The Melting Pot 2.0/The Melting Pot 2.0.iso/food/bean_grn/tamales0.2

Text File | 1995-09-28 | 8KB | 157 lines

Article: 6453 of rec.food.recipes
Newsgroups: rec.food.recipes
From: [e-mail] (Garry Howard)
Subject: Tamales ala Diana Kennedy
Message-ID: <2aomf1$[e-mail]>
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Company, Burlington, MA
Date: 28 Oct 1993 14:54:25 GMT


Tamale Making
>From "The Cuisines of Mexico"
By Diana Kennedy ISBN 0-06-012344-3

This is the definitive book on authentic Mexican cooking. I highly
recommend it to anyone who want's to learn to cook Mexican food as it
is prepared in Mexico.

Notes on Making Tamales

1. The corn husks. It is usual for corn husks bought here to be trimmed and
flattened ready for use. But if by chance you have some in their rough state,
just as they were when removed from the ear, cut off the cupped part at the
bottom of the leaf and trim off the pointed tip. When you get them the husks
will be dried out and papery. To soften them ready for use, pour plenty of
very hot water over them and leave them to soak for several hours. Shake them
well to get rid of excess water and pat them dry with a towel.

2. Making the tamales. Smear a thin coating of the tamal dough over the
broadest part of the husk, allowing for turning down about 1 1/2 inches at
the bottom broad part of the leaf and about 3 inches at the pointed top. Let
us say, for a good-sized tamal spread the dough over an area approximately
3 inches wide and 3 1/2 inches long.

   Spread the filling down the middle of the dough. Fold the sides of the
husk together firmly. Turn up the pointed end of the leaf and fold the
broader end over it. Tear some of the husks lengthwise into narrow strips,
and use one for tying each tamal across the top flap. The husks are water
repellent, and since the dough is to be steamed, the idea is to form a
water-tight package so that when the dough is cooked through it will be light
and spongy. If moisture gets in it will be soggy.

3. Cooking the tamales. The most convenient way to cook tamales is a
conventional steamer. You can, of course improvise, but improvisations are not
usually as efficient--a lot of good steam escapes and the cooking is not
as even.

   Fill the bottom of the steamer with water up to the level indicated and
bring to a boil. Line the top of the steamer with corn husks, covering the
bottom and sides well. Stack the tamales upright, with the tied-down flaps
upwards. For the best results, they should be packed firmly but not too
tightly, because the husks swell out as the dough cooks. (I always find
that a small batch of tamales, not firmly packed in the steamer, do not
cook as well or as quickly and are more likely to absorb the condensed steam.)
Cover the tamales with more corn husks. Cover the top of the steamer with a
thick cloth--a piece of old toweling is best--to absorb the condensation from
the lid of the steamer. Cover the steamer with a tightly fitting lid.

   As the water in the bottom part comes to a boil, put a coin into it, put
the top part of the steamer on, and let the tamales cook for about 2 1/2 to
3 hours over a medium flame. Keep the water bubbling, but not boiling
violently. That is the reason for the coin. You will be able to hear it
dancing about, and it will tell you if the water goes off the boil or is
getting dangerously low. If the water is allowed to go off the boil the tamales
will be heavy. Keep a kettle of water simmering so that you can refill the
steamer when necessary.

   To test the tamales for doneness, remove one from the center, and one from
the side of the steamer. As you open the husks, the dough should come away
easily from the husks and be completely smooth. To make doubly sure, open up
the tamales and see if they are spongy and well cooked throughout.

4. Serving and storing the tamales. Once cooked, tamales are very good
tempered. They are wonderful eaten right away, straight out of the husks, but
after they cool off they are also extremely good heated through very gently in
their husks in an ungreased heavy frying pan, or on a griddle. Just keep
turning them so that they heat through evenly and the husk gets slightly
browned but does not burn. They can be refrigerated, and will keep well stored
that way for about a week. It is best, however, to freeze them. To reheat,
they can be wrapped in foil, put into a 350 degree oven still frozen, and
heated through for about 30 minutes.

---------- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v7.02

     Title: Tamales Nortenos [Northern Tamales]
Categories: Mexican, Main dish
  Servings:  12

---------------------------------FILLING-----------------------------------
  1 1/4 lb Pork shoulder
    1/4    onion, sliced
      1    clove garlic, peeled
    1/2 ts salt
      4    peppercorns
           Water to cover
      3    chile anchos
    1/2 ts cumin seeds
      2 tb lard
--------------------------------THE TAMALES--------------------------------
           Basic Tamal Dough
      2 ts chili sauce
           -from the filling
     72    small corn husks
           -soaked

From: The Cuisines of Mexico
By: Diana Kennedy ISBN 0-06-012344-3

This recipe is from northern Mexico and I think it is closer to the
tamales made in Texas. Tamales from central Mexico are thick and fluffy
and are mostly dough. This is the original recipe as it would be prepared
in Mexico, including lard. Adjust as necessary to suit your sensibilities. I
substitute Crisco for the lard. I have also made this recipe using chicken in
place of the pork.

Enjoy!
Garry

   The smallest tamales of all are the nortenos from Coahuila and Chihuahua.
They are as thick as a very fat finger and about 2 1/2 inches long. The
northerners express contempt for the large, fluffy white ones of central
Mexico, which to them are all dough and very little else--which is true of
the commercially made ones. The dough in these is almost overcome by the
filling of pork in a sauce of chiles anchos strongly flavored with cumin.

   Cut the meat into 1-inch squares--it should have a little fat on it--and put
it into the saucepan with the onion, garlic, salt, and peppercorns. Barely cover
the meat with water and bring to a boil. Lower the flame and simmer the meat
until it is tender--about 40 minutes.

   Set the meat aside to cool off in the broth. Strain the meat, reserving the
broth, and chop it roughly.
   Heat the griddle and toast the chiles well, turning them from time to time
so that they do not burn. Let them cool a little. When they are cool enough to
handle, slit them open and remove the seeds and veins.
   When the chiles have cooled off they should be crisp. Crumble them into the
blender jar or spice grinder and grind them with the cumin seeds to a fine
powder.
   Melt the lard, add the chili powder, and cook it for a few seconds, stirring
it all the time. Add the meat and, continuing to cook, let it season for a
minute or so.
   Add the pork broth and let the mixture cook for about 5 minutes over a
medium flame so that it reduces a little--there should be quite a bit of sauce
left. Add salt as necessary.

Make the basic dough but do not add any baking powder. Mix the chili sauce
into the dough to give it a little color.

   Using the smallest husks or the large ones cut in half, spread a scant
tablespoon of the dough thinly over each husk, covering an area about 2 X 2
inches. Put a little of the meat with plenty of sauce into the center of the
dough and fold the husk as you would for ordinary tamales.
   Stack the tamales in the steamer and cook for about 2 hours. Test to see
if they are done.