When I was a sophomore in high school I really began to gain interest in the world of culinary arts. My first job was doing food prep in a local Mexican restaurant where I learned the ins and outs of running a kitchen as a business (and how to properly hold a knife so I could keep all of my fingers). But the best place to truly experience the culture of cooking is with your own family. I was always fascinated with the way my aunts and grandmother could make the most perfectly round tortillas while mine looked like Alaska or Florida even on the hundredth try. Well, I have finally mastered the round tortilla just not the flat one, and in that process I have determined that the key is not so much practice but curiosity. My curiosity led me to want to experiment with all of these family recipes. As a result, my dad gave me a cookbook filled with authentic Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisine. Whether or not I was successful in creating these recipes just as my grandmother did was not the most important aspect of my quest but only the beginning of what turned into an exploration of family origins and journeys. Whatever your family heritage might be there are always those dishes that are uniquely yours. So go out and find them and enjoy the stories, the history and the not-so-perfectly-round tortillas along the way.

Here are two of my favorite family recipes from my tattered old Mexican cookbook given to me by my dad: Recetas de Doña Elvira. They are dedicated to my older sister who has been bugging me for almost a year to send her these recipes!

Homemade Tortillas

2 cups Flour
2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Salt
2 ½ Tbs Crisco Shortening
2/3 cup plus 2 tsp warm water (a little more if needed)

Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in shortening and mix with hands until crumbly. Add water to make a dough that is pliable, but not too soft or sticky. You can do this in a food processor too (blend dry ingredients then add Crisco then water). Knead for 5 minutes on floured board. Place in a bowl, cover and let rest 30 min. make about 10 ball of dough, place on a board, cover with a towel and let stand another 10 minutes.

Roll out thin with a rolling pen on a floured surface in 6 or 7 inch circles. Cook on a hot griddle as follows:
1. Cook on one side only until tortilla begins to bubble (about 20 sec). Turn quickly
2. Cook on second side until brown and bubbly (20-30 sec) Turn a second time
3. Cook on that side for another 20 sec. Depending on how thick they are you may have to cook them a little longer (it’s hard to get them thin)

Do not cook too much or they will get dry and crack, but make sure your griddle is hot enough. Don’t worry if they aren’t great at first. They probably won’t be! Practice makes perfect.

This empanada recipe is time consuming but worth every minute. Trust me. Please try it!

Empanadas de Calabaza
(Pumpkin Turnovers)

Preheat 400

Dough:
4 cups flour
4 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
2 Tbs sugar
1 tsp Anise seed
1 cup Crisco shortening
1 cup warm water

Combine dry ingredients, cut in shortening until crumbly. Add water and knead 4-5 minutes. Let set for 30 min. make about 20 small balls; let stand 10 min (this makes dough easier to handle).

Roll out each ball into a 5 or 6 inch circle. Fill with 1 Tbs filling (below). Moisten edges with water and fold in half, like a turnover. Seal edges with the tines of a fork. You may want to brush the tops with milk to help the browning process. Bake about 20 min. or until golden brown. Delicious!!!!

Filling:
3 cups cooked mashed pumpkin (about a 29oz can of that pumpkin pie filling)
1 ½ cups sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp mace or nutmeg
2 Tbs margarine

Place all ingredients in a sauce pan and cook over low heat until thick and almost dry, stirring constantly (about 10 min). The amount of time depends on how juicy your pumpkin is. Taste and add more sugar or spices as needed.