Masa Brosa Recipes

GORDITAS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, stir together the masa harina, salt and hot water. Gradually mix in the shortening and flour. If the dough seems dry, add a little more hot water. Form the dough into balls that will fit into the palm of your hand.
• Line a work surface with waxed paper or plastic. Sprinkle with water. Flatten balls on the wet surface until about 1/4 inch thick.
• Heat a griddle or comal over medium heat. Cook the gorditas on each side until they are cooked through.
• Heat oil in a large heavy skillet over medium to medium-high heat until hot. Fry each gordita until puffed, pressing it down into the oil occasionally with a spatula. Drain briefly on paper towels, cut the tips off and stuff full of your favorite foods.

HOW TO MAKE FRESH BLUE CORN TORTILLAS AT HOME

Steps:

• Mix the blue corn flour and warm water for about 4 minutes. I mixed by hand.
• Divide the dough into 16 small-sized portions, about golf ball size.
• Press into 6 inch (15 cm) round shapes using a tortilla press lined with wax paper, or use hands to flatten out the dough without the wax paper.
• Place on a griddle, pre-heated to a high temperature. Let cook for about 20 seconds and flip. Cook for a further 20 to 30 seconds. Additional flipping may be necessary to fully cook the tortillas depending on their thickness. I used a sandwich press and this worked well.
• Place the completed tortillas in an oven on low heat, covered to keep from drying while you cook the remaining tortillas. (You can use a tortilla server as well if you have one or a terracotta bowl.)

TAMALE PIE

Steps:

• For the crust: Mix the masa with the broth in a large bowl and stir to combine. In a mixer, beat the shortening, butter, baking powder and salt. Add the masa mixture to the mixer bowl in 3 additions and beat until combined and soft. Cover and refrigerate while you make the filling.
• For the filling: In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the oil. Cook the beef, breaking up any lumps, until it is no longer pink, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove to a bowl using a slotted spoon. Remove all but 1 tablespoon of the grease from the skillet.
• Add the onion, bell pepper, jalapeno and poblano to the skillet and season with the chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Cook until just beginning to brown. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, broth and tomato paste and bring to a boil. Add the beans and return the meat to the skillet. Bring to a simmer and simmer for about 20 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Grease a 10-inch cast-iron skillet with butter. Line the skillet with a little over half of the masa mixture and press. Add the filling, then spoon the rest of the masa mixture over the top. Bake until the top is golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes.

HOW TO MAKE AREPAS WITH CORN FLOUR

Steps:

• The traditional arepas recipe only requires corn flour, water and salt, so in addition to being delicious they do not contain gluten and so are perfect for people with celiac disease. However, if you want to get a much smoother and tastier dough, you can add a little milk and a teaspoon of butter to the mix. Your arepas will be simply delicious.It is important to note that the corn flour we use is not the same as cornstarch, which is sometimes also called 'cornflour'. Cornstarch is a very fine flour most often used as a thickening agent for sauces and stews, etc. The corn flour used for arepas is also known as maize flour and is made from ground cornmeal, although not as fine ground as cornstarch. Specifically, it is called masa flour as it has undergone the process of nixtamalization. Make sure you buy the right kind as cornstarch will not be coarse enough to make arepas.
• The arepa dough should always be soft and easy to shape. If it is hard then the end result will also be hard, which will make it difficult to enjoy and digest them.To keep your arepas soft and delicious, start by mixing a half cup of warm water with a half cup of whole milk, skimmed milk or lactose-free milk (whichever you prefer). Add a teaspoon of salt and stir. If you want to, you can make it without milk and instead use two cups of water.
• Add butter if you want to give the dough some more flavor. Then start gradually adding the corn flour while mixing it by hand. Do not put it all in at once or you run the risk of the dough becoming very tough.Stop adding the flour when the dough is compact but still soft and easy to shape. If you feel that it has become too hard, just add a little more liquid.
• Turn the oven to 250°C (482°F) to preheat it and place a non-stick skillet over medium heat at the same time so that it warms up. You do not need to add any oil.Now it's time to make arepas. Make balls with the dough and then flatten them gently to form a sort of round bread, about the thickness of a finger. The size of the arepa is basically however you want to cook them.
• Place the arepas in the pan on medium heat in order to brown and seal them. It is important not to make it too hot as they might burn on the outside and remain raw on the inside.Once golden brown and sealed, put them in the oven for 5 minutes on each side. Although many people skip this step and only do them in the pan, this final touch allows the arepas to become crispy on the outside but soft and cooked on the inside.
• When your arepas are browned on the outside, they're ready to be eaten. Now you just need to open them and fill them with whatever you want: ham and cheese, chicken, beef, etc. There is a long list of delicious possibilities to make a delicious and very complete meal. Bon appetite!

TAMALE DOUGH

Steps:

• Mix masa harina, lard, salt and baking powder in large bowl with wooden spoon until well blended. Gradually add just enough of the hot water to make a smooth stiff dough, stirring constantly.
• Assemble tamales, using about 2 Tbsp. of the masa mixture and 1 to 2 Tbsp. of your favorite filling for each tamale.
• Stand tamales in a steamer basket in large pot filled 1/4 full with water. (Make sure tamales are not touching the water.) Bring water to boil; cover. Steam 1 hour or until tamales pull away from the corn husks, adding more water to the pot when necessary. Cool slightly.

HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE CORN TORTILLAS

Steps:

• Put 1 ½ cups masa harina in a large bowl. Pour in about 3/4 of the water. Mix and knead the dough with your hands for a minute or so, slowly adding more water until the dough comes together into a smooth ball. If the dough sticks to your hand, knead in a bit more flour. If the dough ball cracks when you give it a gentle squeeze, knead in a bit more water.
• Once you have a smooth ball of dough that doesn't stick or crack, divide into ten equal pieces and roll each piece into a golf-ball-sized ball.
• If using a tortilla press, open the press and lay cut-open plastic bag over both sides. Place a dough ball in the center of the press and smush it down into the press a bit with your hand. Fold the plastic over the dough so it's between plastic. Close the press and fold back the arm to flatten to about 1/8-inch thick.
• Heat skillet over medium heat until hot. Carefully remove tortilla from the plastic by pulling off the top layer, laying your hand over the tortilla and flipping it over so it sits on the palm of your hand. Peel off the remaining piece of plastic.
• Set the tortilla in the hot skillet. At first it will stick to the bottom of the pan. Use a pot holder to hold the pan and shake it until the tortilla dries enough to loosen and slide around the pan. Flip it over using a spatula.
• Cook for 60 seconds or so until lightly browned in spots. Flip a second time. Cook for a final 40-60 seconds until browned in spots and puffed up a bit. As you press and cook tortillas, stack them up, keeping them wrapped loosely in a clean towel.

MASA HARINA CORNBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425ºF. Place the butter in a 9x9-inch square glass baking dish and put in the oven to melt. Keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn!Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.Measure out the milk and maple syrup in a 2-cup liquid measuring cup. Add eggs and whisk well with a fork. Gradually add melted butter to the milk mixture, making sure to leave 2 tablespoons in the bottom of the baking dish.Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk just until the flour is all moistened. Scrape the batter into the buttered baking dish and spread it out with a spatula. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the edges are beautifully golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.Serve hot with butter and maple syrup.

BASIC MEXICAN TAMALE DOUGH RECIPE

Steps:

• Combine lard, salt, and baking powder and, using an electric mixer, beat at medium-high speed until well whipped, about 1 minute.
• Add one-fourth of the masa at a time to the lard, beating between additions until thoroughly incorporated. Add chicken stock and continue beating until dough is light and has a soft and spreadable hummus-like texture. Cover masa with plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Remove masa from refrigerator and re-whip, adding additional chicken stock 1 tablespoon at a time, if necessary, to return it to original hummus-like texture. Use tamale dough in any tamale recipe (see links above for ideas, assembly, and cooking instructions).

MASA CORNBREAD

Steps:

• Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 400°F. Spread masa on large rimmed baking sheet. Bake until golden, stirring frequently, about 8 minutes. Transfer masa to medium bowl and cool. Maintain oven temperature.
• Coat 13 x 9 x 2-inch metal pan with 2 teaspoons oil. Whisk 1/2 cup oil, buttermilk, and eggs in medium bowl. Whisk cooled masa, cornmeal, and next 4 ingredients in large bowl. Stir buttermilk mixture into cornmeal mixture. Transfer batter to pan.
• Bake cornbread until edges are lightly browned and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Turn out onto rack; cool completely. DO AHEAD: If using bread in stuffing, wrap in foil and store at room temperature at least 1 day and up to 2 days.

COUNTY FAIR CORN DOGS

Steps:

• Insert skewers into frankfurters and dust with flour; set aside.
• To Make Batter: In a large bowl combine the cornmeal, 1/3 cup flour, corn flour, salt, cayenne pepper, egg, 2 tablespoons oil and water. Whisk all together.
• Heat 1 quart oil in a large skillet over high heat (to about 375 degrees F, 190 degrees C). Roll or dip franks in batter, then fry until lightly browned. Drain on paper toweling and serve.