Over the term, some have asked for my tamale recipe. Even more recently our friends, Tammie and Justin, requested it. What can be a tedious endeavor, I've managed to simplify through trial and...tamales. A friend years ago supplied my parents with a 6 page recipe for tamales. The last sentence said, "If you are smart you will buy them." This simply is not the case if you follow my directions here. The crock pot and the crushed red pepper trick speeds up the process. Even preparing the canned chicken is moderately quick. With the meat cooked, these can be made in a couple of hours, plus an hour for cooking. For tamales, I use my taste and a near sense of Zen. You can too. If the cook is particular about exacts, this may go against your grain but it's definately not insurmountable. Try following your taste and savor the process by yourself or with family or friends. You can adjust the quantities depending on the amount you are making. I'd recommend that you make a ton. Tamales are tasty and make for a terrific Christmas tradition. They freeze well and stay good for many days in refrigerated ziplock bags. In the husk, they microwave nicely too. Decide if you are making pork or chicken tamales, or even both. Let's begin with the shopping list:
Pork Loin Roast-I get these at Costco--3 pack sealed in plastic.
Canned Chicken packed in water. I use the Kirkland 12.5 oz cans from Costco. Two, three or four cans should be good.
Salsa Verde. Herdez is my favorite but any without food modifiers are good.
Red Chili Pods--or better yet save time with dried Crushed Red Pepper and olive oil.
Instant Mesa Mix--Available at the grocery.
Chicken Broth--May be optional if you are using the chicken water from the cans above, or the cooked pork juice.
An Onion.
Hojas (corn husks)--Mojave brand will do fine. You can get better, cleaner quality at the Mexican food store.
Whole Kernel Canned Corn or frozen is okay too (optional for the chicken ones).
Wine. Get a bottle of your favorite red or white or even a Margaritas
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Pork: In the morning or even the night before, begin cooking the pork shoulder roast. Brown it in a skillet with a little olive oil before putting it the crock pot. Include a couple of cloves of crushed garlic, salt and some fresh ground pepper, along with a couple cans of green Salsa Verde. I think my favorite is Herdez and it's in the Mexican food part of the grocery store. Add some chopped onion. Cook this all day. When it's done, remove and save the juice. Shred it and mix in a can or two of Salsa Verde if it's dry. Taste it and set aside. Does it need more salt or pepper?
Chicken: Open several cans of chicken and save the chicken water. Cook this in a iron skillet with some olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, chopped onion, corn. You are going to cook this until it starts to brown/blacken into shreds. This takes a little while. Mix in some Salsa Verde towards the end. Taste it and set aside. Need more salt or pepper?
Hot Pepper Oil: Traditionally, red chili pods are dissected and the pepper seeds inside are used. Here's a better way: Pour 1/2 cup olive oil in a small sauce pan. Simmer a couple of tablespoons or more of crushed red pepper in it...more or less depending on how spicy hot you like your tamales. You will mix this well to your meat mixture when it cools down a bit.
Mesa (Instant): Buy this in a big bag at the grocery and prepare it as directed on the bag...but instead of using all water, use the cooked pork juice or canned chicken water that you saved, or the canned chicken broth that you bought. Top off with water if you need a bit more broth or juice. I don't use lard but instead use a good quality olive oil. After it's mixed up, have a glass of wine and admire it. It will be a spongy consistency and wonderful.
Hojas: In a big pot soak these in warm water and allow them to become limber (about an hour)
Assembly: Take a damp husk, open it, and lay it flat on a cutting board. You may have to clean and remove corn silk or other debris. Place a good sized blob of prepared mesa on the hojas and using a piece of plastic wrap, squash it out so there is a layer on the entire husk (thick is okay). The plastic wrap is used only to smear the mesa on the husk. Place a blob of the meat mixture longways in the middle and roll it up. Some people tie the ends with cooking string or fold them but I don't bother. Instead my tamales look a little like a horn or funnel. Just squish the ends together and the mesa will hold everything together. Continue building like this until everything is gone. If you have leftover mesa, consider putting some cheese and green chili sauce in these. Or use brown suger, raisins, and cinnimon for an sweet treat. Remember which ones are which. Yum.
Cooking: In your tall stockpot, place a steamer tray in the bottom. Put water in the bottom. DON'T LET THE WATER RUN DRY DURING THE COOKING PROCESS or you will have a smokey mess.. Have a glass of wine. Then line up several tamales on top of the tray. Everything has to be above the waterline because you are going to be steaming these. Then crisscross the tamales like you are building a tower inside the pot. No need for precision...just balance and symmetry. Cover with a clean, damp dishcloth and put on the lid. Cook for about an hour on medium heat. Remove and serve with salsa and sour cream and other Mexican favorites. Enjoy! Let me know how you fare.
Brian