Spices, ingredients, etc...

Making some dishes here in Norway can be quite difficult because there hasn't been much demand for the necessary ingredients and I find myself importing chiles, corn and other items when I return from visits to the U.S. Although recently I have been finding more and more ingredients at specialty shops in Oslo and I will point out where to get the things you need throughout this blog.

CHILES
Below is a selection chiles/peppers. To the left are fresh green poblanos; moving to the right are anchos, aka pasilla (dried poblano after turning red); next New Mexico Chiles, then Gaudillos these and the aforementioned chiles are quite mild and sweet and are generally used in sauces. The next four can be quite hot and smell smokey. To the right of Gaudillos are chile tepin (spherical, small and pretty hot); below them are chile pequin (pretty similar to the tepin, perhaps slightly smokier); moving to the left are chipotles which are smoked, then dried red jalapenos. To the left again are Chile de Arbol, they are quite hot and I use them in a lot of my salsas.

BEANS and CORN

Beans and Corn are staples in Mexican food and many varieties exist in the Americas. Indigenous farmers have traded, grown and through selection, adapted varieties to local growing climates. In Africa for instance Corn (Maize) has become a staple throughout Africa and new varieties are under continual development for cultivars which are better adapted in terms of yield, drought/disease resistance, etc. to specific localities. Want to know more? Here is a paper from some colleagues: http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0047832   

Pinto Beans (left) and Borlotti Beans (right). I have not been able to find pinto beans in Norway but they grew really well here last summer; the Italian Borlotti bean is a great substitute and can be found in many "grønnsaker torg/buttiker" in Oslo.  

Black Beans (the black ones), White Beans (the white ones) and Borlotti (in the back).

Giant White Corn (right) and Blue Corn (right) used for corn tortillas, posolé (type of soup), etc.

OTHER GOOD STUFF...

Tomatillos "little tomato" these are used in salsa and other sauces and have a distinct citrus/apple taste. A friend said they found these at Thulasy Daglivare in St. Hanshaugen otherwise they grow like weeds in this country. You will need two or more as they do not self-pollinate well... need seeds I have some.

Mexican oregano (Lippia graveolens), while it smells like oregano (Origanum vulgare) the taste is actually quite different and is one of my favorite herbs. 

Bay leaves or laurel can be found everywhere and used in everything...

Flour Tortillas...

One of the most important Mexican food staples is the tortilla. It was actually subsidized in Mexico until 1999. When talking about tortillas there are two types: corn and flour (wheat). Although corn is the most popular in Central/Southern Mexico, the flour tortilla is perhaps more popular in the greater Yuma region. Therefore we will start with flour tortillas then move our way to corn (since I haven't mentioned it yet, everything in this blog will be from scratch... or from seed and guidelines, not so much exact amounts). So flour tortillas "tortillas de harina"...

You will need (one dozen 10 inch (24cm) tortillas):
-Salt
-Water
-Fat- which can be lard (traditional I use lard here), vegetable oil, etc. 
-Flour (pref. bread flour, but all-purpose works nearly as well)

Rule # 1 keep the dough warm! (it's hot in the desert and it will make a difference, I'll explain later)

The first thing I do is heat water in a kettle until it is nearly boiling, then I pour (roughly 2 cups +/- 25%) into a metal bowl and combine ~ one tablespoon of salt (Fig. 1, 2: I'm using rock salt here). The hot water will help dissolve the salt and when dissolved the water should be salty like sea water. 

figure 1

figure 2

figure 3

Next, add the fat. How much? Well I use 20-30% fat for the total volume of liquid. For example if you use 2 cups of water, 1/2 cup will give you 20% and just shy of a cup will give you 30% (higher fat tortillas are easier to roll and usually keep better). Since the water is still hot the fat will melt and bring the temperature of the water down (fig. 3). Set this aside and do two things: first turn on the oven and let it heat for a minute or two until it is roughly 95 F (36 C) then boil water in a small pot until it begins steaming. Place the pot in the bottom of the oven (make sure oven is off). This will create a warm and steamy environment for the dough.

figure 4 (above) fig. 5 (below)

Back to the dough. Now start adding flour. I usually start with a cup and mix the whole thing together, which will make it the consistency of a thick batter. Now I add flour and knead it into the dough until it becomes elastic, firm and does not stick to your hands (fig 4). Continue to knead the dough for a couple of minutes then let it rest in the oven for 5-10 minutes. Pull the dough out and knead it just a few times. Notice anything? The dough should have gone from a little grainy to very elastic and smooth (fig.5). 

Take out a casserole dish and lightly flour the bottom. Now to divide the dough. I eyeball it (1" diameter for tacos, 2" burritos, 3" for burros) you can use a scale or whatever you like. Take heed, from here on the

Figure 6

roundness of the balls will impact the roundness of the tortillas. To get the dough into perfect round balls pinch or pick-up one of your pre-weighed pieces and form a circle with your thumb and forefinger and place the dough in the palm of that hand and begin pushing the dough through the circle with your index finger on your opposite hand (fig 6). 

figure 7

What you are trying to do is create bag or a sock that is folded into itself, image taking a sock and rolling it into itself whereby you continually stretch the outer sock by stuffing the rest of the sock inside it. Once it is round set it on the floured dish and after you're done dividing all the dough, set it in the oven for 30 minutes (fig. 7). *Allowing the dough to rest in a warm place will insure it easy to roll out.*

It's time to make the tortillas (sequence left to below). Heat a pan (high heat, it will smoke), I use cast iron or high carbon iron. Flour the counter top and a ball of dough begin to flatten the ball with palm of you hand until you have made it into a small disc (here is where it really pays off to have warm dough). Next use a rolling pin to roll out the tortilla. I roll away from myself by starting in the center rolling outward. After every stroke I turn the dough 1/4 turn and repeat until the tortilla is very

thin. Shake off any excess flour then into the hot pan. Bubbles will form turn the tortilla when the spots turn dark brown or black. And repeat on the
other side. I directly stack my tortillas it will keep them warm 

I use the pan upside down to make X-large tortillas

and from drying out.

     

Introduction

the Sonoran Desert outside Yuma

Growing up in Yuma, Arizona on the border to Mexico and California is actually quite unique when talking about Mexican food culture. Regionally the food in Mexico changes quite a bit due to culture, emigration and  available ingredients due to growing climate. Yuma, at the nexus of Baja California, California, Arizona and Sonora, is in many respects unique as the local cuisine is a blend of these styles with constant influences coming from Mexico and the U.S. It has been a while now since I have called Yuma home but I still get homesick for hot weather and spicy food. Here I will be showing you how I have overcome latter by giving you the recipes and techniques to make Sonoran style Mexican food (even here in Norway).

Enjoy!