New Ideas Using Tortillas

Did you know that  you could make traditional Greek, Italian, Polynesian and sushi recipes from tortillas?  Some friends and I have been testing recipes from 101 Uses for a Tortilla cookbook and were surprised at how creative this cookbook is.  They have taken very traditional regional foods and adapted them for use with tortillas.  Here are some of the foods.

Greek Spinach and Cheese Triangles (like Spanikopitas)

Tortilla Sushi Rolls

Apple Struedel (like Rugelach)

Some of the other recipes were for Cannelloni, Chocolate Raspberry Burritos (dessert, of course), Snowflakes (using a tortilla like a piece of folded paper and cutting with scissors into a snowflake and glazing with Nutella.  Kids would love doing this!), Hot Fudge Tostada (using the thicker, gordita-style tortilla and pressing them into ramekins, microwaving to get a cup shape bowl to hold ice cream, and Pigs in a Blanket (cutting the tortilla into a square, then wrapping around a hot dog stuffed with cheese and baking it).  It helped me think more creatively about the use of tortillas.  Hope you learned something new like I did!

Here's how the Spinach and Cheese Triangles are made:

1 cup chopped green onion

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 Tablespoons minced garlic

1 bag (16 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained and squeezed dry

2 cups crumbled feta cheese or queso fresco

2 eggs, beaten

6 large, thin flour tortillas

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Saute green onion in 1/4 cup butter for 1 minutes.  Add garlic and saute 2 minutes more.  Add spinach and stir frequently until all moisture evaporates.  Remove from heat.  Stir in cheese and eggs.  It will look like this:

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Then fold into a triangle, like folding a flag.  Place on baking sheet, seam-side down.  Brush each tortilla with melted butter.  Bake 20 minutes, or until light golden brown.  Makes 18 triangles.

These have a great flavor, a little more substantial than the ones made with Phyllo dough, but less messy as these don't crumble in your hands.  Each one makes a substantial four-bite appetizers.

For more wonderful recipes and ideas click here for Designs by Gollum's Foodie Friday.