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1. Combine the flour and salt in a deep bowl. Add the lard and, with your fingertips, rub the flour and fat together until the mixture resembles flakes of coarse meal.
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2. Pour in the water and mix with your fingers or a spoon until the dough can be gatheredinto a ball. Set the dough aside at room temperature to rest for about 15 minutes.
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3. To make small tortillas, divide the dough into six equal portions and, on a lightly floured surface, roll each of them out into a round about 7 inches in diameter and 1/8-inch thick.
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4. If you like, you can trim off the rough edges of the tortillas with apastry wheel or sharp knife, using a 7-inch plateor potlid as a guide.
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5. Preheat the oven to its lowest setting. Then heat an ungreased 8- to 10- inch cast-iron skillet over moderate heat until a drop of water flicked onto it splutters and evaporates instantly.
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6. Fry one tortilla at a time for about a minute on each side, turning it with a spatula when the bottom is flecked with brown. Watch carefully and regulate the heat if the tortilla colors too quickly.
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7. As the tortillas brown, transfer them to a platter. Wrap the tortillas in foil two or three at a time as you proceed, and keep them warm in the oven until the entire batch is cooked.
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8. If you prefer, you may wrap all the tortillas in paper towels, cover them with a damp cloth and foil, then keep them warm in the oven for 2 to 3 hours.
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9. To make large tortillas, divide the dough in half and, on a lightly floured surface, roll each half into a 15- to 16-inch round about Vainch thick. If you like, you can trim off the rough edges of the tortillas with a pastry wheel or sharp knife, using a 15-inch pizza pan as a pattern.
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10. Preheat the oven to its lowest setting. At the same time, place an ungreased 15-inch pizza pan over moderate heat. Grasping pot holders in both hands, slide the pan back and forth until the entire surface is hot and a drop of water flicked onto it splutters and evaporates instantly.
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11. Fry one tortilla at a time for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, sliding the pan back and forth constantly and turning the tortilla once with a spatula when the bottom becomes flecked with brown. Watch carefully and regulate the heat if the tortilla colors too quickly. As the tortillas are cooked, transfer them to large platters.
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12. Use the large tortillas at once or stack and wrap them together in paper towels, cover them with a damp cloth and finally with foil, and keep them warm in a low oven for 2 to 3 hours.
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NOTE: Small wheat tortillas are used as wrappers for chimichangos or burritos;the large tortillas serve as the bases for Southwestern pizza
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