Tamales with Two Sauces

Tamales

Adapted from Rick Bayless, Mexico One Plate at a Time (p. 74)

One 8-oz package dried corn husks

For the batter:

10 oz (1 ¼ cups) rich-tasting pork lard, slightly softened but not at all runny

1 ½ tsp baking powder

2 lbs (4 cups) fresh coarse-ground corn masa for tamales

OR 3 ½ cups dried masa harina mixed with 2 ¼ cups hot water

1. Preparing the corn husks:

Cover the husks with very hot water, weight with a plate to keep them submerged and let stand for a couple of hours, until they are pliable.

For forming the tamales, separate out 24 of the largest and most pliable husks – ones that are at least 6 inches across on the wider end and 6 or 7 inches long. If you can’t find enough good ones, overlap some of the larger ones to give wide, sturdy surfaces to spread the batter on. Pat the chosen husks dry with a towel.

2. Preparing the batter:

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the lard with 2 tsp salt and the baking powder until light in texture, about 1 minute. Continue beating as you add the masa (fresh or reconstituted) in three additions. Reduce the speed to medium-low and add 1 cup of the remaining broth. Continue beating for another minute or so, until a half-teaspoon dollop of the batter floats in a cup of cold water (if it floats, you can be sure the tamales will be tender and light).

Beat in enough of the remaining ½ cup broth to give the mixture the consistency of soft (not runny) cake batter; it should hold its shape in a spoon. Taste the batter and season with additional salt if you think it needs some.

For the lightest-textured tamales, refrigerate the batter for an hour or so, then rebeat, adding a little more broth or water to bring the mixture to the soft consistency it had before.

3. Setting up the steamer:

Steaming 24 husk-wrapped tamales can be done in batches in a collapsible vegetable steamer set into a large deep saucepan. To steam them all at once, you need something like the kettle-sized tamal steamers used in Mexico or Asian stack steamers (or a lobster pot, says Pennie), or you can improvise by setting a wire rack on four coffee or custard cups in a large kettle. Pour an inch or so of water into the bottom of the steamer and heat to a boil.

It is best to line the rack or upper part of the steamer with some of the leftover corn husks to protect the tamales from direct contact with the steam and to add more flavor. Make sure to leave tiny spaces between the husks so condensing steam can drain off.

4. Forming the tamales:

Cut 24 8-10-inch pieces of string or thin strips of corn husks. One at a time, form the tamales. Lay out one of your chosen corn husks with the tapering end toward you. Spread about ¼ cup of the batter into about a 4-inch square, leaving at least a 1 ½ inch border at the end toward you and a ¾ -inch border along the other sides. Spoon about 1 ½ tablespoons of the filling down the center of the batter. Pick up the two long sides of the corn husk and bring them together (this will cause the batter to surround the filling). If the uncovered borders of the two long sides you’re holding are narrow, tuck one side under the other; if wide, roll both sides over in the same direction over the tamal. Finally, fold up the empty 1 ½-inch section of the husk (to form a tightly closed “bottom”, leaving the top open), and secure it in place by loosely tying one of the strings or strips of husk around the tamal. As they’re made, stand the tamales on their folded bottoms in the prepared steamer. Don’t tie the tamales too tightly or pack them too closely in the steamer – they need room to expand.

5. Steaming and serving the tamales:

When all the tamales are in the steamer, cover them with a layer of more leftover corn husks; if your husk-wrapped tamales don’t take up the entire steamer, fill in the open spaces with loosely wadded aluminum foil to keep the tamales from falling over. Set the lid in place and steam over a constant medium heat for about 1 ¼ hours. Watch carefully to make sure that all the water doesn’t boil away and, to keep the steam steady, pour boiling water into the pot when more is necessary.

Tamales are done when the husks peel away from the masa easily. Let the tamales stand in the steamer off the heat for a few minutes to firm up. For the best-textured tamales, let them cool completely, then steam again for about 15 minutes to heat them through.

Basic Red Chile Sauce

Recipe from El Potrero Trading Post, P.O. Box 706, Chimayo, New Mexico 87522, 505-351-4112

5 parts boiling water (2 ½ cups)

1 part chile caribe (crushed chile) (1/2 cup)

2 cloves garlic

1 T oregano

1 tsp salt

Dash red wine vinegar

(optional 1 tsp crushed cumin powder)

Boil water in medium saucepan. Remove from flame, add chile, cover and steep for 20-30 minutes. Pour chile, garlic into blender and liquefy for a bit. Return to saucepan, add remaining spices, and simmer for 30 minutes. Add vinegar a few minutes before done.

Add enough cooked shredded chicken to absorb sauce.

Green Tamale filling

(Felipe’s mother’s recipe)

1 lb (10 or 12 medium) tomatillos, husked and rinsed

Fresh hot green chiles to taste (roughly 4-6 serrano or 2-3 jalapenos), stemmed and roughly chopped

4 large garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped

1 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil

3 -3 ½ cups chicken broth (or just 2 cups if making chicken without tamales)

Salt

4 cups shredded cooked chicken (lemon-herb chicken from Whole Foods is great and the meat from one is perfect)

2/3 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro

On baking sheet (covered with tin foil or it’s hard to clean), roast tomatillos at 425°. Turn over until soft and black about 35 minutes. Cool and transfer to processor with liquids.

Add chilis and garlic, process until smooth puree.

Heat oil over medium high heat. Add puree and stir until thicker and darker (about 5 minutes). Add 2 cups broth and simmer until thicker (about 10 minutes).

Season generously with salt. Stir in the chicken and cilantro.