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[Clansgian AT wmconnect.com]

Generally nothing wrong with the 'masa harina' (lit 'dried dough') for making 
tortillas but if anyone wants to try making their own from their own corn, it 
isn't very difficult.

Put some calcium oxide in water (about a tablespoon pre gallon) to make 
calcium hydrozide solution.  This is what is refered to in food lables as 
'lime 
water'.

The calcium oxide is available in lumps from the 'tienda' (if you have one) 
and is called 'cal'.   Otherwise you can get it at a compounding pharmacy, 
use 
pickling lime, or even agricultural lime.  You can also burn limestone and 
get 
the same thing.

You can use potassium hydroxide from wood ashes, but it is more caustic.  
Some people have even used sodium hydroxide (Red Devil lye)  but I don't 
think 
that's a good idea.  Lime will do you no harm.

When the calcium oxide has reacted with the water all it is going to, there 
will be a sediment at the bottom of the container.  Drain off (and keep)  the 
lime water leaving the sediment behind.  Put whole dried corn in a pot and 
over 
with lime water.  Four type corn is best but not essential.  Bring it to a 
boil and then let it sit overnight.

Next day the corn will have swelled and most of the thin hull of the kernel 
will have dissolved.  Rinse the corn in cold water to wash out the remaining 
lime and loosen and wash away any remaining hulls (normally I'd call those 
husks, but 'corn husks' might be misleading).

What you have now is hominy.  Good stuff as it is.

To make masa, mash the hominy.  Traditionally this is done on a 'metate', the 
saddle stone  with a roller.  A meat grinder works, but the very best is one 
of those Corona grist mills because that's precisely what it was made for.  
You can put small amounts in a bowl and use the bottom of a Mason jar as a 
pestle.

Mix this mashed hominy with an equal part of water and this is 'masa'.  You 
can use it for tamales and a number of other things.

Form golf ball sized or smaller balls of the masa and lay a damp cloth over 
them since they dry out very easily.  Put a ball between two pieces of 
plastic 
wrap and mash it flat with the bottom of a skillet.  The plastic peels away 
cleanly to be used for the next tortilla.  Then, of course, bake them on an 
unheated griddle half a minute on a side.

For the real hedonist, cut the tortilla into six wedges and drop them in very 
hot oil (400 degrees or more) for a few seconds for chips that will make the 
store boughten ones seem like landscaping chips.

Like anything else, the first time it seems labor intensive and a lot of 
trouble.  But soon it becomes routine and you lose your taste for anything 
else.   
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