If you are spending your time at home cooking, it may have come to your attention and frustration that it is hard to come by flour and yeast at the moment.  So many of us are spending more time cooking and exploring new things that the demand is quite high for some staple pantry items. While walking the baking aisle, take a look at what is in stock. Why not try something new?

Here is an idea: Masa Harina. Bob’s Red Mill describes this flour as “a flavorful flour made from nixtamalized corn (corn soaked in limewater). It is a must-have ingredient for traditional, homemade corn tortillas and tamales.

Fresh made corn tortillas are nothing like store bought. They are full of flavor, and so easy to make.  If you can get your hands on some Masa Harina (I have used Maseca, and Bob’s Red Mill brands), this is the recipe for tortillas:

Corn Tortillas

Makes 15

2 C Masa Harina

1 ½ C water

 Stir together until a dough forms. Portion the dough into 15 balls, and cover with a damp towel. Working with one ball of dough at a time, press with a tortilla press or with a rolling pin. Roll out between two pieces of plastic wrap or waxed paper to desired thickness. 

On a dry skillet (ideally cast iron) preheated at medium heat, cook each side of your tortilla until just toasted, with some darker brown spots. Place on a plate and work through the remaining dough, stacking your tortillas on top of one another. 

When ready to use (probably for tacos), warm the tortillas to make them flexible. You can do this by warming them one at a time on your skillet and storing them under a towel to allow the steam to soften. Or wrap what you need in a clean towel and microwave for 1-2 minutes. This will warm the tortillas and the steam will work again to soften them all at once. 

Fish tacos are such a delicious and fresh meal.  A favorite of mine is filled with fish, cabbage, pickled onions and cilantro, spicy mayo and a big squeeze of lime juice. Yum! These tortillas are small, each person will probably be able to eat 3 tacos. The following is my recipe for pickled red onions (make a bunch to store in the fridge!) and fish tacos.

Quick Pickled Red Onion

 1 C water

½ C apple cider vinegar, red wine vinegar, or vinegar of your choice

10 peppercorns

Bay leaf

Cumin seeds

1 TBS kosher salt

2 TBS sugar

3 red onions, sliced thin (depending on the size of your onions, you may be able to slice more as long as the brine covers them)

Put all ingredients but the onion in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Place the onion in a heat proof glass jar and pour the brine over the top. 

I eat these immediately and store the rest in the fridge for up to 1 month.  They get better after a few days, nice and soft.

To make tacos you will need:

 Thinly sliced cabbage

Spicy Mayo – mayo mixed with sriracha or another hot sauce

Pickled Onions

Cilantro

Wedges of lime

Layer your fish and toppings, squeeze lime over the top and enjoy!