Mayan Tortillas

For supper today we had Mayan themed tortillas from scratch. Mayans used to use a farming system called "Three Sisters", in which they plant beans, squash and maize together. The beans climb up the maize stalks and provide nitrogen to the soil while the squash prevents the growth of weeds and it's leaves act as a compost and it's hairs are uninviting to insects. When beans and maize is eaten together, they compliment each other nutritionally.*

I made the tortillas first. They can be frozen in plastic for a couple of weeks, so I made a double batch. These are plain flour tortillas (kind of like wraps) as it is very difficult to find lime soaked flour, the kind used to make Nachos in South Africa. Below is what you would do for a single batch, which should make 8:

Tortillas

Sift 2 c cake flour with tsp salt and 1.5 tsp baking powder. Mix in 3/4c lukewarm milk, 2 tsp vegetable oil and knead. Let it rest for about 15 minutes before dividing into 8 balls. The resting is important as it prevents the dough from stretching together again, as far as I understand. Then fry these, once rolled out as thinly as possible, on a high heat in a dry pan and flip over when they start blistering.

My double batch only made about 13 tortillas, but they were ok to use (not too thick, brittle or crispy). I also ad-libbed a bit by adding some dried oregano, thyme, Chipotle Tabasco, cayenne pepper and a dash of sesame seed oil to the mixture for extra flavour.

Topping

For the topping, cut up an avocado and pour a bit of lemon juice over it.

Next scoop out the fleshy insides of a well-cooked gem squash.

Defrost some frozen mielies/corn.

If you have some sour cream and/or refried black beans at hand, those will go nicely.

For extra spice, finely chop up a Habernero. I grow some in my garden, and one was enough for 4 tortillas!

This was a very filling and tasty and healthy meal! We already had the beans, and the vegetables where easy to prepare!

If you're interested in Mayan cuisine, here's a good place to start: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_cuisine

* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Sisters_(agriculture)