tityas

pronounced ti-tee-zas. what can i say chamorro month has put me on a nostalgic chamorro-foodkick.  i went to a friend's house for a birthday party and then impulsively bought corn flour at the grocery store.  this led me to this week's adventures in tityas.

there are droves of versions out there and this week i took the liberty of experimenting with titiyas, the guam version of tortillas.  they are not quite a tortilla but more of thin flat bread.  the plain version is traditionally made with all purpose flour and coconut mlik.  there is also a sweeter variation traditionally made with fresh shreds of young coconut.  a friend had tipped me into using actual tortilla flour (specifically, the white flour version called harina preparada) but this week i also explored a gluten-free option by using corn flour, or masa harina, found in the hispanic food aisle. both are available at walmart.  a tortilla press would make the job easier but i found that forming balls of dough and then flattening with a rolling pin between two sheets of parchment paper to be just as effective.  this could also create a larger size, rather than the size of an 8" tortilla press.  titiyas are delectable lathered with butter but are most often served with the ever-popular chicken kelaguen, a recipe fit for it's own entry.

recipe:
2 1/2 cups flour of your choice
1 cup cream of coconut (trader joe's has an excellent canned product)

for manha titiyas, add
2 tablespoons coconut strings (macapuno, from a can)

1. Combine ingredients to form a firm dough
2. Press to preferred size until as thick as pancake
3. Heat generous amount of butter on a flat pan or gridle pan over medium high heat
4. When the flattened dough is ready, dust with flour before putting on the heated pan
5. Glide the titiya around the pan until it absorbs the butter
6. Leave unturned until browning bubbles form
7. Turnover to cook the other side

i really did not feel a need to add sugar or milk as many other recipes have suggested.  the gluten-free option was my preferred choice because it provided the best balanced flavor.  when i was working a summer job at 16, my chamorro coworkers would bring spam kelaguen and corned beef simmered in onions as a comfort-food snack.  this always reminds me of that.

there is not flat bread equivalent in filipino food that i can think of.  we were instead raised on pan de sal as our poor man's bread.  titiyas are the easiest staple to make and the added ingredient of cream of coconut gives it the perfect richness.