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.