Saturday, August 5, 2017

Tamales.... Tamales.... Tamales....

 Whenever I've had a dry spell I end up saying: "I'll be selling Tamales on the corner at age 80, wait and see..." Well, I'm not eighty but I'm still making Tamales and today I got to really "Deja Vu" with one or two from that other life lived as a Chef / Restaurateur in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, we're talking about 1995 or so....
It was great to review recipes, videos and all my resources to arrive at a starting point, because I'm particular about tamales. They're usually dry so I try my best to get really moist and tender "masa". Then we went to try a new place in town called "Tamale Boy" (great concept...) but alas, dry tamales, excellent orchata and ceviche but they need to work on their "masa".... which brought me to my latest project and with two different "masa" types we had some options, which would be better?

First type was the very traditional "Tamal Colado", called "Tamal Ranchero Veracruzano", this style of tamal can be found in Yucatan and Tabasco plus other regions and each is a little but different. The masa is flooded with liquid and then strained through a sieve to insure a soft, velvety texture, cooked in Banana Leaves. Whole other animal, a grownup Tamal. In Yucatan I had a "Tamal de Boda" which is huge and much milder flavor, so repeated a popular offering from the past which is the Veracruz version we like.

The other style is the one you get usually, masa mixed with beaten lard, filling, corn husk leaves. I made the Tamal Colado with chicken, Hoja Santa and a red chile paste made from dried chiles, the "regular Tamal" I made as a Sweet Pineapple Tamal. Also, for the tamales colados, I hear in Tabasco they are sooo particular about it having the softest, most tender masa they don't just run it through a sieve once but do it 3-4-5 times! I only did it once and it was enough.....

TAMALES RANCHEROS VERACRUZANOS.- Tambien conocidos como "Tamales Colados":
La Masa:
2 cups Maseca Harina or 1 K masa from the tortilleria
*Note: If using unprepared masa then you add 1 tsp Baking Powder, salt, mix well then add broth to make masa
2 litres water
250 g Manteca de Cerdo (Lard, preferably from the butcher or Carnita maker)
Salt

The lard is beaten until light and fluffy, then begin adding the masa until it incorporates well. Place masa un large bowl, add the water or broth and make sure there are no lumps (whisking is easy or use the blender or hand)- run through a sieve, place the thicker masa left in the sieve separate since this will not be used. Set the filtered masa aside.
In a heavy pan on medium heat, place the lard to melt, when half has melted, add the sifted masa and begin mixing with a wooden spoon, without stopping for about 20 minutes or until the fat is completely integrated and the masa thickens and is hard to mix. It will look like a very thick pancake batter or mash potatoes, smooth and thick. Remove from the heat.

Filing:
Hoja Santa or Acuyo leaves, cut in 1/2 inch strips
1 Whole Chicken, cooked in liquid, cooled and shredded -or-
2 Lbs Pork Butt or other meat, cooked and shredded -or-
Assorted vegetables depending on dietary concerns- prepared in any style you like (make sure it's very flavorful or it will get lost in the masa)
.
Prepare your filling and have it ready to use, at room temp

Ranchero Sauce - Salsa de Chile Guajillo o Mixta:
4 oz Chile Guajillo, dried- Seeded, de-stemmed
4oz Chile Ancho, dried- Seeded, de-stemmed
4oz Chile Negro or Chipotle, dried- Seeded, de-stemmed (optional)
1-2 cups Tomato Sauce or Cooked Tomatoes, peeled, de-seeded
6-8 garlic cloves, peeled
1 onion, cut in quaters
Lard for frying, 2-3 Tablespoons
Salt and pepper
1/4-1/3 cup sugar

The dried chiles are soaked in very hot water until they are very soft, could be 2-3 hours or even overnight. When soft, place in blender with some of the soaking liquid, some onion, garlic, salt and process until as pureed as possible. Should be a heavy puree. Run through a sieve to remove all peels and seeds, set aside until its all done.
In a fry pan put some lard and begin cooking the chile paste and start adding some tomato sauce, mix well. Add salt, pepper and some sugar to correct the acidity and keep tasting until you are satisfied, Set aside.

Banana Leaves:
Unroll leaves and cut off the center rib which is hard, take care not to tear the leaves. Any damaged leaves can be split into ribbons to tie up the tamale bundles or a piece of leaf can be used to cover a tear on a leaf.
Cut into 8 x 5 inch squares (or the size you want) and turn the stove on, pass each banana leaf over the heating element, flame or cook top and notice how the leaf changes color and texture, becoming very soft. Do not allow the leaf to remain on the stove, turn it and do both sides and just glide them over the heat quickly. This must be done before using banana leaves. Don't heat all of them at once, only do 5-8 at a time so they're not cold when you are rolling them.

You are now ready to assemble and then cook them. 

To assemble:
Put a large pot on the stove, put a grate / separator / colander inside to serve as a steam chamber to cook the tamales. Place water to the top part of the grate on the bottom. If you have a copper coin you can put it on the bottom in case the water evaporates and it will let you know by making noise. Keep an eye on the water, ok? You can keep a tea kettle ready in case you need to refill. You will place the tamales on top of the grate.

Take a banana leaf and put it shiny side down. Place some masa, leaving room on all sides to roll. Make a square so you can put your filling there, top with a generous bit of sauce and lay a strip of Acuyo on top. Now bring the top and bottom sides of the banana lead together on top of the filling, fold close to the filling and lay the fold over the tamal making a tube type, now fold each side on top of the the center so you have a packet, tie with the strips so it's secure for cooking. Lay the tamal on the grate until you are done.

Tamales colados take longer to cook then regular tamales, just the way it is due to the process you made on the masa. Bring the water in the steamer to boil, cover well so not steam escapes, lower the heat but make sure it's steaming and wait at least 1 1/2 hours or 2 hours. You can always open it, take a tamal out and check it and cover it back up. Tamales do not firm up or "gell" until they begin to cool so let them rest at least 15-30 minutes.

They can be reheated in the oven, place in a bake pan with a little water, cover with aluminum foil and heat for about 30 minutes. They can be re-steamed on top of the stove or you can try the microwave but go easy on the time.

Yes, a lot of work but they are worth it. I can also say that the more you are familiar with this process the easier it becomes and the faster it is but I know I speak from a different viewpoint. Not hard just a lot of work, that's all. Hope you will try them. Enjoy!

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