Emma Alter
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Last week at the farmers' market, Seth Goering of Forbes Wild Foods was telling me how excited he was to be heading out on a foraging trip. And there he was yesterday with the fruits of his labour: fiddleheads and ramps, also known as wild leeks. Luckily, I got to the market early because within a couple of minutes of opening, Seth's booth was mobbed. I bought a pound of his fiddleheads and they were so fabulous, I'm kicking myself for not buying more. Fiddleheads have such as short season, you really have to grab them when you can. I'll be writing more about them next week.
All in all, it was an extremely successful trip to the market. Each week sees a few more vegetables on offer and my bags get a bit heavier. This week I met up with my daughter Emma, as well as Becca, my son's girlfriend, and we wandered from booth to booth discussing the possibilities for dinner. I passed over the beets and parsnips this week in favour of soft lettuce and the first rhubarb of the year. We also bought more garlic bulbs, cucumber, spinach, radishes, and an organic red pepper.
When we got home the girls unpacked the produce and got to work making quesadillas for dinner. Quesadillas seem to be standard fare for university students, and both Emma and Becca proved to be quite adept at making them. In the spirit of our bread challenge, they even made their own tortillas. In fairly short order, we had absolutely delicious quesadillas chock full of market vegetables, topped with organic sour cream and Becca's homemade salsa. We had a side of Seth's fiddleheads which I just steamed for a few minutes and added a bit of butter.
Wheat Flour Tortillas
1/2 cup lard or vegetable shortening
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
about 1 cup lukewarm water
1. Combine the lard or shortening and dry ingredients in a food processor and process for 20 seconds, then pulse several times, until it is the texture of fine meal. With the machine running, pour the water through the feed tube until a ball forms, then process for another 15 seconds. Turn out onto a very lightly floured surface and knead briefly. The dough will be soft and very smooth.
2. Cut the dough in half, then cut each half into 8 equal pieces. Roll each into a ball under your palm and place on a lightly floured counter or baking sheet. Cover well with plastic to prevent drying out and set aside for at least an hour.
3. Heat a 10-inch-or-larger ungreased cast iron skillet over medium heat. Flatten one ball in a little flour, first on one side then the other, to make a floured disk. Roll it out with a rolling pin, using very firm light strokes, working from the center outward. Rotate the tortilla between strokes. This helps keep it from sticking and also makes it easier to get a perfectly round shape. Do not turn it over. The tortilla will eventually be a very fine and supple round, about 8 inches in diameter.
4. When the round is as thin as you want it, put it top side down in the skillet. Watch it as it cooks, for about 15 seconds, or until the first side has spots of pale brown, then turn it over. Cook very briefly on the second side, for 20 seconds or so, then turn it back to the first side and cook briefly. Wrap the cooked tortilla in a cotton cloth to keep it soft and warm, and continue rolling out and baking the remaining balls of dough. Serve warm.
Tortillas will keep for two or three days in a cool place. Seal them in a plastic bag once they are completely cool. To reheat, place in a medium hot skillet for about 10 seconds aside or on a grill for a moment on each side.
From Home Baking by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid
Difficulty Level: Easy
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