For last night’s birthday feast for Amanda we made these flour tortillas to go with the carne asada.  All flour tortillas are made with some solid fat, either the traditional lard or the more modern vegetable shortening.  I have a small container of rendered pork fat which I had saved for making ramen broth, and that is what I used, which definitely gave a porky flavor to the tortillas.  This recipe, which is adapted from Serious Eats, was not hard to make and was very tasty.  We made 8 large tortillas out of the dough.  An alternative would be to make 12 smaller tortillas.

2 cups all purpose flour

1-1/2 tsp. baking powder

1-1/2 tsp. salt

3 Tbs. lard or vegetable shortening

¾ cup warm water (~110 degrees – warm but comfortable with your finger)

In a bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Add the lard or vegetable shortening and work into the flour with your fingers until it is incorporated and the texture is like crumbs.  Add the water and stir until all the flour is fully hydrated.  On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough about 1 minute until smooth.  Cover with plastic wrap (or a damp towel) and allow to rest for 10 minutes.  Divide the dough into 8 or 12 balls, cover again, and allow to rest for 15 minutes.  Heat a large skillet over high heat.  Roll out each ball until about 1/8-1/4 inch thick.   Put in the skillet, and fry on each side for 20-60 seconds until there are brown spots and the dough is cooked through.  Put each cooked tortilla on a plate with a clean towel to keep it warm.  Repeat with each of the dough balls, turning the heat down to medium-high if it seems the dough is burning before being cooked through.

Serve immediately while warm, or keep warm wrapped in the towel in an oven at about 150 degrees.