May | 2024 | My Virtually Free-from Kitchen

Homemade_gluten-free_vegan_corn_chips_and_corn_tortilla_recipe — Homemade corn chips and tortillas.

Hello there. I have a super sunny recipe for you this week which I hope matches the weather where you are (sadly not here today as I type this). I really like tortilla wraps but find the readymade ones a bit on the doughy side. Homemade corn wraps have more texture and flavour, and make a great base for toppings or fillings if you fold them to make taco shells, and are utterly delicious fried as chips.

Loaded_gluten-free_vegan_corn_tortilla — Loaded and ready to eat. Image: Kathryn Hawkins

A little bit of patience is required to roll the perfect tortilla – I guess that’s why someone invented the tortilla press – but as with everything, practice makes perfect. You’ll see that mine have a raggedy edge, for a neat round edge you’d need to trim with a sharp knife, but I quite like the more characterful look 🙂

The basic wrap is a very simple recipe which I hope you will enjoy trying. Enjoy them warm – they will become drier and firmer as they cool. You can reheat them by popping in the microwave for a few seconds. If you want to turn them into chips, the recipe is further down, below the basic wraps recipe.

Makes: 6

Ingredients

125g gluten free plain bread flour blend plus extra for dusting (Note: bread flour contains Xanthan gum so if you use a standard plain flour, add a little Xanthan gum to make the dough easier to work with)
125g fine cornmeal (Masa farina)
½tsp salt
2tbsp corn oil

1. Put the flour, cornmeal and salt in a bowl and make a well in the centre. Ad the oil and mix in, then gradually pour and mix in about 115ml water to bring the ingredients together into a soft clump.

2. Lightly flour the work top and gently knead the dough for a short time to make a smoothish ball of dough. Form into a neat round, cover lightly and leave to rest for 15 minutes.

Making_gluten-free_vegan_corn_tortilla_dough — Making gluten-free tortilla dough. Images: Kathryn Hawkins

3. Cut into 6 equal wedges. Working on one piece at a time, dust the work top lightly with flour, form a portion into a round and then roll and turn to make an approx. 18cm thin round. You will probably need to slide a palette knife underneath to turn the dough as it gets thinner.

4. Transfer to a lightly floured board and cover whilst you roll out the other 5 pieces in the same way.

Shaping_gluten-free_corn_tortilla_dough — Shaping tortilla dough. Images: Kathryn Hawkins

5. To cook, heat a dry frying pan until hot. Carefully add a tortilla and cook over a medium heat for about 2 minutes until it starts to bubble up. Flip over and cook for a further 1-2 minutes until lightly golden and toasted. Wrap them in a clean tea towel to keep them soft and warm whilst you cook the remaining rounds.

Cooking_gluten-free_corn_tortillas — Cooking the tortillas. Images: Kathryn Hawkins

Serve the tortillas warm, topped with your favourite salsa or salads. I made up this very simple combination of chopped tomato mixed with canned beans, cooked sweetcorn and a little spring onion, all mixed together with sweet chilli sauce. Pile on top of a freshly made corn tortilla, sprinkle with fresh red chilli and fresh coriander, and add a dollop of vegan mayo on the side 🙂

Sweetcorn_salsa — Corn and bean salsa. Image: Kathryn Hawkins

To make your own corn chips, cut cold tortillas into 8 neat triangles – I found it easier to use kitchen scissors to do this. Pour corn oil into a deep frying pan or saucepan to a depth of about 5cm and heat to 180˚C. Fry a few chips at a time for about 2 minutes, turning in the oil, until crisp and lightly golden. Drain well and season whilst still warm – I used onion salt.

Making_homemade_corn_chips — Cutting and cooking corn chips. Images: Kathryn Hawkins

Freshly_fried_homemade_gluten-free_vegan_corn_chips — Freshly fried and seasoned. Image: Kathryn Hawkins

These homemade chips are really the crunchiest chips I’ve ever tasted. They store well for several days in an air tight container (if you can leave them alone!).

Homemade_gluten-free_vegan_corn_chips — Crunchy homemade corn chips. Images: Kathryn Hawkins

Until next month, take care and I hope to see you again in a couple of weeks or so 🙂

Gateway_to_Scottish_bluebell_woods — Gateway to the bluebell woods. Image: Kathryn Hawkins

Hello again. I hope you are enjoying some fine weather and the colours of spring. At last, it stopped raining here this week, and the temperature rose by a few degrees. It was the perfect time to get out and about and see what is going on in the local countryside.

Bluebell_covered_hills — Hillside bluebells under a blue sky. Image: Kathryn Hawkins

Just a few miles down the road from where I live in central Scotlans, is an area of woodland called Strowan Woods. It is a peaceful place, in fact it is the site of a woodland cemetery. As you follow the path through the cemetery, you come across an area called Bluebell View, and what an amazing sight it was this weekend. So many bluebells growing on the side of the hillside, and in the sunshine the perfume was quite intoxicating.

A_grassy_path_through_bluebell_woods — Down the bluebell path. Image: Kathryn Hawkins

Follow the path into the woods and there are bluebells as far as the eye can see. It was a beautiful sight, and so peaceful and quiet, just the birds singing.

Scottish_wild_Bluebell_panorama — Bluebells as far as the eye can see. Image: Kathryn Hawkins

The path follows the river and you can see the flowers stretching over the other side of the water into the distance.

Bluebells_on_a_riverbank — On the riverbank. Image: Kathryn Hawkins

Bluebell_woods_across_the_River_Earn — More bluebells across the river. Image: Kathryn Hawkins

As well as the scent of bluebells, the aroma nearer the river was of wild garlic. Now in bud, a few of the pretty allium flowers had started to blossom.

Riverside_wild_garlic_flowers_in_bud — Wild garlic flower buds. Image: Kathryn Hawkins

Wild_garlic_in_flower — Wild garlic flowers. Images: Kathryn Hawkins

In amongst the bluebells and wild garlic, I found a few other species of woodland flowers hidden away in the shelter of the trees. From left to right, top: wild Primroses; buttery yellow Celandines; and the tiny veined petals of Wood Sorrel, and in the row below: white wood Anemones; pink Purslane, and tiny wild violets.

May_Scottish_woodland_flowers — May woodland wild flowers. Images: Kathryn Hawkins

The Yellow Archangel plant, Lamium galeobdolon, was growing quite prolifically in one area. The plant is a member of the mint family, and I know if you have that herb planted in your garden, it runs all over the place. The yellow flower heads of the plant remind me of rather sinister-looking open mouths which doesn’t quite ring true with its altogether more godly name.

Lamaistrum_Yellow_archangel_plant — Yellow Archangel. Images: Kathryn Hawkins

I’m going to sign off with a couple more images of my woodland walk. I hope you have a good few days ahead, and I look forward to getting back into the kitchen again for my next post at the end of the month. Happy Spring 🙂