The evening finally arrived when they came over to show us how corn tortillas were made. They called ahead of time to make sure we had plenty of cheese on hand. "Cheese?" we wondered, "What would that be for?" We didn't think we would be making tacos. Why in the world would we need cheese to make corn tortillas?
When Margarita and Israel arrived we all went straight to the kitchen. Mom and Margarita made a big bowl of dough. It was a simple recipe, just corn flour and water. Then we all made little balls about the size of a plum. Margarita showed us how to place this in the center of the press and then flatten it out to the shape of a tortilla.
While we had been watching the dough-making process, Dad and Israel had been heating up the frying pan. By the time the first tortillas were pressed, the pan was hot. Margarita dropped the first tortilla on the pan. It sizzled and popped as it came in contact with the hot pan. Little bumps started to form on the surface of the tortilla as it cooked.
My mom started to get a spatula out of the drawer so Margarita could turn the tortilla over. Then Margarita surprised us as she picked the tortilla from off the hot griddle with her bare fingers! "This is how we do it in Mexico," she said.
The tortilla had been turned over for only a few seconds when it started to puff up. "Oh oh. It's a good thing I'm already married." Margarita said.
"Why?" my mom asked.
"Because," Margarita explained, "if it puffs up like that, it means you won't get married."
Us kids looked at each other worriedly.
But Margarita went on, "Don't worry, it happened to me many times when I was growing up and Israel still wanted to marry me."
We all laughed. Then it was time to sample the tortilla. It was good. So warm, so soft, and so fresh!
No comments:
Post a Comment