Fresh Masa Workshop with Tortilla Nixtamal

Tortilla Nixtamal is a small restaurant in Corona, Queens that the New York Times raved was “the first time we've tasted the real stuff in New York. The New Yorker states,”The intense, aromatic corn brings a powerful flavor to every dish."

Tortilla Nixtamal’s founder Fernando Ruiz wanted to change the predominate word on the street (or internet blogs) that says 'there is no good Mexican food to be found in New York City’. After a heavy brainstorm with his cousin in Mexico, Ruiz decided the lack of good Mexican food boiled down to one simple thing: TORTILLAS. Ruiz determined it was time that NYC had an authentic tortilleria. And not just any tortilleria, but one that made real corn tortillas-not the tasteless and brittle harina (or processed corn flour) tortillas that are found in the markets and used by many restaurants. As he explains, "it's like the difference between making instant mashed potatoes and making mashed potatoes from scratch. So, Ruiz proposed the idea to his girlfriend, Shauna Page, who excitedly agreed.

In this class, Shauna will educate students with the most basic, and authentic, aspect of Mexican cooking by describing how to make and use nixtamal - a natural process for making corn tortillas and other similar products. We will start by making corn dough (masa) from 100% corn. Then, Shauna will demonstrate how to cook dry corn to make nixtamal, how to clean and grind the nixtamal into masa, and finally how to use that masa to make a variety of items used as staples in daily Mexican cooking. The first of these will be the corn tortilla - the base of all Mexican cuisine. We will then use the masa in different authentic dishes for everyone to try. Come join us for this very rare look into the Mexican Kitchen.