Tortillas, Paraguayan style

Food is such a great way to learn more about the culture you're in, anytime you travel. We've shared a few North American goodies with our Paraguayan friends, including brownies and grits. The grits were a little "different," they said, but the brownies are an instant hit (was there any doubt?)

Ken is privileged that asado (steak on the grill) is a Paraguayan custom much observed, and the beef has a great flavor. Bread is also a staple (I've already mentioned that they don't call it bread, though. Each type has a unique name and bread is only the sliced stuff you buy in sandwich loaves.) We've learned a few recipes, but one of my faves is tortilla. No, it's not chips or even a relative to the taco, but it's a fried up bunch of goodness...

2 cups flour
2 eggs
2 cups liquid (preferably milk, but water will do in a pinch, or a mix of water and milk if you don't have 2 cups)
a handful of whatever you'd like to add (I like rice and black beans, with bell peppers. Ken likes tomatoes. Fresh veggies all chopped up are a good addition, too. Every Paraguayan uses onion.)

Mix all that up and drop by big spoonfuls into a frying pan with about an inch of hot oil. I generally fit three at a time in a regular sized pan. Cook until they're brown, turning them in the pan once. Camille eats hers with ketchup. We like to just salt them.

The benefit of this simple meal is that most people have these ingredients on hand. The downside is that for those of us who aren't accustomed to fried foods at all, it produces quite a belly ache within about half an hour. It's good going down, though. Try it and let me know what you think. (PS--I tried avoiding frying, but there doesn't seem to be a way to produce the same thing any other way. Alas.)

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