... three tequila, floor. Right? Well, not necessarily. At least, not when it's Sunday afternoon and you are mindful of driving home. But it turns out that there's mucho mucho more to tequila than those bottles of Jose Cuervo you see in recycling bins outside student flats. Real tequila, which has the same sort of 'terroir' status as Parma ham or roquefort, is smooth and smoky and eminently drinkable.
You can learn more about my local Mexican joint and the tequila they serve
here, but the best way to learn more about tequila is to go there and try them for yourself. Go on, it'll be fun. Just don't ask me to drive you home.
My tequila tasting was followed by a quick lesson in tortilla making. Now, I think I am pretty good at flatbreads, but these were something else, thanks mainly to the white masa harina (corn flour) they were made from. Watching the chef make them was also fascinating, not least because he had a cast iron tortilla press. It was a thing of beauty, a perfect example of a piece of kitchen kit designed to do a specific job. The person I was sitting next to turned to me and said: "you want one, don't you?" I nodded, starry-eyed and we laughed as only two strangers who have been tasting tequila together can.
"Tortilla presses: the new pasta machines," she said.
Now, I don't have a pasta machine, but it did make me think. What bits of job-specific kitchen kit could you not live without, and what bits just take up space in your cupboards? (Not that a tortilla press would take up much room, right?)
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I try to avoid unitaskers, but couldn't be without my ice cream maker - I just love homemade ice cream too much!
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely post! Yes, I want that pres too just from reading it! I have three kitchen helpers that I couldn't live without: Kitchen Aid stand mixer, food processor and blender. I don't have coffee maker, microwave, or all other common stuff, but this three babies are my workhorses! On the other hand, my grandmother didn't have any of that, and I learn to cook from her... No, I still want my electric helpers.
ReplyDeleteOmg! I need to get this!
ReplyDeleteI recently bought a tortilla press - they were artfully displayed alongside bags of masa harina and I could not resist. You are right, it is a thing of beauty, and it works brilliantly. The other good news is you can borrow it if you like! I love it but it is not a "can't live without it" item, not like the coffee machine or the lemon zester. So I could let it go on a holiday to Wellington for a month or two...
ReplyDeleteI was drinking tequila just last weekend. I can't say I am much of a connoisseur though. I wonder if the Parma of tequilas would be wasted on me? Is it really as smooth as that? Once you taste the king of tequilas, could you ever go back?
ReplyDeleteI've made various roti and naans before but never tortilla. The press looks enticing, but in my tiny kitchen the only unitasker I've allowed is my trusty rice cooker. I use it at least once a week though so I figure it's worth the space.
This 'unitasker' word is new to me, how can I have missed it?
ReplyDeleteOne day I will have a freezer big enough for an ice cream maker - and I often think of getting a rice cooker - but in the meantime I'll make room for a holidaying tortilla press (& its owner)!
Ice cream makers are the business! Although fortunately mine comes attached to a husband who likes making ice cream, so it doesn't just stay in the cupboard. Um, juicer - er not. That does just stay in the cupboard and uses up loads of space and is an entire dishwasher load when we wash it.
ReplyDeleteI really want a tortilla press! I keep hoping to find one in a shop so I don´t have to pay for postage, but there are no Mexican food shops around here :(
ReplyDeleteI do have loads of uni-taskers in my kitchen though. My rice cooker is my favourite, I have TWO coffee machines (filter and Nespresso), pasta machine which I love, two ice cream machines (don't ask)... oh and my husband has a sodastream!