Ranching

Thursday night has always been a favorite.

In grade school, many Thursday nights promised the chance to put on a Laura Ashley dress, attend a Civic Light Opera performance, and eat Junior Mints at Intermission. In high school, Thursday night meant NBC's prime time line-up - Friends, Seinfeld, and ER - which never under-promised. In college it meant putting on your tank top and black pants in the dead of winter so you could be one of the hot, sweaty, underage revelers squeezed onto the dance floor of Boat Club. And in MBA school, without classes on Friday, Thursday evenings could mean a short ride to New Buffalo for a sunset cruise on the boat. 

In the working world, a productive Friday lies on the other side of Thursday night, so my days of Boat Clubbing are definitely not an option. But there's something about tweeting #TGIF the following morning, that makes a Thursday night relaxing and great.

On this particular Thursday night, last night, we most definitely should have dismissed the idea of fun. We'd already had our big night out for the week, getting my boots shines, eating Smokin' Joes, sitting court side at the McDonald's All-American Basketball Games on Wednesday. So we should have had one activity in mind -  packing. With a mere three days left in the Ranch there is a ton to do: china to wrap, crystal to carefully tuck back into boxes, clothes to fold, books to organize, and junk to toss. We should have steamed the leftover tamales, unloaded the boxes from the monster truck, and packed. But we didn't. And our house is still in perfect order.

Instead, we sat in our Adirondack chairs; we read, grilled, and watched the little world we have called home for the past three years go by.

Last night, we just Ranched - the thing we've done best for the past three years. And although we'll most likely do just about the same thing, minus a decade, at our new house, there is something about this place that I don't want to let go of - that I will miss dearly. So until we hit a breaking point where we really need to start packing, probably shortly after my run on Saturday, we will keep on giving the Ranch the love and time it deserves. 

It was a great Thursday night in Naperville - one that would make my other favorite Thursdays proud. And one that would make the Ranch happy to have had the brewer and the bee as its residents.

 

Lo. 

Grilled Pork Chops with Leftover Tamale Sauce

2 bone-in pork chops
Leftover tamale sauce
(I made tamales on Tuesday night with chicken instead of pork. The sauce that I braised the chicken in makes about 1-2 cups too much. Reserve the pureed sauce and use as a marinade.)

Marinate the chops in the tamale sauce for 45 minutes to an hour.

Heat up the grill. Cook chops 10 minutes per side, or for thicker cuts (which we had), 15 minutes per side.

In a small sauce pan, bring the leftover marinade to a boil. Boil for three minutes, then reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Drizzle over grilled pork chops.

Serve the chops with a blue cheese chopped salad and corn bread. And you've got a meal for the Rancher in you.  

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.