Handmade flour tortillas

Tam West

Handmade, hand-rolled tortillas are simple and fun to make and are used in a myriad of ways in Mexican dishes. Don't worry if yours are not perfectly round, my first attempts looked more like a map of Australia. Try them with Puerco pibil, a popular slow-roasted Mexican pork dish. Tortillas are also good rolled and filled and then deep-fried - known as tacquitos. Try your tacquitos filled with Barbecue chilli chicken. Serve with guacamole and tomato sherry salsa for dipping.

Ingredients

450 g	Plain flour
60 g	Lard, at room temperature
1 cup	Warm water
1 tsp	Salt
¼ tsp	Baking powder

Directions

1. Put flour, baking powder and lard in a large bowl, rub in with fingertips until mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
2. Make a well in the centre, add water and salt, mix until combined. Turn on to a lightly floured bench, knead until smooth. Wrap in plastic wrap and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
3. Heat a large frying pan or barbecue hot plate to a medium heat.
4. Use a rolling pin to roll a tablespoonful of dough into a 15cm-diameter circle. Cook on the dry, un-oiled surface, turning once, until just coloured (about 1 to 2 minutes on each side). Repeat with remaining dough.
5. Cover the cooked tortillas with a tea towel and set aside to steam.

More of Geoff's Mexican recipes for casual cook ups

• Mexican slaw
• Mango cucumber salsa
• Char-grilled prawns
• Radish and celery pickles
• Puerco pibil