Tamales

I love tamales. They bring back good memories of buying chicken tamales (that included the bones) from a man standing on the side of a rural road in Belize and taking them to a schoolyard to devour with a fresh mango as a side dish. Delish! This recipe is as authentic as they come (minus any bones or weird parts of the animal). Now, after that tasty introduction you're probably dying to try them right??....Anyway, I promise, if you like tamales, have never tried tamales but have a taste for good latino food, these shouldn't disappoint. The recipe makes 40 - 50 tamales, but they freeze SUPER well and can be popped in the microwave for a quick but divine meal anytime. Mine were eaten real FAST so next time I'm doubling the recipe to make 100. This recipe is a mix of a recipe from a lady in my ward and a couple I found online.

The corn husks:

You will typically find these by the salad area of the produce dept in a grocery store (also the chilies will be found there). The package typically contains a lot of husks so just pull out about 50 (1/3 of the bag). Soak these in a bowl of water while preparing everything else.

The filling:

Cook 2 - 3 chicken breasts or a medium sized pork roast in a slow cooker and shred, or be lazy like me and use 2 cans of the Costco shredded chicken (or whatever other brand).

Boil: 

- 4 tomatillos, dehusked and cut into quarters

- 1 bag of Pasilla Chilies (these are typically found near the salad area of the produce dept in a grocery store, it is a clear bag with a few dried chilies in it, the one's at Smith's say "Chile Pasilla - Ancho") I break the stem off them before putting them in the pot but you don't have to

- Salted Water: enough to cover the tomatillos and chilies

When the tomatillos and chilies are soft, spoon them into a blender and puree them with a bit of the cooking water into smooth. While in the blender add and puree:

- 2 Tbsp minced garlic (optional)

- 1 can chopped tomatoes

- Cumin (1 - 3 tsp to taste)

Stir together meat and sauce until well mixed

The Masa:

4 cups masa (ground down cornmeal found by baking stuff or hispanic foods)

4 cups water with 4 chicken bullion cubes dissolved in it

4 tsp baking powder

2 tsp salt

1 1/3 cup crisco (either butter flavored or original)

2 Tbsp Adobo seasoning (optional but yummy - found by hispanic food, looks like hispanic seasoning salt)

Mix all ingredients with mixer.

Assembly:

Dry corn husks (should be soft and malleable) spread masa thinly across the smoother side of the corn husk from side to side and leave a little room on top (the wide end) and about 1/3 of the bottom (the narrow end) of the husk. This will allow you to not have tamale flowing out of the top and allow you to fold the bottom. After spreading masa, place filling in center of husk. After assembling a couple you'll get a feel for the amount of filling you should use so it isn't spewing out of the masa. Roll husk over filling to create a tube like form, pinch top to seal (may have to add additional masa) and fold up bottom of husk to close. Repeat until all filling and masa and husks are gone.

Steam 2 hours in steaming basket so that the tamales are not sitting in water. Note: when steaming place a dish cloth over the opening of the pot before putting lid on. This will help to keep condensation off the tamales.

These are best when cooled, then reheated, that way they set up all the way.

Here's a video on youtube on how to spread the masa etc. I don't fold over the top part of the husk and tie it, I only roll it, fold the bottom up and then place them in the steamer open side up.

http://www.monkeysee.com/play/12314-tamales-how-to-assemble-and-cook-your-tamales