My Happy Foods: tamales

mexican food slash central american food has always been one of my favorites! i can't seem to get enough of it. so, now that i've been actively trying to learn how to cook for about two years i thought it a good time to finally learn how to make tamales...something i've wanted to learn for going on two decades. my experience with tamales has been quite mixed. i should say that i absolutely love tamales because i've had the luck of tasting a few really good ones. the problem is that most restaurants i've been to don't make very good tamales and it isn't very often that i come across a situation where i get to enjoy some really authentic homemade ones. well, my quest is finally over because i have officially learned how to make delicious ones of my own at home. i searched through at least 20 recipes and finally settled on one that i found on the internet...grandma salazar's tamales. i highly recommend that you visit this link because there is a wonderful story about grandma salazar, as well as some beautiful pictures of the tamale making process (my pictures are always rather amateur). i've copied and pasted the instructions from the deliciousdays.com website for your convenience.

Ingredients
(using 6 pounds of meat makes about 10 dozen tamales and will take over a large American freezer, so feel free to cut this recipe in half or more, but don’t decrease onions or garlic)

3 pounds pork roast
3 pounds beef roast
2 large onions
4 cloves garlic
1/3 to ½ cup chili powder or more (depends on heat of chili powder and spice tolerance of tamale eaters)
salt
pepper
cumin
8 cups masa harina
2 cups shortening or lard
Corn husks (2-3 packages for full recipe)

Day 1 - getting the meat prepared

1. Cook meat (pork or beef, or both in separate pots) in a large pot of water (or in a slow-cooker filled with water) with an onion, 2 garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon of chili powder, salt and pepper. Cook for the day, 4 hours minimum. The more broth you can generate from the meat, the better!

2. After the meat is cooked (so that it falls apart and shreds easily), remove from pot, set aside to cool, and puree the onion and garlic with the broth. Season broth mixture to taste with chili powder and salt.

3. Shred meat finely with two forks (you can even chop it after shredding), and store covered in refrigerator separately from broth.

4. Soak corn husks in water overnight.

Day 2 - assembling the tamales

1. Rinse and clean corn husks thoroughly. Drain well and pat dry.

2. Season shredded meat with chili powder, salt, and cumin (optional) to taste. As you season the meat, add a small amount of broth to moisten meat, but it should not be runny.

3. For every 2 cups of masa harina (meal), add ½ cup of shortening or lard, 1tsp. of salt, and enough chili powder to make a pink dough. Add broth mixture a little at a time to masa and mix with your hands to get a smooth, spreadable consistency. If you run out of broth, you can use hot water, but you will wish you had plenty of broth. (If you use about 6 pounds of meat, you will likely use about 8 cups of masa harina in total).

4. Assemble the tamales: spread masa about 1/8 inch thick on corn husk with fingers, leaving about ½ inch border along the sides and 2 inch border along the top and bottom of husk. Use about 2 Tbsp. of shredded meat to fill the tamal (like a cigar). Fold sides until they just overlap, fold narrow end under, and place tamale folded side down. Grandma Salazar tears thin strips of the corn husks to tie a “little belt” around each tamal to keep it secure. Although this isn’t necessary, it does look the nicest and makes each tamal a little gift to be opened.

5. To cook, steam fresh tamales for 15 minutes or until masa is no longer sticky.

6. Store in freezer. Steam frozen tamales for 20 minutes. (This is a real treat a few days or a few weeks later. After you’ve recovered, it’s almost like someone else made them for you!).