Tamales

Tamales have turned into one of our New Year's Day traditions.  They are an all day affair and require a large group to both make them and eat them.  I learned to make tamales from Ludean and Tanya who I taught on my mission.  We spent our preparation days at their house having cooking lessons, as they were from Mexico.  These were my favorite. The first time I made on my own was with my cousin, Gretchen, and my sister, Cami, with our little kids running around having a blast playing.  None of the kids could handle the spiciness and the adults got them all to themselves.  Unfortunately, now we have to share.  There are several different steps with tamales.  The first step is to cook the chicken.  I put 5 dozen chicken breasts in the crock pot with onion, garlic, and chicken boullion overnight.  The next day it is a breeze to shred.  Next, I make the Masa using the recipe on the masa bag.  I use shortening, and chicken broth in place of the water.  It is easiest to mix by hand.  I usually make 2 doubled batches to have enough.
 

The next step are the red and green sauces.  For the green sauce boil 20 chilis, 3 tomatoes, and 3 little tomatillos until they are softened.  Put them in the blender with fresh cilantro, 1/4 onion, a small garlic clove, and salt and blend till pureed well.  For the red sauce boil 30 dried long red chiles for 1-2 minutes (stems removed).  After they are softened, blend with 3 boullion cubes, seasoning salt, 1 clove garlic and chicken broth.  You need to blend these really well, so you don't have gritty seed fragments in the sauce.  Add enough sauce to the chicken to have the right amount of spiciness and moisture you prefer.  The leftover sauce freezes beautifully and can be used in enchiladas or future batches of tamales.   

 

Now the fun of putting them together begins.  Soak the corn husks in hot water to soften them for the tamales.  Spread a thin layer of the masa on the wider end of the husk and place a generous dollop of the filling in the middle.  Fold one side over and then the other.  Finally fold the end under the seam and place in a steamer.
 

Depending on the size of the steamer and how many tamales you are making, steam for about an hour.  Test one out to see that the masa is cooked all the way.  You can make your own steamer by putting a lid in the bottom of a pan that you fill partway with water and setting the extra corn husks on the lid.
 

Tamales are best eaten fresh with friends!  Every year we debate whether red or green are best, and each year the vote changes.  I love them both!