Hello friends.
Have you listened to “Ooh La La” by Faces recently. You should. It’s a wonderful song. I’m *famously* a curmudgeon when it comes to music (I don’t allow music in my kitchen— I can’t think with all that noise), so it’s rare that I have a song stuck in my head. BUT, “Ooh La La” has been living rent-free in my head for quiet some time, and I’m here to collect the rent. "I wish that I knew what I know now, when I was younger.”
As a lot of you know, we are a small team. Currently, it’s just a two person operation. Me, Emmanuel, the person who founded this project and sporadically writes newsletters. And J, an incredibly talented super-taster who can outcook most of us. We’ve been doing all the production, all of the packaging, all the cooking, all of the shlepping, just the 2 of us. We’ve been doing most of the pop-ups, just the two of us, but with lots of assists from Gianna and Dre.
Part of the reason I like keeping our team small is because education and learning is important. I learned what I know now from long, slow days of absorbing, asking questions, and living in repetitive tasks. One of my many motivations with starting Bolita was to share the joy, appreciation and respect I have for masa with the rest of the world (*ahem* the Bay Area). That’s part of the reason why I offer classes every year. I want to disseminate all the information that’s trapped in my head. According to Anthony Kiedis from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, I should “give it away, give it away, give it away, now.” (did that feel forced?) Through conversations and spending long days together, working side by side, I find that intention and knowledge can be passed along and shared.
We’ve been doing more pop-ups and events lately, and I’ve been drawn to using ash as an ingredient. Ash is a very significant ingredient it Mexican cuisine. Wood ash is very alkaline, having an average ph of 10, so it can be used nixtamalize maíz— it is believed that nixtamalization was discovered when ash blew into a cooking vessel containing boiling maíz, rendering it soft, pliable and incredibly nutritious. But, we’ve been using tortilla ash to season aguachiles and to make a delicious butter for a masa cornbread.
European/Western cooking philosophies shy away from burning or charring, but Mesoamerican/Mexican cooks thrive in the the bitter and dark. Can you really experience all of life without experiencing the smoky, acidic, the acrid? Think recados, moles, salsas; charring, grilling, smoking all evoke the less delicate aromas and flavors of foods. Our habanero ash salsa uses habaneros that have been charred to a black crisp, barely retaining their fruit notes. We’ve made cafe de tortilla, a beverage made by coffee farmers and peasants when coffee was unavailable, made by simply steeping burned tortillas in hot water and seasoning with piloncillo, delicious. The tortilla ash recipe below came about from using leftover tortillas in a different context, and there’s a category of salsas that commonly use scorched tortillas. This isn’t new information or new techniques, but what I’ve learned, “what I've got, you've got to give it to your papa.”
Recipe: TORTILLA ASH
Not so much a recipe as it is a vibe/technique. Add it to salt to season fish, or whip with lard/butter. Mix with lime juice, black lime, and neutral oil to make a dramatic seasoning oil. Add to tortillas to make a black masa.
Ingredients
500 g Tortillas, made form Bolita masa
500 g scallion/leek/onion scraps
To Prepare
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
Char your scallions and tortillas until very dark, Think 70% chocolate. Very dark brown but not black. About 12-20 minutes. The lighter in color, the more sweetness you will capture, but the less color you will get. Find your balance.
Cool, and blend until it’s as fine as you can get it. We use a Vitamix and blend for 3 minutes. on medium (6) speed.
Friday 3/1 - Gilman First Friday. Hammerling Wines 1350 Fifth Street Berkeley, CA 1:00-7:00pm
We’ll be set up at Hammerling Wines. Come through!!
Sunday 3/10 - The 9th Brumaire. Les Lunes Les Lunes 425 South 3rd St., Richmond 11:00 AM 4:00 PM
Thursday 3/14 - Bolita x Bichi x Gemini. Bar Gemini 10368 San Pablo Ave, El Cerrito CA 5:00-9:00pm
Saturday 3/16 - Grand Lake Farmer’s Market, Splashpad, Oakland 9:00-2:00pm
All the things you love! Tortillas, tetelas, tlacoyos, gorditas, masa, salsas.
Thursday 3/21 - Bolita x Banter. Banter Wine Bar 10368 San Pablo Ave, El Cerrito CA 5:00-9:00pm
Saturday 3/23 - Grand Lake Farmer’s Market, Splashpad, Oakland 9:00-2:00pm
Saturday 3/30 - Grand Lake Farmer’s Market, Splashpad, Oakland 9:00-2:00pm
Thank you for supporting Bolita! We hope to see you soon and can’t wait to feed you!