New Years Eve Tamales
by fig + fauna farm on 01/03/12
While the early morning dew paints a silvery picture on our pastures and the roosters arise with a call, we meet in the kitchen to begin our celebration of the New Year. Tamales are what bring us together for our last day in the year we'll all cherish. It's a laborous endeavour, which is the reason that an entire family is needed to make tamales - grandmother draws with our child at the table, the husbands find their way in and out of the kitchen...scenting and sampling the feast in it's early stages, and we create an assembly line of mixing, pressing, filling and folding.
I find a rhythm in the process that begins with mixing the dough. As I pour the olive oil and warm broth into the flour, the corn awakens and the fragrant dough begins to come to life. It is so easily pressed in the shell of the cornhusk and it soon becomes a bed for the filling I choose. Each tamale holds a suprise inside - only to be discovered by the person that unravels them.
/// PHOTOS BY ROSE E MARTIN
NEW YEARS EVE TAMALES
Makes about 36 tamales
You will need:
About 40 dried corn husks, soaked in warm water and shaken dry
The Masa Dough:
- 12 ounces lard, butter or olive oil
- 1 1/2 pounds Masa Harina (it will say "for Tamales" on the package)
- About 2 cups warm chicken or beef broth
- Sea salt to taste
The Fillings:
- Shredded and seasoned chicken, pork or beef
- sauteed onions and swiss chard
- reduced salsa verde
- refried beans
- chile poblanos cut into strips
- 1 round of Mexican Chihuahua, cut into strips about 1/2 inch square and 2 1/2 inches long
Steaming
- A large pot
- A steaming basket
- Banana leaves - found at Latin Markets (can be ommitted, but it does add to the flavor)
Make the dough by mixing the lard, butter or oil into the broth. Slowly add the flour and salt and mix until well combined. The dough should be soft and moldable - it should not be so wet that it sticks to your hands.
Lay a husk , spread on a flat surface. Spread approximately 1/2 cup of dough on the middle of the husk. By using the side of the husk, pat down the down to create a rectangle of dough in the center, leaving enough room on the top and bottom of the husk to fold over. Place fillings in the middle of the dough, reaching from the top to the base of the rectangle. Roll the sides of the husk around the tamale and fold the top and bottom inward to close the tamale. Set the prepared tamales aside on a tray while you assemble the rest.
Prepare the steamer for the tamales and bring water to a boil. Stack the tamales as straight as possible in the steamer and cover the top of the pot with tucked banana leaves, or a lid. Steam the tamales for 1 - 2 hours, checking the water in the steamer often. (do not let the water run out!) When tamales are done, the dough will easily pull away from the corn husks as if the tamales are "gelled" and firm.
