Tortilla Emergency!

As dinner took shape, I visualized... some leftover cooked chicken, defrosted and chopped. A few Santa Sweets tomatoes, chopped. Shredded lettuce. Beans (okay, kidney beans because I for some reason have a bunch of them and no pinto beans or black beans). Grated Monterey Jack. Guacamole. Salsa. Voila: tacos.

Disappointment #1: The taco shells I was sure I had purchased were nowhere to be found (they vanished along with the fine-mesh strainer I was SURE I had purchased once from Ikea, but then never saw again after leaving the store, and the sundry other items I THINK about buying but then change my mind about, which, the mind being the funny thing that it is, become imprinted as having been bought).

Disappointment #2: The enormous bags of flour tortillas I usually have somewhere in the freezer had been depleted and not replenished. The only tortilla-like item to be found was some ancient ones of the corn variety, which the kids don't like, and which separated into layers when I tried to heat them. Yuck, as the kids would say.

So, with 20 minutes until dinner was to be served (in a hurry, as husband needed to rush off to a meeting), I did what any self-respecting suburban cook would do: I made flour tortillas from scratch. It's easy. Really.

EMERGENCY TORTILLAS

1-1/2 cups of flour
1-2 tbsp. oil (vegetable, corn, or olive)
water
salt

Mix flour and salt. Add oil and enough water to make a firm but pliable dough. Knead gently until it holds together, about 2 minutes. Cut dough into 6-8 pieces. Form each piece into a ball and flatten. Roll on a floured surface with a rolling pin until very thin. Fry on medium heat in an oiled cast-iron skillet until bubbles begin to appear and bottom is lightly browned. Turn and fry about 30 seconds more, until second side is browned. Remove and cover with a towel until ready to serve.

In Sickness and in Health

Thankfully, I have not succumbed to the miserable flu making the rounds (yes, I got a flu shot). My neighbor, however, was not so lucky. It also happens that she and I were co-chairing a major event at school which occurred over the weekend. She came down with the flu the week before. Selfishly, I made her some special soup to help her recover in time for the big event. I don't know whether the soup did the trick (she was able to attend the event after spending five days in bed), but she said it went down well when nothing much else would.

GINGER LEMON GRASS CHICKEN MISO FLU SOUP

1 large knob of ginger, peeled and finely sliced
1 stalk of lemongrass, cleaned and sliced on the bias into 1-inch pieces
1 medium onion, finely sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely sliced
2 tbsp. white miso paste
1 quart chicken broth (homemade or boxed -- use low sodium if you use boxed)

OPTIONAL
slivered carrots or other vegetables
diced cooked chicken
cubed tofu
rice noodles

Saute onion in olive or vegetable oil until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, and lemon grass and cook another 3-5 minutes over medium heat. Whisk a little of the chicken broth with the miso paste to thin. Add, along with remaining chicken brith, to the pot with the onion etc. Simmer on low for 1/2 hour until flavors blend. Just before serving, add optional ingredients and heat through.