All ages can gather and celebrate all that is good by making tamales, share stories, music and games. Like many traditions in Mexico, family and friends get together to work side by side to assemble tamales for both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day meals. Tamales are a simple and traditional meal served with rice, beans, and drinks like Mexican hot chocolate!
Ingredients:
yields approx. 3 dozen 6 ounce tamales
Red Sauce
6-7 ounces of Bright red New Mexico or California dried chili pods
(Chili pods should be selected according to your desire of spiciness, or blend
varieties for your own unique flavor.)
4 cups of water for boiling
4 cups water
2 cups of prepared chicken stock
6 small cloves of finely chopped garlic
1 tablespoon of ground cumin
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup corn starch dissolved in 2 cups of ice cold water
Prepare pods. De-stem & de-seed pods, then wash with cold water. Wash
your hands. Place prepared pods in a 3 qt. sauce pan, cover with 4 cups
water- boil for 10-12 min, or until pods are tender.
Separate and strain boiled pods from water, place pods in blender. Reserve
water from boiling process to the side. Slowly add reserved water until the
blender contains 3 cups total of pods and water. Blend for 8-9 minutes on
high holding the lid down tight. Strain liquid contents into an 8 quart
stockpot. Turn flame up to high. Add the balance (1 cup) of reserved water
(from boiling process) to the metal strainer, and stir the skins once again
until all the water empties into the pot. Now add 4 cups of water to the
strainer, and stir the skins a final time. Discard remaining skins in the
strainer.
To the pot, add chicken broth, ground cumin, and fresh garlic. Bring to a
boil, lower to medium-high and let boil for 5-10 minutes. Slowly add corn
starch mixture to boiling sauce. Add salt to taste. Cover and simmer for
another 20 minutes. Let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until 1
hour before use.
Tamale Masa
Dehydrated Masa Harina (fine grain) 10 cups
Baking Powder 7 tsp.
Sea Salt 4 tsp.
Olive Oil, Lard or Butter (heated and softened) 3 1/3 cups
Water (warm to hot) 7 1/2 – 8 cups
Add dry ingredients to the KithchenAid Mixing bowl and mix on lowest
setting with the paddle for 30 seconds. Now add lard and water to the bowl
and mix on low speed for another 10-12 minutes until masa has a smooth
cream cheese spreadable consistency. It will be necessary to stop the mixer 3
or 4 times and knock down the masa from the sides of the mixing bowl with
a spatula for full distribution. Mixing can be done in a large bowl and by
hand as well. Refrigerate up to 24 hours, remove from refrigerator 1 hour
before use.
Tamale Filling
6 pounds trimmed boneless pork butt
1 tablespoon of onion powder
1 tablespoon of garlic powder
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup of olive oil
3/4 cup of water
Combine dry ingredients and coat the meat. Rub pork with olive oil. Add
pork to a preheated 6 quart stock pot and brown meat for 10 minutes. Add
water to the pot and deglaze. Place entire pot with lid into the oven for 3 1/2 –
4 hours at 375 degrees until meat is tender and shreds with a fork. Remove
from oven and discard excess fat. Mix 3/4 of the Red Sauce into meat and
juice, reserving 1/4 for pouring over finished tamales as a garnish. Let cool,
then refrigerate. Remove from refrigerator 1 hour before use.
Corn Husk
One 9 ounce package of dried corn husks (ask for highest quality)
Submerge corn husk in a large pot of cold water 1-2 hours before you
begin assembly.
Assembly:
Drain and select 36 of the largest husk, they should be 6 to 7 inches wide.
Place two smaller husk together to reach desired width. Place the smooth
side of the husk up, rough side down. Retain leftover husk to use in
steaming process.
Divide masa into 36 even pieces. Using a tablespoon dipped in water,
spread the masa over the entire corn-husk from the bottom to 2” from the
pointed top. Place about 3 ounces of the meat filling into the center of the
masa about 1 inch from the bottom. With the bottom facing you, fold the
left side over the filling touching the furthest right side. Roll the right side
to the left finishing the cylinder. Pinch the bottom of the tamale closing
the seam. Fold the pointed end down and place in a pile with pointed end
down.
Steaming:
Select a pot with a steamer basket similar to a Pasta pot and fill with water to
the bottom of the steamer. Throw 5-8 smaller corn husk on the bottom of the
steamer creating a thin barrier between the basket and the tamales. Tightly
stand as many tamales as you can in the steamer basket with the point of the
tamale facing down and the pinched end facing up. Now place a clean damp
dish towel on top of the tamales covering the tops. Bring pot to a boil and
add the lid. Reduce the heat and simmer on medium for 1 hour and 20
minutes, then shut off and let cool for a few minutes. Remove one tamale fro
mthe pot and let cool for 5 minutes. Tamale Masa should set and peel away
from the husk when cooked. Otherwise cover pot and simmer for another
10-15 minutes until done. Let tamales cool for 20- 25 minutes. Remove
tamales from husk, top with red sauce and serve with rice and beans. SLG
Truth in Tortilla-tizing 