A Pati Jinich Recipe
Red Tortillas
16 tortillas
Tortillas Rojas
Ingredients
- 3 guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 ripe Roma tomato
- 2 cups masa harina
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher or coarse sea salt
To Prepare
- In a small saucepan, add the guajillos, garlic and tomato. Cover with water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook for about 10 minutes, until the tomato has softened and become mushy and chiles have rehydrated. Place the tomato, chiles, and garlic along with a cup of the cooking liquid in the jar of a blender and puree until completely smooth. Pass through a strainer into a 2 cup measuring cup. You will use 1½ cups, if there isn't enough, add a bit more of the cooking liquid.
- In a medium bowl, combine the masa harina and salt. Gradually stir in the 1½ cups guajillo sauce as you knead it all in. Continue to knead, until completely incorporated and smooth, about 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside and cover with a kitchen towel.
- Preheat a comal, cast iron, or nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Line your tortilla press with a couple plastic pieces cut into rounds (produce bags from the grocery bags are perfect candidates for this). Place a small bowl with water next to you.
- Divide the masa balls into 16 pieces, keep in the bowl and keep covered. One by one, roll each piece of dough into a ball, use water to moisten your hands if you need to. Open the tortilla press, set a piece of plastic on the base. Top with a ball of dough and cover the ball with the second piece of plastic. Gently press down, one or two times, until you get a thin tortilla of about ⅛-inch thick and 5 to 6-inches round.
- Let it cook without moving for about 40 to 60 seconds on the first side, until you see a change in the color of the bottom of the tortilla and it begins to speckle as if making sand dunes, but not dark brown specks. Flip the tortilla and cook for about 60 to 90 seconds, until beginning to freckle and brown. Flip again, and on this second flip, after 15 to 20 seconds, the tortilla should puff. If it doesn't, you can gently poke with your fingers. Let it cook for another 20 to 30 seconds more, until it is fully cooked and place it in a clean kitchen towel or tortilla holder. Repeat with the rest of the masa balls.
