Taco Shell Recipe?

[aquarius1984]

Guys I was wondering if there was a way to make your own Taco Shells? Have googled it but all I can find is instructions to fry Tortilla wraps and bend them for the heat to crisp and set them.

I dont particularly want to do this due to the grease factor.

What im looking for is a dough mix with the corn and maize or whatever is in them that I could roll out and bake myself.

Does such a recipe exist to make your own like this or will I have to continue to fork out extortionate supermarket prices for the ready made thing which only comes along in Meal Kit form, half of which I dont particularly use anyway.

I guess it would be possible to shape them by baking them folded over some suitable heat proof object.

Any thoughts?

Cheers

 

[turquoisedude]

I've made tortillas a number of times, but never made the shells, because you have to fry them to make them crisp. Your idea of baking them over something is intriguing... I guess a rolling pin or wide handled oven-proof utenstil would work. If I still had the the full rotisserie kit from my old Lady K avocado range, that might have worked...
I don't have the recipes here in Montreal (the cookbook collection is down in Ogden) but I could write them out for you this weekend. You can make them out of corn flour (not corn meal - it is called Masa Harina in Mexico) or wheat flour. I am not sure how easy it will be to find the right corn flour in the UK, though... Good luck and let me know if you would like the recipes!

 

[brettsomers]

Maseca is very popular with Real Mexicans.

My mother sometimes made these. It takes a good press to get them really thin, which is what you are after if you want a crisp fried shell.

My favorite fried tacos are fried till only about fifty-percent crisp.

http://www.donamasita.com/en/receta/Assorted+Tacos.html

 

[toggleswitch2]

Hi Robert

Should you need any ingredients I'd be happy to ship them off to you. We have a large Mexican community in my city.

 

[maytagbear]

As for baked taco shell bowls--

This is what I do.......

Oven at 350F/177C

Soft tortillas.

2 heat-proof bowls...I use Corning Grab-its.

Nonstick cooking spray...I usually use Pam brand.

-------

Heat oven to 350F/177C

Spray lower bowl with spray. Gently place tortilla (softened, if need be, in warm water for a few seconds, blot mostly dry) over lower bowl. Spray upper bowl, and place over tortilla.

Bake for about 10-15 minutes on baking tray. VERY, VERY carefully (oven mitts!) remove upper bowl from lower bowl.

Gently remove tortilla, which should at least be firm, with a fork. Return to oven for 2-3 minutes, until browned, if desired.

Your mileage may vary, but I've had decent results.

Oh, corn tortilla mix is (generically) called Masa mix. Even people in Mexico use it.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[toggleswitch2]

Masa means dough. Nothing more

 

[sudsmaster]

I gather you are looking to make the half-folded over type of taco shell, not the bowl shaped?

In any case, here's a simple recipe for frying them. I wouldn't worry too much about the "grease factor". You could use a good quality vegetable oil (like canola, safflower, sunflower, etc) which actually will be healthy (the human body requires at least some oil/fat to survive).

I figure that the fast food Mexican food places (like Taco Bell) use wire frames in their deep fat fryers to make crispy taco shells. Personally I prefer soft tacos, but I may just try the above pan frying method to make a semi-crisp taco shell the way I like them.

And here's a recipe for baked taco shells. The tricky part will probably be finding the "baked taco rack" they mention. Next time I'm in a Mexican grocery I'll look for one...

Homemade Corn Tortillas

Nothing beats the taste of freshly griddled corn tortillas! They are easy to make, but you do need masa harina, which is available in Latin American markets and large supermarkets. Masa harina is made from corn kernels that are dried, treated with lime and then ground into a fresh dough. The...

www.eatingwell.com

http://www.ehow.com/how_2054535_make-homemade-taco-shells.html

 

[sudsmaster]

Baked taco rack

Presto!

Amazon.com

 

[aquarius1984]

Cheers for the responses so far,

Im lucky enough to have a few good delicatessens, foreign grocery warehouses and hypermarkets around which tend to stock a whole bunch of stuff. I ought to go looking specifically for things like flour to make them.

Will keep you posted on that - thanks Toggles and Sudsmaster for the offers, il be sure to let you know.

I was thinking of using Cole and Mason bowls to shape them - the brown ones in the pic.
The rack certainly looks interesting and is the shape Taco's id like to make, Not sure how one would eat a bowl shaped one. These ones are messy enough! LOL

Said meal kit which costs a whopping £1.86 for what is just tortilla chips essentially and a bit of salsa and seasoning.
Not much in the grand scheme of things I know but when I dont use the seasoning nor Salsa works out expensive for what they are.

 

[westie2]

Baked taco shell

Rob

Go to a school or resturant and ask them to keep the tops of the large cans they get to prepare fool. Or Ask for the tops and cans. With the lids bend them in half to look like a taco shell place your tortilla on them and place them on a cookie sheet or even a cooling rack in the oven with the bottom of the shell up. Bake them until cooked.

Using the can lids you can also fry them just sandwich them lid/tortilla/lid and fray in hot oil.