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Flavor Of Mexico Hidden in Ruskin

Photo by LYNN KESSEL

The versatile, inexpensive tortilla can be used in place of bread with virtually any combination of meats, seafood and vegetables. A good example is this tasty grouper taco with fresh tomatillo salsa.

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 17, 2008

Tired of negotiating pot holes that dot the area in front of the Ruskin post office, I recently drove around back of the Thriftway Plaza to Seventh Avenue Northeast. My interest was captured by a store-front sign that read Alvarez Tortilla Factory. Unless you're a neighborhood regular, it's a little off the beaten path.

"Tortilla factory?" I thought. I went inside to check it out.

I told the woman behind the counter I would like to buy some tortillas. She reached down into a cooler and placed a neatly wrapped stack of warm tortillas in my hands. She said, "That will be $1."

I remember thinking, "Only $1?"

There are very few things you can buy for a buck, let alone 16 corn tortillas, baked fresh that morning with no preservatives and sold warm. I was already thinking about all the ways I could use them.

On a subsequent visit a week later, I met owner Humberto "Tito" Alvarez. He and his son, Jaime, opened the small grocery, take-out and tortilleria in 1999. One dollar was all Tito charged for tortillas back then and he has refused to raise the price since.

"It's what brings customers to my small grocery," he said.

Born in Acambaro, Mexico, Tito was five when his family moved to Rio Grande Valley, Texas. Migrant work - cauliflower, oranges and tomatoes - brought his parents and nine siblings to Ruskin in 1963. Tito graduated from East Bay High School, joined the Marines, and then spent 13 months in Vietnam. In 1970, he married his childhood sweetheart, Maria.

Although Tito worked 27 years in two local glass businesses, he always had a desire to make tortillas, he said. For years he and his wife talked about opening a place of their own. The year after Maria died in 1997, Tito was laid off from his job.

It was then he decided to make a go of starting his own business.

"My customers would be surprised to learn I was brought up on flour tortillas," Tito told me. "My mother would roll them out by hand, daily."

Tortillas are made of corn and water and are eaten by people south of the border the same way we eat bread. Pliable and versatile, they're sturdy enough to hold a pile of braised meat.

Unfortunately, tortillas don't have a long shelf life, but they can last two or three days in the refrigerator. Once you get them home and they are at room temperature, flip each tortilla over, rewrap the entire stack and throw them in the fridge. To reheat, wrap the tortillas in foil and warm them in your oven.

I like to shred cooked chicken with some cumin, add fresh lettuce and homemade tomatillo salsa and serve the combo as a taco. I also add a little bit of oil to a frying pan and cook tortillas individually until they're crispy. Using the same ingredients, I make tostados. They're amazing.

If you'd like to try some of Tito's tortillas, stop by his store at 17 Seventh Avenue N.E. or give him a call at (813) 649-1230.

If you have a tortilla recipe you'd like to share, send it my way. I'd love to try it.

GROUPER TACOS WITH TOMATILLO SALSA

Tomatillo Salsa

8 tomatillos, husked and washed

3 tablespoons red onion, finely chopped

1 serrano chile, seeded and finely chopped juice from 1 lime

1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper

Husk tomatillos and wash under hot water. Puree the tomatillos in a food processor or blender. Pour into a sieve set over small bowl, drain 3 minutes and then discard the liquid. Transfer pulp to a serving bowl; stir in onion, chile, lime juice, cilantro, salt and pepper.

Tacos

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 teaspoons fresh thyme, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

8 corn tortillas; warmed

2 cups shredded lettuce

1 cup diced tomatoes

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

In a cup, combine oil, thyme, garlic, salt and pepper. Rub over grouper. Prepare medium-hot fire on outdoor grill or preheat broiler. Grill or broil fish 4-6 minutes per side, until just cooked through. Remove to a cutting board and let rest 3 minutes. Gently flake fish into large chunks. Place fish down center of each tortilla. Top with lettuce, tomatoes and cilantro, then spoon on some salsa. Fold to form soft taco. Serve with extra salsa. Serves 4.

Source: Adapted from Executive Chef James Boyce

Lynn Kessel can be reached at lkessel@mac.com or P.O. Box 913, Ruskin FL 33575-0913. For more of her recipes, visit southshore.tbo.com and enter the search words: Lynn Kessel. Readers are encouraged to send in their favorite recipes, comments and suggesti

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