A Note on Blue Corn:

All hail the blue corn tortilla!  Besides from their beautiful hue and having a rich, nutty flavor, tortillas made with blue corn are healthier than regular corn tortillas.  The Journal of Science and Agriculture reported on a study performed in Mexico found that blue corn tortillas have 20% less starch, more protein, and a lower glycemic index than their white or yellow corn counterparts.  Their blue pigment also packs an antioxidant punch.  So boo ya! Crack open the salsa, ‘cause we’re making tortilla chips!

Let’s Get To It…

Super crunchy and thick, these blue corn tortilla chips, or totopos, are absolutely delicious and beautiful to boot.  They’re topped with a mild and smokey sauce, lime, and salt.  Don’t be discouraged by making your own tortilla dough… it’s quite simple and extremely gratifying to complete on your own.  Blue cornmeal will be harder to find than regular cornmeal, but I’d try your local latino supermarket and ask around from there.

Tortilla Ingredients:

2 C Blue Cornmeal

1-1 ¼ C room temperature water

1/2 tsp. Salt

“Paint” Ingredients:

3 T Valentina hot sauce

Juice of 3 limes

Salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

This dough is simple to come together.  Place the cornmeal and salt in a bowl and make a well.  Add the water and bring together with a wooden spoon until the dough forms a rough ball.  It shouldn’t be too wet or crumbly.  Cover the dough with plastic or a wet towel to keep from drying out while you prepare the topping.

For the sauce, place all ingredients in a small dish and season to taste.  Valentina is my favorite hot sauce because of its mild, smoky flavor.  Feel free to use your favorite.

If you haven’t pressed your own tortillas before, take a look at the post on How to Make Homemade Corn Tortillas. Once you are ready to make the chips, grab a pizza cutter or knife and spatula to transfer the uncooked chips to your baking pan.  Form small balls and press dough to make tortilla sized circles with tortilla press.  Brush dough with “paint,” gently cut into quarters with pizza cutter (careful not to cut your plastic).

Gently transfer dough pieces from press to ungreased baking sheet with spatula.  Sprinkle with salt. Cook for 10-15” or until desired crispness. Baking time also depends on how thick you like your chips.

Serve with salsa, guacamole, break onto salads… the possibilities are endless!