Tortillas para Panucho y Salbute

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Cast iron or barro comal, at least 10 inches across
• •Tortilla press, preferably heavy cast iron
• •Squares of banana leaf or clean plastic produce bag for the press
• •Cotton servilleta yucateca or clean kitchen towel for cooling and stacking
• •Small paring knife for splitting panuchos

Instructions

1. 1

   Mix the masa

   In a wide bowl, combine the masa harina and salt. Pour in the warm water in a slow stream while you work it in with your hand. If you are making salbutes, work in the softened manteca now. Knead for two or three minutes, until the masa is smooth and the color of fresh cream. Pinch a small piece between your fingers. It should hold its shape without cracking at the edges. If the edges crack, add water one tablespoon at a time. If it sticks to your palm, add a teaspoon more masa harina. The masa should feel like the lobe of your ear, soft and pliable, not wet, not dry.

   If you can find fresh masa from a tortilleria, use it. Masa harina is a respectable everyday choice, but fresh masa from nixtamalized white corn is what they use in Merida. No me vengas con atajos when fresh masa is available.
2. 2

   Rest the masa

   Cover the bowl with a damp cotton cloth, the kind they use in Yucatecan panaderias to keep dough from drying. Let the masa rest for 15 minutes. The corn flour needs time to drink the water completely. Skip the rest and the tortillas will tear at the edges when you press them. La cocina no es decoracion, es trabajo. The rest is part of the work.

3. 3

   Heat the comal

   Set a comal de barro or a heavy cast iron comal over medium-high heat for at least five minutes before you press the first tortilla. A drop of water flicked onto the surface should dance and evaporate in two seconds. A cold comal will not puff the tortilla and a puffed tortilla is the whole point of this exercise. The hollow that forms inside is the pocket of the panucho. Without the puff, you have no panucho.

4. 4

   Divide and press

   Divide the masa into 16 balls, each about the size of a small lime, about 30 grams. Keep them under the damp cloth as you work. Line a tortilla press with two squares of plastic or banana leaf cut to fit. Place a ball in the center of the bottom sheet, fold the top sheet over, and press firmly until the tortilla is about four inches across and the thickness of a thick coin. For panuchos and salbutes, you want them a touch thicker than an ordinary taco tortilla, otherwise they will not balloon properly.

   Banana leaf strips give the tortilla a faint green-earthy aroma and a slightly smoother surface than plastic. In Yucatan, the women use what is at hand. Plastic works. Banana leaf is better.
5. 5

   Cook the first side

   Peel the top sheet off the pressed tortilla. Flip the tortilla onto your open palm, then slide it gently onto the hot comal in one motion. Cook for about 30 seconds. The surface will lose its wet sheen and the edges will start to lift slightly. Do not flip it sooner. The first short cook seals the bottom side so the steam has somewhere to go on the next turn.

6. 6

   Flip and cook the second side

   Flip the tortilla with your fingertips or a thin spatula. Cook this side for about 45 seconds. You will see small toasted spots forming, the color of pale wheat, not black. Now flip it back to the first side.

7. 7

   Coax the puff

   This is the moment. Press gently around the edges of the tortilla with a clean cotton cloth or the back of your fingertips. The steam trapped between the two sealed surfaces will push them apart and the tortilla will balloon up like a small pillow. If it does not puff on its own, do not panic. Press the edges a second time and shift the tortilla to a hotter spot on the comal. A high percentage will puff. A few will not. Asi se hace y punto. Even the senoras in Merida lose one or two.

8. 8

   Cool on a cotton cloth

   Lift the puffed tortilla off the comal and lay it flat on a clean cotton servilleta yucateca, the embroidered kind they use in Merida panaderias. Do not stack them while they are puffed and hot. The weight will deflate the pocket. Let them cool to warm in a single layer. Once they are cool enough to handle but still flexible, you can stack them gently.

9. 9

   Split for panuchos

   For panuchos, work while the tortillas are still warm and flexible. Use a small paring knife to slice a half-moon opening along one edge of each puffed tortilla, cutting through the top layer only and stopping before you cut all the way around. You should have a pocket you can open with your fingers, ready to be filled with refried black beans seasoned with epazote, then briefly fried in lard. For salbutes, leave the tortilla whole and fry it directly in hot lard until it puffs again and crisps at the edges. Recetas probadas y garantizadas.

Chef Tips

• •If you can find white masa harina specifically labeled for tortillas, use that. The standard yellow Maseca will work but the color is wrong for Yucatan, where the tortilla should be the pale ivory of white corn. In Merida, the masa is always white.
• •Thickness is everything. Too thin and the tortilla will not have enough body to hold a pocket of steam. Too thick and it will cook unevenly and the inside will stay raw. Aim for the thickness of two stacked nickels.
• •Banana leaf in the press is not a garnish. The leaf imparts a faint vegetal aroma to the masa and gives the surface of the cooked tortilla a slightly smoother finish. If you have access to banana leaves, soften a square over the comal flame and cut it to fit. If not, plastic from a clean produce bag is what most home cooks use.
• •A tortilla that does not puff is not ruined. It is still a tortilla. Eat it with beans for lunch and try again with the next one. The puff rate gets better with practice.

Advance Preparation

• •The masa can be mixed up to two hours ahead and held under a damp cloth at room temperature. Past that, it begins to dry at the surface and the tortillas will crack.
• •Cooked puffed tortillas are best the day they are made. If you must hold them, wrap them in a clean cotton cloth and store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to six hours. Refresh on a warm comal for ten seconds per side before splitting or frying.
• •For panuchos, you can split the tortillas and stuff them with refried black beans several hours ahead, then fry them in lard at serving time. The pocket holds the beans cleanly once it cools.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 30g)