Deconstruction: pork tamales to tacos, enchiladas

Corn is the foundation of Mexican food.

Whether that corn is roasted on the cob or, in its more common form in Mexican cuisine, dried, milled and turned into masa harina, or corn flour, it is the basis for a vast array of dishes.

That's why I used Mexican food for "The Plate," a research project for culinary school. The assignment in Culinary Foundations II class was to write a paper describing a plate of food and then describing how it could be deconstructed and rebuilt using different cooking techniques and coming up with a different plate.

The idea is to instill in us the ability to think creatively when building menus and learning to use food products in different ways.

I started with pork and red chile tamales and whole pinto beans. I ended with tacos de carnitas, Sonoran enchiladas dipped in red chile sauce and refritos, or refried beans.

The key was corn, more specifically masa harina, the milled corn flour used to make tamales, tortillas and enchiladas. Instead of preparing the masa for spreading onto corn husks and then filled with meat for steaming as tamales, I proposed preparing the masa for making into corn tortillas to be used for tacos and flat enchiladas to be fried and dipped into red chile sauce.

In the original manifestation, the cooking techniques included braising the pork, sauté for elements of the chile sauce, steaming for completing the tamales and poaching for the beans.

For the new plate, the techniques included roasting the pork, roasting for elements of the chile sauce, sauté for making the tortillas, (deep) frying for the enchiladas and a combination of poaching and sauté for the beans.

I will turn in the research paper today. Then will come the true challenge -- actually making the two plates -- tamales and whole beans; tascos, enchiladas and refritos -- from scratch. We don't have to demonstrate that for class, but I plan to do it just for the practice of it.

Same products -- corn, pork, chiles, beans -- but different meals, different tastes and flavors.

Another tortilla smuggling is in the works

Eagerly anticipating the arrival later today of my son, John A. Chihak, coming to visit for a few days from Tucson. He is an artist (see his Website here) specializing in comic books and will participate in the Alternative Press Expo, better known as APE, which will be held at the Concourse Exhibition Center in San Francisco.

Aficionados may know John from his "Youth in Asia" brand and his sidekick Agnew, along with an array of colorful and fierce characters (that's Munny Nash, above right).

Besides himself and his publications to show and sell at the convention, John is bringing us a much desired supply of flour tortillas. And just in time; we're down to one dozen from the six dozen I brought from Tucson in August.

Smuggling the goods, right under TSA's nose

The Transportation Security Agency officers were in a serious mood at Tucson International Airport as they pulled aside my stuffed black backpack for further inspection.

This isn't looking good for me, I said to myself as I acceded to their polite yet firm questioning. I readily admitted to "smuggling" six pounds of frozen chorizo and five dozen flour tortillas.

The chorizo is from American Meat Co., maker of the best chorizo in Tucson since 1953. The flour tortillas are from La Estrella Bakery Inc., a South 12th Avenue institution since 1986.

(Disclaimer: American Meat was founded by my uncles and is now owned and run by my cousins; I spent part of my youth elbow-deep in vats of chorizo, but that's a blog for another day).

"Why shouldn't we just confiscate this chorizo?" asked the Mejicana TSA officer, a hint of a smile beginning to show.

"I'm under strict orders to bring home the goods," I said in a pleading voice. "I may not be allowed in the door without them."

With that, she and her fellow officer allowed me to pass.

"I see this all the time," the male officer said. "Must be something about chorizo and tortillas from Tucson."

Indeed. My "smuggling" efforts will allow us to eat like the true South Siders that we are for the next while.

Now THAT'S a tortilla

Like a true Mejicano, I opened the package of tortillas from La Estrella Bakery in Tucson as soon as I got to the car and ate one. OK, I ate two. Delicioso. And they were still warm, just off the comál!

Now that's divine. I splurged and purchased five dozen -- three of the large (10 inches across) and two smaller (six inches) -- to take back home to San Francisco later this week.

The big challenge will be keeping them intact -- that is to say, uneaten -- before I depart in two days.

Ask a true Tucsonense about the best flour tortillas, and you will get an argument about whether they come from La Estrella or St. Mary's or Alejandro's or the late great Grande Tortilla Factory.

For my money, La Estrella is the best. But I will take one from any other of the above-mentioned tortilla factories over anything I can get anywhere else, including my newly adopted home of San Francisco.

Next stop: Tucson's American Meat Co. for the world's best Mexican chorizo.

Going hunting for chorizo, tortillas

Heading to my hometown of Tucson, Ariz., for a few days to visit family and friends, handle some personal business and eat good Sonoran food.

Oh, and I will be certain to bring back as many dozen big flour tortillas and pounds of American Meat Co. chorizo that I can fit into a back pack.

San Francisco's food scene is glorious, but it does lack for the food we grew up on. Oh, there's plenty of Mexican food here, some of it even very good.

But the unique flavors and textures of Sonoran Mexican cuisine don't seem to make it out of the dessert, unless strapped to the back of a traveler.

That will be me in the middle of next week.

Hasta pronto, y que aprovecho.