Mexican Feast

[tekobo]

I am basing today's lunch around recipes from two fellow KK'ers.  First I am making tortilla's according to @PVPAUL's family recipe and second, using @Braai-Q's recommendation for Mexican style brisket.  

Tortilla recipe here:

Brisket recipe here: https://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/recipes/mexican-style-barbecued-beef-brisket-with-quick-pickled-onions/

A girlfriend and I made up the tortilla balls.  Double the recipe meant 36 tortillas at 71g each.  Yay!  It was such fun and the dough felt really good.  

Now sitting here with damp cloth and cover over them. Will be proving for about two hours before we eat.  

I tried out my two cooking implements.  I didn't get the clay comal hot enough - was being too cautious - will do better when we come to cook for the meal.  I did 10s one side and then 1 minute each side.  Thinking I should follow Paul's instructions with 10s one side and 1 minute other side so that you get a soft inside to roll.  I am sooooo looking forward to lunch.  We tried black beans in the first tortilla and it tasted great.  

I ordered a tortilla press yesterday in the hope that it would arrive in time today.  No worries if it doesn't, rolling with a pin seems to work just fine.  In fact, I am betting that the Amazon delivery man will arrive just as we finish rolling the last tortilla.  

What's on the menu?

Black beans, brisket and sopressa.  To be wrapped in lettuce leaves (low carb friends) or tortillas (everyone once they have seen them!) and topped with pickled cucumbers or pickled red onions and guacamole.  Did I say I was looking forward to lunch??

 

Edited September 1, 2019 by tekobo

[Steve M]

Tortillas look great! The press works really well and you could fly through that batch quickly.

[Tyrus]

That looks like a tasty meal on all fronts. Definitely a keeper to try down the road. Watching for more. Expect a PM this week to finalize the conditions regarding the bet, that is, if your still of mind.

[ckreef]

Really great start. Can't wait to see the finished cook. 

 

 

[PVPAUL]

Hey Tekobo, glad to see you are making the tortilla recipe. On the cast iron skillet it’s about 15 seconds on each side. The idea is to brown it just enough to give it color and cook it through....and that it is still soft and pliable (not to Crisp it up).....while you can and we do eat tortillas directly off of the skillet we typically reheat them before serving over a direct gas stove flame. It’s in the reheat step that  you can brown or even burn them a little as some of our family members prefer. 

All the best,

Paul

[tekobo]

It was the best sort of lunch.  Guests arrived at about 1pm, all gone by 5pm and all followed by a three and a half hour snooze.  Nice.

Tortillas first.  My guess is members of your family might not have thought the tortillas were up to their standard Paul but, for a first go, our guests were very appreciative.  The tortilla press did not arrive on time so we did it the old fashioned way - rolling pin and child labour.

I heated up a Chinese dish to super hot in the microwave and stored the initial batch of tortillas in there.  After the first rush we made them to order. About 10s one side and say 50 the other seemed to do it. 

Re-heated the black beans

On to the brisket.  The KKs held steady at 150C for the whole cook.  I don't use any of those blowy devices to manage the fire because the KKs are just sooo reliable in my non-windy back garden conditions. 

Nice to have two KKs to do this but I guess a 32 or 42 would have done this cook in one go.

Now, the recipe called for wrapping the dishes in foil.  I did not do that, thinking the KKs would preserve moisture.  Not so, sauce predictably evaporated leaving tasty bark. 

Friend did the shredding

Whacked up the 21 to cook the sopressa.  It's a Venetian sausage that you slice, cook on both sides and then finish with splash of red wine and vinegar.  Everyone declared them delicious.

Yum

And yum

Thanks @PVPAUL and @Braai-Q!

[tekobo]

9 hours ago, Steve M said:

Tortillas look great! The press works really well and you could fly through that batch quickly.

Thanks Steve.  Looking forward to trying out the press when it finally arrives.  The feedback on Amazon was that they sometimes don't get the tortillas thin enough and you have to put discs in and rotate the tortillas to get them flat.  Will see how that works out.  The consistency of the dough was great and it didn't stick to the rolling pin at all.  

8 hours ago, Tyrus said:

Expect a PM this week to finalize the conditions regarding the bet, that is, if your still of mind.

Of course.  Fly Eagles Fly.  

5 hours ago, ckreef said:

Really great start. Can't wait to see the finished cook. 

You bake a lot. I can see why.  Working with dough is so pleasurable.  

2 hours ago, PVPAUL said:

Hey Tekobo, glad to see you are making the tortilla recipe. On the cast iron skillet it’s about 15 seconds on each side. The idea is to brown it just enough to give it color and cook it through....and that it is still soft and pliable (not to Crisp it up).....while you can and we do eat tortillas directly off of the skillet we typically reheat them before serving over a direct gas stove flame. It’s in the reheat step that  you can brown or even burn them a little as some of our family members prefer. 

Thanks Paul.  Will try this next time.  It was so easy to make up the dough following your instructions.  And lovely and warm to knead with the wet cornflour.  

Cut and pasted from a different post by @tony b: @tekobo you are much more adventurous than you give yourself credit for!  You rock, gurl!

And thanks Tony, for keeping the faith.  

 

[Pequod]

I have a Victoria cast iron tortilla press. Works great!

[MacKenzie]

Sounds wonderful, tekobo.  I'm sure a fun time what had by all. 

[ckreef]

A tasty looking meal. A fun time for sure getting kids and guests involved. 

 

Great cook all around. 

 

[Tyrus]

You certainly shoot for the stars in your preparations, and the effort shows.  That table cloth with all the different tiles or were they actual tiles, a collage possibly representing national and regional cuisine ?  Works well.

[tekobo]

6 hours ago, ckreef said:

A tasty looking meal. A fun time for sure getting kids and guests involved. 

Yes, involving friends made the whole endeavour much easier.  My friend and her son were staying over and they did a really good job of making the guacamole, old style, in the mortar and her son was super efficient with rolling the tortillas for cooking.  

4 hours ago, Tyrus said:

You certainly shoot for the stars in your preparations, and the effort shows.  That table cloth with all the different tiles or were they actual tiles, a collage possibly representing national and regional cuisine ?  Works well.

We bought the tablecloth when we were last in Italy and it was just right for this meal.  We had planned to cut it into a round to use on our outdoor table but it is so cheery that we have abandoned that plan and will use it indoors to cheer us up as winter draws in.  

[Tyrus]

It did go well with the Mex and my wife says I can't match my socks. What she know. Yep, good idea with the cold coming on and bright colors to open the way. Well, Italy is where my daughter and her husband are traveling too.  Just texted her a message to bring back an original Mediterranean cloth, told her surprise me. May have it on the table when doing Italian down the road

[tony b]

Fell in love with that tablecloth. Perfect decor for your dinner. 

[Tyrus]

7 hours ago, tony b said:

Fell in love with that tablecloth. Perfect decor for your dinner. 

You know that Toney, "That Girl" ........she's got an edge.

[tekobo]

On 9/2/2019 at 4:03 PM, Tyrus said:

Well, Italy is where my daughter and her husband are traveling too.  Just texted her a message to bring back an original Mediterranean cloth, told her surprise me. May have it on the table when doing Italian down the road

I am still awaiting your missive regarding our bets for the upcoming season.  I thought I might offer to get you a tablecloth in the event that I was to lose but given I am not planning to lose, relying on your daughter's kindness is your best bet.