How to Make Homemade Tortillas with Nettles

Whenever I am cooking, I am always thinking of ways to add more plants and nutrition. I like to challenge myself to have at least ten different plants represented in every meal. It’s a challenge I learned from Rosalee de la Foret. It is actually trickier than expected. However, in all of our lineages, somewhere we have ancestors who lived more directly with the land. These relatives consumed many more phytonutrients than what we are accustomed to—I am sure many more than ten per meal—so it can be done. Adding nettles to tortillas is a delicious new way to add one more plant to your meals.

Making tortillas is really not difficult and goodness they taste so much better than what you can buy at a store. You do need to have a tortilla press on hand, but you can find them inexpensively at second-hand stores or Latin American grocery stores. I learned how to make tortillas from a boyfriend and his sister who grew up in Oaxaca, Mexico. They gave me their blessing to share the recipe with my own addition of healthy nettles.

The nettles in this recipe are packed full of nutrients and are incredibly tasty. Nettles contain a considerable amount of fiber, which keeps our digestive tract regular and promotes beneficial bacteria. They are also chock full of vitamins and minerals like iron, magnesium, calcium, and B6 to name a few. And lastly, they are a good source of plant protein. I hope you will enjoy this new healthy twist on traditional Mexican tortillas. 

Homemade Tortilla Recipe with Nettles

Makes about 14 small torillas.

You will need the following tools:

• Tortilla press
• Cut-out circles from parchment paper the size of your tortilla press 
• Cast iron or nonstick skillet
• Clean dish towel for keeping cooked tortillas warm

Ingredients

• 2 cups organic, non-GMO masa harina
• 2 Tbsp. organic dried nettle leaf powder
• Fine sea salt if not included in your masa harina (to taste, start with 1 tsp.)
• 1 1/2 - 2 cups warm water

Directions

1. Combine masa harina, nettle leaf powder, and salt.
2. Add 1 + 1/2 cups warm water to dry ingredients and mix until fully combined.
3. The masa should be moist and wet but not sticky against your fingers.
4. If it is too dry, add more of the remaining water. If it is too sticky, add more masa harina until a non-sticky dough forms.
5. Cut two large circles from parchment paper that will fit in your tortilla press.
6. Prewarm skillet over high heat. You want it to be hot.
7. Roll the masa into uniform small balls, a bit smaller than the size of a golf ball.
8. Place a masa ball into the tortilla press and place the second parchment round on top.
9. Press the dough firmly down with the press so it is thin and uniformly pressed on both sides. Flip the tortilla in the press if one side is flatter than the other.
10. Pick up the tortilla and carefully peel off the parchment paper.
11. Place the tortilla on hot skillet and cook for 20-30 seconds on each side.
12. Taste the first one. If you need to add a little more salt to the batch do so, or if the tortilla tastes too dry add a little more water.
13. Repeat steps 7-11 with remaining dough.
14. Store the cooked tortillas in a cloth dish towel to keep them warm, adding each tortilla as it comes off the skillet.

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