Hot tamales
Regina Murphy
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Today we’re talking tamales.
What makes a good tamale? Is it the dough? The filling? The type of wrapper you use? It’s all three!
The tamale is an ancient American food. It can traced back to pre-Columbian Central America — at least 5,000 BCE. A corn dough was wrapped around a filling, and then wrapped in corn husks or banana or avocado leaves. The filling was whatever food was on hand, from cheese to chicken, but the dough was always finely ground dried corn (masa). Today we steam them in husks, but they can also be oven baked or fire roasted. A lot of people make a big day out of making tamales, inviting family and friends over to build hundreds and freeze them. They freeze very well, for up to 4 months. Keep an eye on the quantities your recipes produce or you’ll find yourself up to your elbows in tamales.
I had a great time visiting the web site www.sonofthesouth.net/tamales. The author’s name is Paul, and he dedicates his site to the memory of the Texan lady who taught him all he knows about tamales, Goya Pina. It has great step-by-step instructions with pictures. Goya’s dough recipe also uses corn oil, not lard, and incorporates broth for increased flavor.
This recipe makes a lot, so I cut it down to one-third and was able to build 30 tamales. I like chili powder, though, so I put in about a tablespoon and a half and Andy added a couple of teaspoons of cayenne powder.
GOYA’S TAMALE DOUGH
2 lbs. masa
3 Tbsp. paprika
2 Tbsp. salt
1 Tbsp. cumin
3 Tbsp. chili powder
2 cups corn oil
2 quarts warm broth
Sift the dry ingredients together into a mixing bowl (this is a good time for the stand mixer). Add in the oil, then slowly incorporate the broth. When it reaches the consistency of thick peanut butter you’re ready! If it’s too wet, add some more masa. Cover the dough with a damp towel until ready to use. You can make it a day ahead and keep it in the refrigerator.
Cheryl Patton at the Learning Connection shared a cookbook with me called “Tamales” by Miller, Pyles and Sedlar (MacMillan Press). It’s really great with tons of gourmet tamale ideas.
The authors have an interesting technique note for those of you using a stand mixer: They say that if dough is too dry it will stick to the paddle; if it’s too wet it will all stick to the sides of the bowl. Let the dough rest at least 30 minutes so that the dry ingredients can continue to draw moisture from the wet ones, creating a light and airy dough.
RED BELL PEPPER
TAMALE MASA DOUGH
1-1/2 cup masa harina
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup warm water (or broth--RM)
1/2 cup roasted, skinned and pureed red bell pepper
Place the masa and salt in a mixer bowl with paddle affixed. Beat for 3 minutes, adding olive oil at beginning in a steady stream. Batter should be thoroughly incorporated. Add the water and bell pepper and beat for another 2 minutes, scraping down the sides as needed. Take dough out of bowl and wrap in plastic. Let rest for at least 30 minutes at room temperature.
This one is spicy! The recipes in this book make small batches, so you can have several different kinds at your meal.
JALAPENO-CILANTRO MASA
1-1/2 cup masa harina
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup olive oil
1-1/4 cup warm water
1/4 cup minced cilantro
1/4 cup minced, peeled, seeded, roasted jalapenos
1 blackened Roma tomato, skinned, diced
Place the masa and salt in a mixer bowl with paddle affixed. Beat for 3 minutes, adding olive oil in a steady stream. Batter should be thoroughly incorporated. Add the water and beat for another 2 minutes, scraping down the sides as needed. Add cilantro, jalapeno and tomato and beat for another 2 minutes until incorporated. Take dough out of bowl and wrap in plastic. Let rest for at least 30 minutes at room temperature.
Now that you have three, lard-free dough recipes to use, what are you going to put in them? You can do almost anything that has been precooked, from shrimp to beef, or even vegetable combinations or cheese. Your filling should have a nice seasoning to go with the dough, and making a special sauce on the side to pour over the cooked tamales certainly doesn’t hurt!
Here are some tasty fillings. Just sauté everything to cook raw meats, tenderize the vegetables and get the spices intermingling. Cool the filling enough that you can work with it, and steam your tamales for about 30 minutes. The finished tamale should be firm and the masa should not stick to the husk when you check it.
SHRIMP TAMALES
16 large shrimp, peeled, lightly chopped
Juice of 1/2 lime
Salt and pepper to taste
MEXICO DEL SUR
2 cups shredded, cooked chicken
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cayenne
1 chipotle in adobo, chopped
1 cup fresh, whole corn kernels
1 cup finely diced tomatoes
1/2 cup red chile sauce
YUCATAN
2 cups cubed, cooked chicken
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 cup cotija cheese, crumbled
2 serrano chiles, finely diced
1/4 cup orange juice
BLACK BEAN AND CHEESE
2 cups seasoned black beans
1/4 cup liquid from beans
1/2 cup of cilantro
1 cup queso panela, shredded
1/2 cup onion, peeled, coarsely chopped
HOT CHORIZO
6 - 8 oz. chorizo
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onions
2 Tbsp. minced shallots
1 tsp. minced garlic
Here is a nice sauce to serve with your tamales. There are many different kinds you can do, using mostly green things (tomatillos, jalapenos), cheese things or red things like this one.
RANCHO SAUCE
4 lbs. Roma tomatoes, roasted, peeled
5 serrano chiles, lightly roasted
2 Tbsp. peanut oil
1-1/2 cup diced onion
1-1/2 Tbsp. minced garlic
5 poblano chiles, roasted
1 bunch of cilantro, tied up
1/2 Tbsp. salt
Chop the tomatoes and serranos and set aside. Peel, seed and dice the poblanos. Heat peanut oil in sauté pan and sauté onions and garlic until soft. Transfer to a saucepan and add the tomatoes, serranos and remaining ingredients. Simmer 30 minutes adding water or white wine if needed. When done, remove cilantro bundle. Serve warm with tamales.
I hope you will enjoy these delicious tamales. Next week we’ll have some carrot recipes. The week after that we’ll take a look at a historical cookbook: Aunt Sammy’s Radio Recipes. Let’s get cooking!