Dear Mexico...I miss you! Love, Beth

Hola! I don't know why today was a rough day but it was. I was down in the dumps all day for no real reason so when I came home tonight Alex and I decided to open one of our prize bottles of REALLY GOOD tequila and make some tacos de camaron. I just bought a new cast iron tortilla press since coming back from Mexico and have been determined to make some fresh, homemade tortillas....

 WOW! WOW! WOW! And YUUUUUUM! Does it take a few extra minutes? sure...is it worth it? abso-freakin-lutely!!!!! 

Get some Maseca (I would have preferred a small mexican grinding this fresh for me but I settled for a tall, cute, gringo pouring some Maseca from a box), some salt and water. 

Mix it to a dough, it almost feels like play dough and is VERY forgiving....make a ball too big or too small, try again. VERY FORGIVING much more so than the IRS (bitter table for one! It's another long long story). Aim for a golf ball size dough ball. Use a zip lock bag that you cut in half, put the ball slightly off center on the CAST IRON PRESS (which is key, good weigh) and there you have it!!!

I don't have a gas stove or a comal (flat cast iron pan) but I do have a crap pan that we don't care how hot it gets or if it gets ruined so we used that.

The tortilla almost gives off a smell of "just about to burn" and you know it's time to flip it. Flip again and pop it into a warm oven wrapped in tin foil (keeps it warm and soft while you make more)

12 tortillas and about 5 minutes later....

FIESTA!!!!! 

You can't see it but underneath the homemade salsa and guacamole is some wild shrimp marinated in achiote paste with fresh squeezed orange juice and lime juice (DELISH). 

Marinade....

1/3 cup of fresh lime juice

2/3 cup of fresh orange juice

20 grams of Achiote paste (I smuggled mine in from Mexico, looked like a brick of red cocaine!)

~ mix it all together and toss in the wild shrimp for like 20 minutes

I know everyone makes salsa and guacamole differently but here's what we learned in Mexico....

Salsa....

1/4 of an onion

a hot pepper of your choice (I used 2 but whatever you like)

4 or 5 roma tomatoes

1 garlic clove

Toast everything in a DRY PAN until it is charred all over... Take the white part out of the tomatoes, toss everything in a blender or food processor.... salt to taste (DONE)

Guacamole....

2 TBSP of onion (put this in a small container and fill it with fresh lime juice for about 15 mins**)

2 TBSP of chopped tomato

Cilantro

2 Avocados

Hot pepper if you want

Salt to taste

Put everything in a bowl minus the onion in lime juice. Take the onion out of the lime juice, reserving a little bit, and toss it in the bowl with everything else. Mix it up, taste it and add more lime juice if you want. 

**The reason you soak the onion in the lime juice is it actually will help slow down the oxidation process of the avocado more. 

Some of this AMAZING stuff over ice with just a tiny squeeze of lime, if you can find a bottle buy one...worth the money for sure. If you go to mexico buy me another bottle and I'll send you a check! :)

Like a great vacation I am sad this dinner is over. BUT so excited for lunch tomorrow!!!! Moral of the story....make your own tortillas! SO WORTH IT!!!!