Guest guest Posted July 10, 2012 Report Share Posted July 10, 2012 I KNOW there were a bunch of messages on this - which I can't seem to locate!! (I really struggle with finding past messages on the .) I have to remember to bookmark or Copy and Paste as soon as I see something I need. I am interested in making my own corn tortillas and see they call for Masa. Is this Corn Flour? Can I create this in the Dry Container? I know I can create Corn meal...do I just keep grinding to get to masa? Also, the thread I was looking for (and could not find) discussed the different kinds of corn to buy for griding cornmeal. I remember that it said NOT " popcorn " kernals. My natural food store carries: popcorn, roasted corn and raw corn. I bought the roasted corn, assuming it was different from " popcorn " . Does anybody know if this was the proper thing to buy? I did not buy the " raw " since I am not really eating raw, just " clean " . Any help is appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 11, 2012 Report Share Posted July 11, 2012 Speaking of corn a wonderful way to treat raw corn now that it's in season cut it off the cob, I cut it on a kitchen towel so it doesn't bounce on to the floor. Into 2 cups of water put half a teaspoon of baking soda and heat that until the baking soda dissolves. Take it off the heat and add the corn I figure 3 cups of corn to this mixture. Let that sit for 10 minutes and drain. You'll have wonderful sweet corn that is really still raw but the hulls will be tenderized because you've raised the pH of the corn. Use this drained corn in salsas or for just anything.I love it sprinkled on a cold tomato soup it's delicious and so tender. The baking soda water is alkaline and so that's what raises the pH and does the trick just like the limed corn it used to make the masa flour. Similar techniques.For more information check out Harold Mcgees book on the science of food and cooking.Terry Sent from my iPadHDOn Jul 11, 2012, at 12:20 PM, "koffeekam" <kmcdonald24@...> wrote: THANKS for the info! Do you think the the roasted corn is OK for making cornmeal in the Vitamix for Cornbread or polenta? I mean, it's better than straight popcorn, right? Is this nixtamalized corn something that can be purchased - or is it something I need to do? Now that you gave me something to search on, I found some info. Alton Brown gave some instructions on how to do the process. Does this seem right? http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/corn-tortillas-recipe/index.html Nixtamal :1 pound dried corn kernels, approximately 2 cups 6 cups water1/2-ounce slaked lime* (commonly called cal), approximately 2 tablespoons *Cook's Note: Both dried corn and slaked lime (cal) are available online and in most Latin markets. Rinse the corn under cool water; drain and set aside. Place the water and the lime into a 3 1/2 to 4-quart, non-reactive stockpot, set over medium-low heat, and stir to combine. Add the corn and bring just to a boil, stirring occasionally. Make sure that it takes at least 30 to 45 minutes to come to a boil. Once the mixture comes to a boil, remove from the heat, cover, and allow to sit at room temperature overnight. Do not refrigerate. Drain the corn in a large colander and rinse under lukewarm water for 5 to 6 minutes while rubbing the corn kernels between your fingers in order to remove the outer coating. Place the corn into a large bowl, cover with lukewarm water, and allow to soak for 2 to 3 minutes. Drain, rinse, and repeat. Use immediately to make masa dough for tortillas. Yield: approximately 1 1/2 to 2 pounds nixtamalPrep Time: 15 minutesCook Time: 45 minutesInactive Prep Time: 12 hours > > > >> I KNOW there were a bunch of messages on this - which I can't seem to locate!! (I really struggle with finding past messages on the .) I have to remember to bookmark or Copy and Paste as soon as I see something I need. > >> > >> I am interested in making my own corn tortillas and see they call for Masa. Is this Corn Flour? Can I create this in the Dry Container? I know I can create Corn meal...do I just keep grinding to get to masa?> >> > >> Also, the thread I was looking for (and could not find) discussed the different kinds of corn to buy for griding cornmeal. I remember that it said NOT "popcorn" kernals.> >> > >> My natural food store carries: popcorn, roasted corn and raw corn.> >> > >> I bought the roasted corn, assuming it was different from "popcorn". Does anybody know if this was the proper thing to buy? I did not buy the "raw" since I am not really eating raw, just "clean".> >> > >> Any help is appreciated!> >> > >> > >> > >> ------------------------------------> >> > >> Please bookmark these pages:> >> > >> /links/ > >> (this is the Links page where I save the answers to FAQs and Answers, Recipes, and LOTS of other helpful information - this page is always being added to)> >> > >> /links/IMPORTANT__Membership__001327149393/> >> PLEASE DON'T UNSUBSCRIBE IF YOU ARE GETTING TOO MUCH MAIL! (if you unsubscribe, you will lose access to the Links page - an Encyclopedia of Collected Vitamix Wisdom! Go to this link to learn how to stop mail from coming, but STILL be a member of the group so you can STILL visit the Links page and read messages online! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 11, 2012 Report Share Posted July 11, 2012 This sounds great, Terry. Thanks for posting! By the way, I picked up one of these corn stripper gadgets recently. Works well.Cheers,Carol>> Speaking of corn a wonderful way to treat raw corn now that it's in season cut it off the cob, I cut it on a kitchen towel so it doesn't bounce on to the floor. Into 2 cups of water put half a teaspoon of baking soda and heat that until the baking soda dissolves. Take it off the heat and add the corn I figure 3 cups of corn to this mixture. Let that sit for 10 minutes and drain. You'll have wonderful sweet corn that is really still raw but the hulls will be tenderized because you've raised the pH of the corn. Use this drained corn in salsas or for just anything.> I love it sprinkled on a cold tomato soup it's delicious and so tender. The baking soda water is alkaline and so that's what raises the pH and does the trick just like the limed corn it used to make the masa flour. Similar techniques.> For more information check out Harold Mcgees book on the science of food and cooking.> Terry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 15, 2012 Report Share Posted July 15, 2012 I took a cooking class in Cozumel Mexico a couple of years ago and we went to the local market to pick up our ingredients for the day and one stop was for mesa to hand make our own tortillas. In this little store there were two ladies kneading very large balls of mesa dough. They would sell you the dough as they did in our case or I imagine they sold it a few booths over to the people pressing tortillas. Give your instructions Terry I can see why there is a market in Mexico for the premade dough. Grinding Corn Since this sometimes comes up I thought I'd post directions for how to make the masa used for tamales or corn tortillas. terry Nixtamal Ingredients 1 how to make masa Instructions Tortillas as needed (how to make masa) To make fresh masa, you first need to make nixtamal. Nixtamal is dried field corn soaked in, and heated in, a solution of slaked lime and water. Slaked lime, calcium hydroxide, is generally available in the form of " builder's lime " -- not to be confused with unslaked lime, calcium oxide. Unslaked lime can't be used for making nixtamal unless you slake it first by adding it to water, allowing it to bubble and then stand for a bit, and then using the WATER for processing the dried corn. It's the lime, by the way, that contributes to the unique taste and texture of corn tortillas. After the corn has soaked for the required length of time (depending on whether making nixtamal for masa or pozole), it's rinsed to remove the lime and then rubbed to remove the husks. Nixtamal 4 quarts water 2 quarts dried field corn 5 tablespoons powdered slaked lime (calcium hydroxide) -- don't use unslaked lime (calcium oxide) Mix lime and water in a large, non reactive (enamel or stainless steel) pot. Place pot over high heat and stir until lime is disolved. Add corn and, stiring occasionally, bring to a boil. If making nixtamal for masa to make tortillas, boil for a couple of minutes, remove from heat, cover and let soak overnight. If making nixtamal to make masa for tamales, boil for about 15 minutes, remove from heat, cover and let soak for a couple of hours. If making nixtamal for pozole, boil for 15 minutes and let soak for another 5 to 10 minutes. After soaking for the desired length of time, rinse the corn in a colander to remove all traces of the lime while rubbing the kernals to remove the softened hulls. Once cleaned, the nixtamal can then be ground into masa or left whole to be further simmered until tender to make hominy for pozole or menudo. Making tortillas using fresh masa or masa harina... Masa harina is fresh masa that's been dried and then ground into a flour-like consistency, to make masa harina you must first make masa. Masa harina is similar to, but not the same as, fine ground cornmeal. Trying to make corn tortillas out of regular cornmeal, even finely ground, would probably be unsatisfying. I suppose it would be possible to make nixtamal for tortillas, grind it into masa, dry it, grind it again and then re-hydrate it to make tortillas. But why not just make fresh masa from nixtamal and then make tortillas with it. Both nixtamal and masa can be frozen for later use. If you wanted to be authentic, you could use a metate (a flat stone made from lava rock) and mano (sorta like a flattened, oval shaped rolling pin also made from lava rock) to grind the corn into masa...but a plate-style grain mill is a lot easier. My hand cranked Corona brand does double duty...I not only use it for masa but also for grinding grain, malted barley and other specialty malts for homebrewing. For tortilla dough, you need to adjust the plates for a fine grind to come up with a smooth dough that isn't grity. Tamales can be made from masa ground a little coarser allowing the use of a food processor if a plate mill isn't available. It might be possible to use a food processor for tortilla dough, but I doubt you would end up with the smooth consistency desirable for tortillas. After the nixtamal has been put through the mill, water should be worked into the masa as needed to make a medium-soft consistency dough. Hand-patting tortilla dough is an art in itself and the necessary skill takes a long time to learn (I tried it, but gave up out of frustration). A rolling pin can be used, but a tortilla press works better. I have both a cast iron and an aluminum press, but I don't see why one couldn't use a couple pieces of hardwood and a hinge to fabricate a viable substitute for a storebought press. Tortillas de Maiz 1 pound fresh masa for tortillas ------- or --------- 1.75 cups masa harina reconstituted with about 1.25 to 1.5 cups of warm water Gradually knead the masa into a smooth consistency, pushing with the heal of the hand (3 to 5 minutes should be sufficient depending on whether using fresh masa or reconstituted masa haring). Wrap the dough in wax paper or plastic wrap to keep it from drying out. Place a comal or heavy frying pan over medium-high heat. Break off a piece of the dough about the size of a golf ball and pat it a few times to partially flatten it. Place the ball of dough between a folded sheet of polyethylene (wax paper could probably be used in place of the plastic) on a tortilla press (a little off center towards the hinge) and press hard. Remove the tortilla from the press and peel off the plastic. If the dough has the correct amount of water, the plastic will peel easily off the tortilla. If the plastic sticks, the dough is too moist. If the tortilla cracks around the edges, the dough is to dry. Place the tortilla on the hot, ungreased comal and bake until the edges start to dry (about 30 seconds). Flip and bake until lightly speckled on the underside (about 1 minute). Flip a second time and bake for about 30 seconds more. As the tortillas come off the comal, they should be wrapped together in a towel to keep them soft and warm. The side that's up after the second flip is considered the inside.where the filling would go if making tacos, flautas, enchiladas, or whatever. To be honest, fresh nixtamal and masa (as well as fresh tortillas) are so easy to find in So. Calif. I don't have to go through all that hassle (although, I do usually buy fresh nixtamal to grind into masa for making tamales). But for those who aren't so lucky, the above process should take care of the situation. Good luck in your efforts. From: Rich McCormack (Poway, CA) Exported from A Cook's Books -- Recipe management for Macintosh ------------------------------------ Please bookmark these pages: /links/ (this is the Links page where I save the answers to FAQs and Answers, Recipes, and LOTS of other helpful information - this page is always being added to) /links/IMPORTANT_Vita mixEnthusiasts_Membership__001327149393/ PLEASE DON'T UNSUBSCRIBE IF YOU ARE GETTING TOO MUCH MAIL! (if you unsubscribe, you will lose access to the Links page - an Encyclopedia of Collected Vitamix Wisdom! Go to this link to learn how to stop mail from coming, but STILL be a member of the group so you can STILL visit the Links page and read messages online! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 15, 2012 Report Share Posted July 15, 2012 Yeah, I've never made it. I just buy the Meseca brand which is available at my supermarket. One of these days I'm going to try Bob's Red Mill. I use it for tortillas and I make polenta with corm meal with a bit of masa harina added. It's so good. Gives the polenta a real corny flavor. I'll send the recipe I use to the list. terry On Jul 15, 2012, at 3:37 AM, Tom Matuschak wrote: > I took a cooking class in Cozumel Mexico a couple of years ago and we went > to the local market to pick up our ingredients for the day and one stop was > for mesa to hand make our own tortillas. In this little store there were > two ladies kneading very large balls of mesa dough. They would sell you the > dough as they did in our case or I imagine they sold it a few booths over to > the people pressing tortillas. Give your instructions Terry I can see why > there is a market in Mexico for the premade dough. > > Grinding Corn > > Since this sometimes comes up I thought I'd post directions for how to make > the masa used for tamales or corn tortillas. > terry > > > Nixtamal > > Ingredients > 1 how to make masa > > Instructions > Tortillas as needed (how to make masa) > To make fresh masa, you first need to make nixtamal. > > Nixtamal is dried field corn soaked in, and heated in, a solution of slaked > lime and water. Slaked lime, calcium hydroxide, is generally available in > the form of " builder's lime " -- not to be confused with unslaked lime, > calcium oxide. Unslaked lime can't be used for making nixtamal unless you > slake it first by adding it to water, allowing it to bubble and then stand > for a bit, and then using the WATER for processing the dried corn. It's the > lime, by the way, that contributes to the unique taste and texture of corn > tortillas. After the corn has soaked for the required length of time > (depending on whether making nixtamal for masa or pozole), it's rinsed to > remove the lime and then rubbed to remove the husks. > > Nixtamal > > 4 quarts water > 2 quarts dried field corn > 5 tablespoons powdered slaked lime (calcium hydroxide) -- don't use unslaked > lime (calcium oxide) Mix lime and water in a large, non reactive (enamel or > stainless steel) pot. Place pot over high heat and stir until lime is > disolved. Add corn and, stiring occasionally, bring to a boil. If making > nixtamal for masa to make tortillas, boil for a couple of minutes, remove > from heat, cover and let soak overnight. If making nixtamal to make masa for > tamales, boil for about 15 minutes, remove from heat, cover and let soak for > a couple of hours. If making nixtamal for pozole, boil for 15 minutes and > let soak for another 5 to 10 minutes. After soaking for the desired length > of time, rinse the corn in a colander to remove all traces of the lime while > rubbing the kernals to remove the softened hulls. Once cleaned, the nixtamal > can then be ground into masa or left whole to be further simmered until > tender to make hominy for pozole or menudo. > > Making tortillas using fresh masa or masa harina... > > Masa harina is fresh masa that's been dried and then ground into a > flour-like consistency, to make masa harina you must first make masa. Masa > harina is similar to, but not the same as, fine ground cornmeal. Trying to > make corn tortillas out of regular cornmeal, even finely ground, would > probably be unsatisfying. I suppose it would be possible to make nixtamal > for tortillas, grind it into masa, dry it, grind it again and then > re-hydrate it to make tortillas. But why not just make fresh masa from > nixtamal and then make tortillas with it. Both nixtamal and masa can be > frozen for later use. > > If you wanted to be authentic, you could use a metate (a flat stone made > from lava rock) and mano (sorta like a flattened, oval shaped rolling pin > also made from lava rock) to grind the corn into masa...but a plate-style > grain mill is a lot easier. My hand cranked Corona brand does double > duty...I not only use it for masa but also for grinding grain, malted barley > and other specialty malts for homebrewing. For tortilla dough, you need to > adjust the plates for a fine grind to come up with a smooth dough that isn't > grity. Tamales can be made from masa ground a little coarser allowing the > use of a food processor if a plate mill isn't available. It might be > possible to use a food processor for tortilla dough, but I doubt you would > end up with the smooth consistency desirable for tortillas. After the > nixtamal has been put through the mill, water should be worked into the masa > as needed to make a medium-soft consistency dough. Hand-patting tortilla > dough is an art in itself and the necessary skill takes a long time to learn > (I tried it, but gave up out of frustration). A rolling pin can be used, but > a tortilla press works better. I have both a cast iron and an aluminum > press, but I don't see why one couldn't use a couple pieces of hardwood and > a hinge to fabricate a viable substitute for a storebought press. > > Tortillas de Maiz > > 1 pound fresh masa for tortillas > ------- or --------- > 1.75 cups masa harina reconstituted with about > 1.25 to 1.5 cups of warm water > Gradually knead the masa into a smooth consistency, pushing with the heal of > the hand (3 to 5 minutes should be sufficient depending on whether using > fresh masa or reconstituted masa haring). Wrap the dough in wax paper or > plastic wrap to keep it from drying out. Place a comal or heavy frying pan > over medium-high heat. Break off a piece of the dough about the size of a > golf ball and pat it a few times to partially flatten it. Place the ball of > dough between a folded sheet of polyethylene (wax paper could probably be > used in place of the plastic) on a tortilla press (a little off center > towards the hinge) and press hard. Remove the tortilla from the press and > peel off the plastic. If the dough has the correct amount of water, the > plastic will peel easily off the tortilla. If the plastic sticks, the dough > is too moist. If the tortilla cracks around the edges, the dough is to dry. > Place the tortilla on the hot, ungreased comal and bake until the edges > start to dry (about 30 seconds). Flip and bake until lightly speckled on the > underside (about 1 minute). Flip a second time and bake for about 30 seconds > more. As the tortillas come off the comal, they should be wrapped together > in a towel to keep them soft and warm. The side that's up after the second > flip is considered the inside.where the filling would go if making tacos, > flautas, enchiladas, or whatever. > > To be honest, fresh nixtamal and masa (as well as fresh tortillas) are so > easy to find in So. Calif. I don't have to go through all that hassle > (although, I do usually buy fresh nixtamal to grind into masa for making > tamales). But for those who aren't so lucky, the above process should take > care of the situation. Good luck in your efforts. > > From: Rich McCormack (Poway, CA) > > > Exported from A Cook's Books -- Recipe management for Macintosh > > > > > > ------------------------------------ > > Please bookmark these pages: > > /links/ > (this is the Links page where I save the answers to FAQs and Answers, > Recipes, and LOTS of other helpful information - this page is always being > added to) > > /links/IMPORTANT_Vita > mixEnthusiasts_Membership__001327149393/ > PLEASE DON'T UNSUBSCRIBE IF YOU ARE GETTING TOO MUCH MAIL! (if you > unsubscribe, you will lose access to the Links page - an Encyclopedia of > Collected Vitamix Wisdom! Go to this link to learn how to stop mail from > coming, but STILL be a member of the group so you can STILL visit the Links > page and read messages online! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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