixture:
2 T butter, melted
1/8 t smoked paprika
1/8 t ground cumin
1/8 t salt
Freshly ground pepper

1 dozen ears of sweet corn
1 1/2 cups Queso Fresco, Cotija, or Feta Cheese (in small crumbles)
1 cup cilantro, chopped
12 wedges of lime

1.  Mix ingredients for mayonnaise mixture in medium bowl.  Mix ingredients for melted butter mixture in a small bowl.

2.  Preheat grill and rub ears of corn with melted butter mixture.

3.  Grill corn for about 8 minutes.  (We used indirect heat and grilled the corn for about 8 minutes indirect, turning frequently, followed by about 1-2 minutes over the coals to char the ears lightly.  I have also done this on a low flame gas grill — just be sure you are turning and moving the corn frequently so it doesn’t char too much.  The goal is to have the corn be just cooked with a slight char on it.)  Remove corn from grill and place onto a platter.

4.  Put cheese, cilantro, and lime wedges in separate serving bowls next to platter of corn.  Brush each ear of grilled corn with the mayonnaise mixture.  Then sprinkle with cheese, cilantro, and the juice of a lime wedge.  (You can do the whole platter or allow guests to prepare their own ear of corn.)

I am a raging hypochondriac.  I like to blame it on my crazy mind extreme intelligence.  I am like a real live database of stored symptoms and scary horror stories of that one lady who had a strange pain and collapsed with an aneurysm and cancer all at the same time.  I don’t know why I do it to myself.  But I do.  I read too many health-related articles and then store up these little details only to be retrieved when I have a random condition.

Sore calf?  Blood clot on its way to my lungs.

Strange rash and an ear infection?  Antibiotic resistant Staph.

Lower back pain?  Cancer, of course.  Although, I am not entirely sure because I actually have major lower back pain right now and have yet to fully identify my condition.  It might be my culminating thesis project at WebMD.  I will graduate with a degree in “why the hell didn’t you actually become a doctor?”

And can I add something here?  Why is it that when you search on a symptom the first Google result is always from “wrongdiagnosis.com”?  I mean how shitty is that for someone like me?  Or how about the time I was going shoe shopping online and I typed in “nord” thinking that my browser would autofill with “nordstrom.com” (I go there a lot) and it actually took me to the National Organization of Rare Disorders?  Does the interweb realize what it did to me that day?

So, as I weave my way back to beets, I should tell you that I have a wonderful husband.  He puts up with my craziness and still loves me.  At times he needs to ban me from my computer, but it’s usually for my own good.  And the other really nice thing he always does for me?  He always reminds me when I have eaten beets.  It’s something only your mother or your mate of 13 years can do.  And I love him so much for it.   Because otherwise who knows what path I would go down the next day … but I’m guessing it would have to do with some major gastrointestinal disease.

And now that we have become intimate with one another, here’s a great and easy recipe for roasted beets.  They are truly delicious and my kids (surprisingly) really enjoy them.   Just make sure you remind them that they ate beets.  But actually, the little girls might think it is pretty cool to have pink pee.

Roasted Beets with Dill

Serves 4

1 bunch of beets (about 5 or 6 medium beets), greens removed and saved for another use
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
1 T butter
1 T chopped fresh dill (other herbs are great too)

1.  Preheat oven to 450 F.  Scrub beets and remove greens, leaving about one inch of stem attached to the beets.  (There is no need to trim the root end, just wash them well).

2. Lay out a large piece of foil and place beets in the center.  Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Wrap up foil around beets into a small packet.  Make sure it is wrapped tightly and sealed well.

3.  Place packet on a small baking tray (just so it doesn’t leak) and put in preheated oven.  Bake for about 45 minutes until a knife inserted in the largest beet meets no resistance.  Obvioulsy, smaller beets take less time, larger more…  If they are not done, simply wrap them back up and cook a few more minutes.

4.  Remove from oven and put one beet on a paper towel.  Trim ends (you can keep stem ends on if you like, but I find that soil and grit get trapped in there easily).  Using another paper towel, rub off beet skins and discard.  They should come off without any trouble.  Repeat with remaining beets.  Put whole beets in a bowl until ready to serve and cover with foil.

5.  When ready to serve, slice or quarter beets into the size you like (or leave whole if they are small).  Toss with butter, additional salt and pepper to taste, and fresh dill.

I added fresh ginger because it marries with the rhubarb so nicely, but the kids probably would have enjoyed it more without it. There were yelps from my almost three year old son about it being a little “spicy” — but I have a hard time judging that because he thinks rosemary is spicy. His other beliefs include: 1) Don’t trust anything with a tongue (“lickers” as he calls them) based on a fear of dogs who lick him, 2) The best parts of being a grown up are being able to watch Harry Potter movies and touch the ceiling, and 3) The purest form of evil is the garbage disposal. So, take or leave his cooking advice.

I sweetened this with a bit of honey (not to be confused with a bit o’honey) and it worked well. If you are making this for a more mature audience (one not afraid of lickers), I think it would be wonderful with some freshly chopped chives or rosemary.

Rhubarb Applesauce

Serves 4

4-5 cups of rhubarb, cut into 1 inch pieces
3-4 cups of apples, peeled, cored, and roughly chopped
1/2 cup of honey
1/2 cup of water
1 T freshly chopped ginger
Pinch of salt
Pinch of cinnamon
Pinch of cardamom
Freshly chopped herbs (if desired)

Combine all ingredients (except herbs) in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat.  Simmer for 20-30 minutes until completely softened and the rhubarb is falling apart.  If your apples are still too chunky, you can use a potato masher to break them up.  Serve as a side dish or with grilled meat.

You quickly start to plan meals based on what needs to be used, rather than what you are in the mood for.  But I find that it allows you to become much more creative in the kitchen — matching what you have with what sounds good.  This dish is a perfect example.  We were invited to a friend’s house for a party and I decided that morning to make a pasta salad.  A quick survey of the fridge revealed lots of spinach, a big bunch of asparagus, and some lovely green onions.  And the backyard mint patch was taking hold in a way that only mint knows how to do.  It definitely couldn’t be a vinegar-based dressing though — these ingredients called for lemons.

And so I flew by the seat of my pants but it came together really nicely — in about 30 minutes flat.  It would make a great picnic side dish, but also a nice vegetarian main course on a summer night.  I think the asparagus could easily be swapped out for green beans once asparagus season ends.  Serve it to me with a nice Sauvignon Blanc and I might just give you a hug.  After I eat my radish and soft butter sandwiches and my rhubarb ice cream, of course.

Spring Pasta Salad with Asparagus, Spinach, and Mint

Serves 8

1 bunch of asparagus, stemmed and cut into one inch pieces
4 or 5 green onions
1 small bunch of mint
1 cup of spinach (packed), stemmed and chopped
2 lemons, zested and juiced
3/4 cup of olive oil
Sea Salt
Freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup of freshly grated parmesan
1 cup of sunflower seeds or pine nuts, toasted
1 lb. of whole wheat pasta (I used rigatoni, but penne or a similar type would be great)

1.  Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil.  Prepare a medium bowl with an ice bath (just lots of ice and water, really).  Cook asparagus in boiling water for 2 minutes and remove quickly and place into the ice bath to stop the cooking.  When most of the ice has melted, remove asparagus with a slotted spoon and place on paper towels to dry.

2.  In the same pot of boiling water, cook the pasta according to package directions.

3.  Meanwhile, make the dressing.  In the food processor, combine 2 or 3 green onions (in chunks), zest of two lemons, juice of two lemons (about 1/4 cup), olive oil, 1-2 tablespoons of mint (packed), 2 teaspoons of salt, and freshly ground pepper to taste.  Process until smooth and place dressing in a large bowl.

4.  Drain pasta well and pour into bowl with dressing.  It is good to do this while the pasta is still hot because it will soak up the dressing.  Toss well and let cool slightly.

5.  Chop remaining 2 or 3 green onions, spinach, and 2 tablespoons of mint.  Mix into pasta and dressing.  Add cooked asparagus, 1/2 cup of parmesan, and toss well.  Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if necessary.

6.  Chill for several hours (if possible) for flavors to mix and dressing to absorb into pasta.

7.  When ready to serve, give it a good stir and make sure there is enough dressing.  If not, add a little more olive oil.  Season more if necessary.  Mix in toasted sunflower seeds or pine nuts, and garnish top with additional chopped mint, green onions, and parmesan cheese if desired.

Confused?  Yeah, me too.  I’m no food scientist, but even if it is Annie’s Mac and Cheese with Whole Wheat Pasta, you still can’t explain to me how that powdered cheese can provide one with the same nutrients as cheese.  And sure, we still make it once in a while and I keep a few boxes in the pantry in case the terror threat level gets jacked up (I have plastic sheeting too) or if we encounter Armageddon (and are lucky enough to still have running water).  But, on most days I take the 30 minutes of prep time and use a very novel product … some call it cheese.

My version is made with whole wheat pasta, is thickened with sprouted spelt flour (or whole wheat flour), and uses 2% milk.  The only thing I don’t cut back on or substitute is cheese.  Because you can do a lot of things to macaroni and cheese, but the one thing you CAN’T do is not use cheese.  And I even count soy cheese as real cheese here, because the final product is so darn good and such a great treat for those who can never have mac and cheese (I’d take the homemade soy cheese version over Kraft any day of the week).

This makes a great side dish (as you well know), but it is also a great main course if you add in some cooked vegetables/greens or serve it with a big salad.  Certainly you can add some meat if you like — ham, bacon, proscuitto, etc. are a natural fit.  It is also very flexible in what type of cheese you use — anything works.  And you can do it one of two ways — just toss the pasta with the cheese sauce (a la Kraft) or baked with some breadcrumbs on top.  Your choice.

And the coolest part?  You will now know how to make both a roux and Bechamel Sauce.

(Allergy note:  if you want to make this dairy free, simply use dairy-free margarine or olive oil, soy milk or rice milk, and soy cheese.  It works out quite well.)

Whole Wheat Macaroni and Cheese

Serves 6-8

Pasta and Cheese Sauce:

1 lb. whole wheat pasta
6 T. butter
6 T. sprouted spelt flour (or whole wheat flour)
4 cups of milk (I used 2%)
Cayenne Pepper
Nutmeg (freshly grated is the best)
1 t. salt
8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, freshly grated (a little over 2 cups)
1/2 cup of parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Breadcrumb Topping:

1 T. butter, melted
1 T. olive oil
1/2 t. smoked paprika
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1/2 cup of freshly grated cheese (your choice of cheddar or parm, or both)
3/4 cup of panko breadcrumbs

Fresh herbs for garnish, optional

1.  Cook pasta until very al dente (it should be slightly undercooked) in salted boiling water.  Mine was supposed to cook 10 minutes total, and I cooked it about 7 minutes.   When finished, drain and set aside in a bowl or in the pan it was cooked in. (*If you are not going to bake the finished mac and cheese, you should cook your pasta fully in this step.)

2.  Meanwhile in a medium saucepan, melt 6 T. of butter and whisk together with 6 T. flour over medium heat.  This is a roux.  Cook the roux for 2-3 minutes.  Add in 1 t. salt and stir.

3.  Slowly add the 4 cups of milk, whisking constantly.  When all the milk is added, use a spatula to make sure you have all of the bits of roux out of the corners of the pan.  This is now called a Bechamel Sauce.  Bring the sauce to a boil, whisking frequently.  It should have thickened considerably.  Reduce heat to low and cook the sauce for about 20 minutes, whisking every once in a while.

4.  Stir grated cheeses into Bechamel Sauce and mix until they are completely melted and incorporated.  Season with a bit of Cayenne Pepper, Nutmeg (somewhere between a pinch and 1/8 of a teaspoon of both — to your taste), and additional salt and pepper if necessary.  Remember that you are seasoning the sauce for an entire pound of pasta, so make sure it’s not bland.

5. Toss cooked pasta with Cheese Sauce and taste to make sure it is well seasoned.  Adjust if necessary.  You can serve it at this point if you want just a creamy mac and cheese.  If you want baked mac and cheese, read on.

6.  Preheat oven to 350 F.  Butter a 9×13 glass baking dish and pour in the pasta with cheese sauce.

7.  Combine breadcrumb topping ingredients in a small bowl.   Sprinkle all over top of pasta/cheese sauce and bake for 20 minutes until golden brown on top.  When it is done, you can sprinkle it with some fresh herbs (chives, parsley, etc.) if you like.

And then one Saturday, I decided to make them.  And just like so many other made from scratch things, I found out they were simple.  So easy that I felt guilty for not trying them sooner.  You don’t need to mess around with yeast, you can control your ingredients completely, and they are deliciously tender and well worth the effort of rolling them out.  Now, if you are really into tortilla making, you can get a press that will apparently do the work for you.  But the dough is so easy to work with that I found a small wooden rolling pin worked perfectly (not so much for corn tortillas, however — I think a press would be very helpful for those).

Most tortillas would be made with lard or shortening, but I used butter and really liked the flavor that it imparted.  (I’m also a butter pie crust kind of gal, though…) Use whatever solid fat or shortening that you like, however.  The tortillas are really delicious for soft tacos or burritos — something where you can really appreciate how tender and buttery they are.  However, I wrapped my leftovers tightly and stored them in the fridge and they were great for quesadillas and lightly fried tacos.

Homemade Flour Tortillas

Makes 18 – 6 inch tortillas

4 cups flour (I used 2 cups of white flour and 2 cups of white whole wheat flour, but have also used mostly white whole wheat and have mixed in sprouted spelt flour too)
2 t salt
1/2 cup of cold butter (1 stick, cut into small chunks)
2 T oil (mild flavored, like canola oil)
1 cup of warm water

1.  Mix flour and salt together in a large bowl and cut in butter using a pastry blender or a food processor.  Mix in oil and warm water and stir with a sturdy wooden spoon until it comes together into a dough.  Turn the dough out onto the counter or a wooden board (dusted with a bit of flour) and knead for 3-4 minutes until the dough is cohesive and smooth.  Flatten dough into a rectangular shape and wrap tightly in plastic or parchment and refrigerate for about an hour.

2.  Remove dough from fridge and cut it into about 18 similarly sized pieces and roll each one into a ball.  Keep dough pieces covered while you work with one at a time.

3.   Heat a dry saute pan or griddle over medium low heat.

4.  Take one dough ball and roll it out using a small wooden rolling pin (you might even want to raid your kid’s playdough tools for a good one!)  You will want to get it pretty thin and about 6 inches in diameter.  In order to keep them somewhat circular, I would recommend rolling in one direction and then rotating the tortilla a quarter turn — repeat rolling and turning a quarter turn until done.

5.  Place tortilla in the dry skillet and let cook until just barely “spotty golden” on one side.  I like to spin them around a few times so they cook evenly. When spotty golden, flip the tortilla and cook a bit more (about one minute per side — but this is like pancakes, it will take a couple of tortillas to get your heat regulated and the tortillas cooking perfectly).

6.  When the first tortilla is done, wrap it in a clean kitchen towel.  Repeat the rolling and cooking until all the dough is gone, stacking the finished tortillas in the towel.  It seems like it will take forever, but it really starts to go quickly when you can get one tortilla rolled while another one is cooking.   (It’s also a great two person job…) Keep them wrapped tightly in the kitchen towel and use within a few hours.  If you want, you can reheat them lightly before serving.