Hot Tamale

Last Friday, to kick-off Kassen's bachelorette weekend, the girls gathered around la mesa for a TGIFiesta - Margaritas, chips and guacamole, beans and rice, and tamales.

Now, I had seen this corn husk-wrapped dish on Mexican menus before, but had long prioritized burritos, fajitas and tacos over them. So I approached the front of the tamale buffet line with hesitation. Without ever trying one, I was a little skeptical of the corny surprise found inside.

I don't know if it was the margarita, the fact that I was starving after my five-hour flight, or my new found obsession with corn and its offshoots, but I loved it. Every last bite of it. And every last bite of the half that Meredith left behind on her plate.

Yesterday, I don't know if was the thought that I had deprived Peter of a good taco night in February, or the Vegas bachelor party I had tuned into over Twitter, reminding me of the hot tamales last week, or simply my sober mouth, desperately craving more masa, but I decided that on Sunday, we would spend some time trying to produce the ultimate homemade tamale. 

First things first, I did some research online. Along with a great recipe, I found a beautiful tamale story passed down from Grandma Salazar to Nicky on Delicious Days.  And I thought it needed another Chapter, set in a small retro kitchen in the Midwest. But knowing Peter, and knowing me, I knew we would need to make some tweaks here and there to make it our own. It went something like this:

Ingredients:
2.5 pound pork shoulder roast
4 chipotle peppers in adobe sauce
5 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons tomato paste
7 garlic cloves, smashed
1/2 of a large onion roughly chopped
1/4 cup lard (I used bacon fat)
Mexican chili powder
Salt, pepper
Cumin
2 cups Masa Harina (found it at Whole Foods)
Corn husks

In a Dutch Oven, over medium heat, melt about a tablespoon of bacon fat. Season pork with salt and pepper. Brown on all sides. Stir in garlic and let saute for a couple minutes. Pour in stock, tomato paste, chipotle peppers, and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and let simmer for five or six hours, until the pork falls off the bone and is very easy to shred.

Meanwhile, soak corn husks in warm water for five or six hours, or if you have planned ahead (which I never do), soak them overnight.

Remove pork, let cool, and shred. Add a little of the broth, some salt, pepper and cumin to taste. Set aside.

In a large blender, puree the remaining broth with the onion, and set aside.

Now make the Masa. Mix together 2 cups of the Masa Harina, the remaining lard, salt, pepper and Mexican chili powder (I used about 2 teaspoons, but we like stuff spicy.) Add in the broth mixture a little at a time, mixing with your hands until dough starts to come together. Keep adding until you can form a ball with the mixture and it is spreadable.

Now for the 'fun' part. Drain and rinse the husks and pat them dry. Take the corn mixture and spread it as thinly as possible - about 1/8 inch thick - inside the husk. Put the pull pork on top, and roll up, folding the ends after the first roll over. (It's tough. And it took a couple attempts.)

String one of the husks, and use the strings to tie up each of the tamales. (Again, this was tough. Those husks are pretty darn stubborn.)

Once they are all wrapped up, steam the tamales for 15 minutes or until the Masa is no longer sticky. If you have leftovers that you don't want to make, you can freeze them, and steam them later. 

After housing the leftovers this evening, I am happy to say I am the proud owner of the title, 'tamale maker.' And one recipe further along in the outfitting of my international comfort food portfolio. 

Lo.