Personal Recipes II

What kind of a Mexican uses a written recipe to make tortillas? Aren't our mothers, tias, and grandmothers supposed to teach us this since we were knee high? I'll bet my grandmothers are rolling in their graves as I type this, at least I waited until after Dia Del Los Meurtos. I guess I'm doing this for posterity or because my daughters are being real hard headed right now and one day, after I'm dead and gone, they'll have something to refer to when they get the hankering for fresh homemade flour tortillas or if they should think about their father. This is my sister's recipe, I'm sure she learned it from our mother. It was our mother who handed the recipe to me! Mom, what were you thinking! Did you think your son forgot? Was I drinking? I've known how to make fresh homemade flour tortillas since I left home but I can't remember when was the last time I made them. Anyway, the recipe feeds a family of five real easy and they did come out great. The only thing I can think of which I feel is indispensible and critical to this recipe, but can probably be substituted, is a cast iron comal. Plancha is spanish for griddle as defined in the Merriam Webster English-Spanish, Spanish-English dictionary but in my mother's house and in my grandmother's, we called it a comal. I thought a plancha was the iron we used to iron our clothes?A large cast iron skillet may work, I havn't tried. I do have an aluminum comal I bought in Tijuana, Mexico when I was in the navy, a lifetime ago it seems, but it doesn't cook as well as good old fashioned, tried and true cast iron. No wonder, it seems, every good Mexcan wife/mother has cast iron cookware in her kitchen. Cast iron cooks great, not a weapon of opportunity when trying to kill their husbands/sons. Cast iron skillets do make great shields when parrying off butcher knife attacks from pissed off wives/girlfriends/mistresses though; two are better than one, one in each hand and just lead her a little. Mind your footwork. Enough personal relationship bullshit, I transcribe the recipe here as I find it on the little 3X5 inch index card it's on, parenthesis are my own commentary/additions.

"Always pray first so God can bless your fruit Amen. "( I pray everyday, it's good for you.)
Preheat hot plate med heat. ( I aways preheat the comal on high, then turn the heat down. This is why I'm always kicking my girls out of the kitchen, unless I'm trying to teach them how to cook.)
Full Recipe 7 3/4 - 8 cups all purpose floor (not the self rising rising type, they'll come out hard, not soft)
1/2 tablespoon baking powder ( I prefer little clabber girl brand )
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 - 3/4 cup crisco
2 1/4 (cups) or so hot water
Blend flour, baking powder, salt. Then add crisco. Work in and then add hot water kneading to form dough. Make fist size balls( I make little palm size balls, they roll out to the size of a plate) let stand so it will rise. Around 5-10 minutes. Put a clothe over the balls. Roll out flat, place on hot plate, when done on first side turn to other side when done turn one time. Hints : sift flour before you start to blend and sift together so you(r) tortillas can come out fluffy and real soft(real important). Reason you turn them only two times, they will not get hard when cooled down. Place down on hot plate when cooked turn to other side, when cooked turn one last time(just pay attention to what you're doing so they don't burn and mind the heat
.). They are done.
half recipe - 4 cups flour
1/4 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup crisco
1 1/4 cup or so hot water.

Anyway there you have it, fresh homemade flour tortillas to fatten up skinny children, impress anglo friends/spouses, and so you can also make - BUENELLOS! Buenellos are simply fried tortillas with cinnamon and sugar sprinkled all over them, great treat for around the holidays and traditionally for good luck at New Years. Simply roll out the tortilla and instead of cooking them on a comal, fry it up in hot oil. Bon Apetit!