Mel's Mexican Style Tortillas
Plus Mel's Staples: Must-haves, essentials & more in your pantry & fridge Part 11
My travels continue, at least in the kitchen they do, dear reader. I’m a huge fan of country cuisines and love to try recipes from around the world. After traveling to Yucatan, Mexico in September 2021 I got completely hooked by Mexican Tortillas and the broad variety of filling these with.
Oh, and Guacamole! No Central or South American meal is complete without Guacamole.
Having traveled to different countries in the Americas I’ve found several styles of Guacamole. The one I had in Nicaragua is different to the one I’ve tried in Mexico, which I’ll be sharing with you here. Plus I’ll be sharing a vegetarian filling with you that can be varied and tailored to your personal preferences.
While traveling to all the places in Yucatan, I’ve always stayed in Airbnbs and often cooked for myself. Farmers markets and groceries stores were very well equipped with the freshest fruits and vegetables from around (and outside) of the country, including some of the richest and softest avocado I’ve ever eaten.
Every night I was cooking for myself - mostly Tortillas (and admittedly store bought ones) -, I feasted!
I’ve cooked/fried a bunch of vegetables, made fresh guacamole and added quite some hot sauce as a topping. And I was blown away by the quality of Mexican Craft beers, so I’d usually pair one of these with my meal.
Mel was in the epicurean heaven!
Before we dive into the recipe, I’ll share this week’s staples with you, though.
There’s not so many left on my long list of items that I keep in my pantry & fridge and that I’m sharing with you in this series.
If you’re new to it, I’d recommend having a look into this article that will tell you what staples are and how you can use them for your own kitchen, pantry & fridge.
It’ll also tell you how you can make meals (based on recipes you find) and actually come up with your own creations, too. Having these staples really are the core or the foundation of your cooking & baking.
Just recently I received some feedback to share more recipes for certain staples that I’m introducing here. So these won’t end up in the back of your pantry, where you completely forget about them and then eventually expire on you.
I’ll for sure share more recipes with you that do use the staples I’m sharing with you.
But I’d like to encourage you to have a look on Pinterest, too and do a quick search, either for a certain staple. Or for a certain vegetable that’s in season and then find recipes what to do with it.
That’s exactly how I do it.
With the variety of staples that I own I will always be able - well maybe for a few exceptions -, to make something based on a recipe that I end up finding, because everything that this very recipe calls for is in my pantry or fridge.
How convenient is that!
And this is what this series is about. To equip you with all the staples that many recipes, not all of them, are calling for out there.
So, here we go!
Essentials for your pantry & fridge
Black beans
Masa Harina
Cilantro
Lime
Since I’m making Tortillas maybe 2-3 times per month, all of the staples I’m introducing to you here are in the Essentials, not in my Must-Haves.
If you’re a huge fan of Central or South American cuisine, all of these can totally go into your Must-Have-List, though. I’m merely making suggestions that are based on my personal preferences here.
Black beans
Being a Vegetarian leaning towards vegan, my diet contains quite a good amount of legumes and beans, being a wonderful source for protein. Which I do like, I just don’t always know how to use them, that is which meals to cook them in. Hence my frequent Pinterest searches.
With black beans this will bring you to a lot of Central or South American recipes. Black or red beans are a big part of people’s diets in Mexico, Nicaragua and Costa Rica, where I’ve been traveling to and staying in for quite some time, too.
You can mash up black beans, which I did for that recipe and add some spices to it that you can then use as a dip for Tortilla chips or put on top of your Tortillas. But you can totally keep them as they are and have them as a side.
Black beans, as many beans actually come in cans (pre-cooked) or as a whole food that you can buy in bags or containers or as bulk ware in grocery stores nowadays. I have used both in the past.
Masa Harina
I’ve written a whole article about Masa Harina, the flour that Tortillas are made of, last week. So do make sure to have a look at that.
This article will also tell you how to make your own Tortillas without using a Tortilla press. While staying in Nicaragua in early 2023 I was taught a technique that only uses the power of your hands to make Tortillas.
Cilantro
There’s people who love cilantro and then there’s people who absolutely hate it due to the soapy flavor (as they say).
I belong to the cilantro lovers and do not only use it for making Guacamole or top my Tortillas with, I also use it for South East Asian food, Indian, Thai, Indonesian, you name it.
It’s a great staple and herb that not only brings in a certain flavor, but tons of great nutrients, too. If you’re overflowing with cilantro make a Pesto with it. It doesn’t always have to be the classic basil and pine nuts pesto.
Other herbs and greens such as parsley or cilantro are delicious and nutritious ingredients, too. Substitute pine nuts, which can be quite pricey, for pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds.
Lime
Same as with lemons, citrus fruits aren’t among my Must-Haves. Being a fresh fruit, they tend to go bad rather quickly, especially, if you wanna use the rind or zest and are buying organic.
Limes and lemons are on my Essentials list. I actually only buy them, when I know for sure that I’ll need them for a couple recipes.
For example with lime, I’d buy a couple for making Guacamole and Tortillas. Plus for making a cocktail or one of my coffee mocktails, where they are a wonderful ingredient as well as garnish.
Mel’s Mexican Style Tortillas
With this recipe you can totally play around with different ingredients, vegetables, potatoes, etc. You don’t need to make Guacamole or the Black beans mash. But it totally adds to this whole authentic Mexican culinary experience. At least that’s what I think. And I’m pretty sure, you’d agree.
If you really wanna go all in, you could also make a spicy Salsa to go with your Tortillas. Or simply use a hot sauce, maybe even locally brewed as you can find them here in Vermont.
This is what you need for the Tortilla filling, Guacamole, Black beans mash, 2-3 servings
Tortilla filling:
freshly made or store bought Tortillas
1 medium sized red onion (leave 1 tbsp for the guacamole)
a variety of vegetables (chopped to bite-sized pieces) you have at home/that are in season, e.g. bell peppers, zucchini, squash, potatoes, etc. I used red bell pepper in this one.
Spices, such as Chili (can be fresh, too), smoked paprika, salt & pepper. To taste.
Guacamole:
1 or 2 ripe avocados, mashed
red onion (see above)
1 small glove of garlic
some avocado or olive oil
lime juice (1/2 of a lime)
salt & pepper
Chili powder or fresh jalapeno/chili pepper (optional)
1/2 tomato, diced (optional)
1 handful of cilantro (optional)
Black beans mash:
1 can or 1 cup (dry) black beans
Spices such as cumin, smoked paprika, salt & pepper.
How to make all of that deliciousness
Tortilla filling:
Sauté your red onion on medium heat until translucent and slightly caramelized. Add the vegetables and cook for about 10-15 minutes, depending on what you’re using. Get them nice and toasted/caramalized, too. Keep warm.
Guacamole:
Mash your avocado using a fork. Add the finely chopped red onion and garlic. Mix.
Add the tomatoes and cilantro, if using. Blend together.
Finally add the oil, lime juice and the spices to your preferred taste.
Black beans mash:
Cook your black beans according to the instructions on the packaging or use canned (heat these up). Then mash the beans with a potato masher, just enough to still have some chunks in them. Add water, if needed.
Finally add your spices to your personal taste.
Mexican Tortillas a la Mel
Assemble everything on a Tortilla, garnish with more cilantro and squeeze some lime juice on top. Add your favorite hot sauce or salsa and enjoy!
