Chef Andrew Fleisher Ortivez sources his blue corn from local farms such as Owl Peak, in La Madera, and La Mesa, in Dixon. He says an online- or store-bought bag of Masienda’s heirloom blue corn masa harina is a good alternative.

FOR TORTILLAS

  • 2 cups blue corn masa harina
  • 1½ cups water, divided
  • Special equipment: a tortilla press (or a cutting board and heavy book).

FOR FILLING

  • 1 pound nopales, de-spined and​ sliced into strips
  • Salt and pepper
  • 3 poblano peppers
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • ½ sweet onion, sliced
  • 3 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 2 Roma tomatoes, sliced
  • 2 teaspoon chile powder
  • Cilantro, additional onion, and queso fresco, for garnish

Makes 6-8 tacos

FOR TORTILLAS

  1. Mix masa harina with half the water.
  2. Work in the remaining water a little at a time. When dough is the consistency of Play-Doh, make a small ball of dough with your hands—if the edges crack, it’s too dry; if the dough is pasty and sticks to your hands, it’s too wet. Adjust dough moisture if needed with extra water or masa harina.
  3. Heat a dry griddle on medium-high heat.
  4. From the lump of masa, tear off and roll a ball approximately the size of a ping-pong ball. (Do not preshape the masa balls ahead of time, they will dry out too fast.)
  5. Cut a thin resealable plastic bag into 2 squares the same size as your tortilla press. Place one below and one above your masa ball and press the dough into a flat thin circle.
  6. Gently pull the plastic sheets away and place the dough disk on your griddle. Sear the first side for about 30 seconds, flip, and cook for another minute. Flip back to the first side and press the tortilla with a spatula to encourage it to puff. The puff fills the tortilla with steam and cooks the inside.* Once inflated, remove from heat and place in a tortilla warmer or covered basket.

*No puff, no worries! The tortillas will steam through in the basket. Try adjusting the moisture of your dough or the thickness of the press—thinner tortillas puff easier.

FOR FILLING

  1. Add nopales to a pot with enough water to cover and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to a gentle boil and cook for about 15 minutes, or until the slime cooks off and the cactus is tender. Drain water and set aside.
  2. Blister and blacken the skin of the poblanos over a grill or in a broiler. Place in a covered bowl for about 5 to 10 minutes to sweat, then peel the skins off and cut into ½-inch-wide slices.
  3. Heat a frying pan with oil over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until translucent. Add the garlic and stir.
  4. Add nopales and poblanos to the pan and cook until browned.
  5. Add tomatoes and chile powder to pan, and cook until the tomatoes break down and become saucy.
  6. Serve in a warm tortilla with your choice of toppings.

This recipe originally appeared in "Blue Corn State of Mind" by Candolin Cook.