4/8/13

3 Spinach Tortillas


Cinco de Mayo is less than a month away!  If you haven't made your own tortillas, NOW is the time to make them!

If you have never made flour tortillas, start with my Homestyle Flour tortilla recipe.  This recipe is so versatile; I have adapted it to make Wheat Tortillas, Savory Taco tortillas, Smokey Chipotle tortillas and even Chocolate tortillas.  Yes, you heard right ~ Chocolate tortillas! 

A student in one of my bread making classes asked me if I have ever made Spinach tortillas and no, I have not made them ... till now. 

The recipe for spinach tortillas is different than my home style tortilla recipe; it has waaaaay less water and after making them, I understand why.  Spinach has a lot of moisture in it and doesn't need all the extra water.

First, fresh spinach is finely chopped (use a food processor if you have one) and put into a skillet over med-low heat with 1 Tablespoon of water.  It only takes about 5 minutes for the spinach to wilt and cook.


The spinach is added to a bowl that has flour, garlic powder, salt and oil.  Knead or stir the flour for only three minutes.  Form the dough into balls.  Cover with plastic wrap to keep the dough from drying out. 



Now, this is where this recipe is different from the other tortilla recipes I have made.  This dough is very wet and tends to stick to the counter while rolling.  You will have to dust your work surface lightly with some flour to roll it out.


Cook the tortillas in a non-stick skillet over medium heat, turning when you see bubbles begin to form on the surface.


Put the cooked tortillas in a tortilla keeper or in a clean kitchen towel.  This keeps the tortillas warm and pliable, ready to eat!


Verdict?  I'm not a spinach fan, so I had to rely on the comments from family ~ they loved the clean, fresh spinach taste and enjoyed them as sandwich wraps. 

Spinach Tortillas
(4x6 recipe download)     (full page printable recipe)

4/3/13

5 Kitchen Tip: Salted vs. Unsalted Butter





I have enjoyed using butter in my recipes and always have it on hand.

I keep salted butter for buttering bread, veggies, etc, but most of my recipes call for unsalted butter, which I keep in the freezer.

I was making my Lemon Bundt cake, which calls for butter, which means salted butter and UNsalted was all I could find!

What to do?  How much salt do I add?

Butter comes two ways: salted and unsalted.

Salted Butter

Salt is added to butter for flavor and as a preservative so it will have a longer shelf life.  The amount of salt added to salted butter varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, so it's hard to know how much extra salt you're adding to a recipe. Using unsalted butter allows you to control the amount of salt in a recipe.

If you have no choice but to use salted butter in a recipe, the rule of thumb is to omit about 1/4 teaspoon salt per 1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter.


Unsalted Butter

Unsalted butter has a short shelf life because it contains no preservatives. If you buy unsalted butter and do not use it right away, it is best to freeze it. If properly wrapped so it won't pick up any odors, butter can be frozen for around six months. Just remember to defrost the butter overnight in the refrigerator before using it. If a recipe calls for salted butter and all you have is unsalted, add 1/4 teaspoon of salt per 1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter.

Happy Baking!





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