View Full Version : Tamales - So many types what is your favorite Recipe
Tamalito Verde (Green Tamales)
Here is a Peruvian recipe that I was taught 15 yrs ago in the northern part of Peru. They are very different to any other that I have had in Central or South America. They are a great entree or part of the main course at lunch or dinner.
Ingredients:
1/4 kg of pork or poultry.
10 ears of corn mature and large. (Use a Large kernel white corn that
is typical in South America. Yellow sweet corn will not work)
Pancas (corn husk) from the 10 ears of corn
2 boiled eggs
6 black olives
˝ stick of butter or Margarine
1 cup diced “cilantro” ( then Liquefied)
2 cups chopped onion
3 Peruvian Yellow Aji’s (sliced thin and diced with no seeds)
1 tablespoon crushed/diced garlic
3 tablespoons yellow ground pepper
2 yellow or red peppers cut to length (thin slices)
1 Tsp Salt and 1 Tsp pepper
Preparation:
Remove the fresh kernels from the White corn. Grind the corn with a hand grinder into a large pot. Soak the Corn husk in warm water to make them softer prior to starting the cooking project.
In another pot heat the butter and add the finely chopped onion, garlic, salt and pepper until the onion is clear. Separate half of this mix to be used as filler for the Tamales.
Cook the Pork or Chicken in a skillet slowly with the sliced bell peppers and thinly sliced/diced Aji. Let cool and shred the meat finely and add the filler (onion garlic mixture) to the meat mix. Slice the olives into small slices and mix the olives in with the meat mixture. Slice the boiled eggs into 8 slices each and place on a small plate.
In the large pot heat up the corn mash slowly. Mix the other part of the onion mixture and the liquefied cilantro into the corn mash. Be sure to stir constantly while heating. Heat until the mixture starts to thicken. The mixture will have a nice Green color from the cilantro and a good aroma to it. Remove the pot from the heat and let stand.
In each panca (corn Husk) put a layer of the thickened corn mix (dough). Add a spoonful of the stuffing mixture and a piece of egg into the middle. Cover the mixture with another layer of dough. Now you can close the Panca and tie them off with string or you can try to use some husk to tie it off it you want to be traditional. (I use string)
In a Large Pot with lid place some jelly jars in the bottom and a metal vegetable steamer base to hold the tamales above the water. Add at least 1 inch of water to the pot and bring it to a boil. Place the Tamales on the base and maintain separations between them. Cover and steam at least 30-45 min. Cooking time depends on the size (Thickness) of the tamales. Check one and if it is hot and fully firm it is ready to eat.
Remove when ready to serve and place one on a plate without the husk and use the Salsa Criolla on the side for an additional flavoring.
Salsa Criolla
Ingredients:
• Two Red onions cut into thin strips.
• Cut 1 yellow Aji peppers into thin strips.
• One tablespoon of chopped parsley.
• A couple of ground garlic cloves.
• A trickle of vinegar.
• Salt and pepper to taste.
Prep: In a mixing bowl and meets the first three ingredients. Incorporate the ground garlic. Add a light dousing of vinegar. Then add to taste salt and black pepper. Put this mixture in the refrigerator for 15 min +/- to cool so the flavors can mix. This is a traditional Salsa Criolla.
Prep time: 5 min.
NEXT: :munchin
Well I guess no one eats Tamales or are they too hard to make?:confused:
No one in the SW eat or make them ? Well I will have to look up one of my mexican recipes for them.......
I eat them. :p I used to hang around with a girl of Puerto Rican descent, she made the best tamales...I helped her a couple of times (had to slave for that great food :D) but don't have her recipie. A lot of work, but damn they were worth it.
I love tamales!
That said, San Antonio has a wealth of good tamale sources - mostly at a cheap price. The recipe looks great...but the store is a lot less work... :o
Now if one is really fortunate...knows the right locals...curries favor shamelessly...one can sometimes get Christmas tamales with sugar, cinnamon, and other good things as the filling.
I love to eat them. One of our neighbors makes a large batch every Christmas and gives them to the neighbors. Unfortunately, her house just burned down so I'm not sure we will get any this year.
I made some but also found them a bit labor intensive and not nearly as good as hers. ;)
Feel free to send me some for Christmas. :D
Pat
So what I am starting to see is most people so far are like smokers/dippers...... They bum tamales from others...... :p
Never tried that but seams to be a good technique...
Really with some help you can grind and wrap the whole batch in 30-40 min. If you have a kid or two they love to help. We normally do a batch on Sunday.
What I do is invite a girl over and get her to help me grind and wrap the little things...... :rolleyes:
They think it is great that a guy is teaching a woman how to cook..... Most have never done them, they have watched their grandmother or maid. They are then given a great meal and I am in.....:D
What I do is invite a girl over and get her to help me grind and wrap the little things...... :rolleyes:
They think it is great that a guy is teaching a woman how to cook..... Most have never done them, they have watched their grandmother or maid. They are then given a great meal and I am in.....:D
Now there's a man with a plan! I'm going to try that. :lifter
Hope my wife doesn't mind. :(
Pat
I love to eat them. One of our neighbors makes a large batch every Christmas and gives them to the neighbors. Unfortunately, her house just burned down so I'm not sure we will get any this year.
Pat
You could offer her the use of your kitchen. :D Seriously that's a shame, hope they get squared away.
SF_BHT, you're too much. :cool:
ZonieDiver
08-31-2008, 09:34
I love tamales!
That said, San Antonio has a wealth of good tamale sources - mostly at a cheap price. The recipe looks great...but the store is a lot less work... :o
Now if one is really fortunate...knows the right locals...curries favor shamelessly...one can sometimes get Christmas tamales with sugar, cinnamon, and other good things as the filling.
I used to make tamales - but it is a lot of work and takes more time than I have had lately. I am considering making a batch or two in October - when my kitchen here in Phoenix cools off enough. However, I have said that the past few years and not done it. I will dig out a recipe... I want to make a "Salmon tamale" this year - with salmon and some tomatillo salsa in it! Yum
As stated, there are too many "already made" alternatives. "La Perla" in Glendale makes great tamales that you can buy in whatever quantity at very reasonable prices. In my neighborhood, someone is always making them and will gladly sell "extras" to you at a fair price. There are few things I like better than a good tamale - heck, I even enjoy a "fair" tamale!
You could offer her the use of your kitchen. :D Seriously that's a shame, hope they get squared away.
SF_BHT, you're too much.
Everyone has to have a hook. Cooking always endears a man in a womans heart. I have found it better than any pickup line at a bar.....:p:cool:
My biggest fear is if I come back to the US I can not afford to feed those Gringas.:confused:
Believe me when I tell you the way to a mans heart may be his stomach, but to a women its her mouth.
Believe me when I tell you the way to a mans heart may be his stomach, but to a women its her mouth.
Penn
You should try the Green Tamales once with the Salsa Criolla. It goes over great for a good side dish or Appetizer.
I have made them in 1/2 size portions. They make a great diversion to the normal items to a dish. Beans or rice and a slice of chicken with the Salsa Criolla and a 1/2 Tamale makes a great plate. Just me I like Latin food.
Sir, I have been studying your recipe, and am unsure what the following term means:
1 cup ground “cilantro” (Liquefied)
The dried cilantro I usually get could be reduced to a fine powder - should water then be added?
Or do you use fresh cilantro, then put it in a blender and liquefy it?
Sir, I have been studying your recipe, and am unsure what the following term means:
1 cup ground “cilantro” (Liquefied)
The dried cilantro I usually get could be reduced to a fine powder - should water then be added?
Or do you use fresh cilantro, then put it in a blender and liquefy it?
Everything has to be fresh.... Nothing dried.
Dice up the Cilantro and measure it out. I normally just do it by sight..... Put it in a blender and start it. You will have to add a little bit of water to finish the process. you will have a nice strong green liquid for use.
Everyone has to have a hook.
My biggest fear is if I come back to the US I can not afford to feed those Gringas.:confused:
I'll admit there's nothing sexier than a man who can prepare a lovely meal. ;)
LOL! I can understand that... :D
Well I ran upon this recipe a while back and it is way more labor intensive than my Green tamales. They are great for Holidays and special events. I cut the portions in 1/2 so I do not have a ton of little tamales in the freezer. I have found that Mexican tamales have a lot more Fat than the ones in South America. Health wise and for my taste I prefer the ones in SA. The thing that I do is increase the filling that I put in them vs the little bit that the locals do. Economics is why, I can and they can not. Meat is a lot higher than Corn.
Their article can be found here:
http://www.peoplesguide.com/1pages/chapts/food/recipe/main/tamales-taylor.html
Tamales Dulces (Sweet Tamales)
By Taylor Benson
Published: February 2002
Tamales are a true labor of love. Considering the work involved you'll want to make good sized batches, so recruit some help!
This recipe makes 14 dozen excellent tamales (mas or menos). We like to refrigerate the masa and filling overnight. The masa seems easier to spread and the filling thickens, so more juice goes into the tamal. Plan ahead -- the entire process takes two days.
This recipe calls for ingredients that are available at the grocery store here in Corpus Christi, Texas, and could probably be improved by substituting products found in Mexico.
(Carl's note: in Spanish, "tamales" is the plural of "tamal". As in, "Last night I ate a delicious tamal but Lorena ate six tamales.")
Day 1: Prepare the Filling (Base) and the Masa
Filling (Base)
4-16 oz. boxes golden raisins
4-20 oz. cans crushed pineapple in heavy syrup
1/2 cup water
Put the raisins in a sauce pan. Strain the liquid from the pineapple into the raisins, add water and set aside the pineapple.
Sweeten with:
1/2 -cup maple syrup
1/4 -cup honey
1/4 -cup cane syrup
Season with:
1 tsp fresh nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
1 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp ground coriander
3 Tbs Mexican vanilla
1 Tbs rice vinegar
1 1/2 Tbs shoyu (Shoyu is traditional Japanese soy sauce. Shoyu is high in glutamic acid, the precursor to MSG. "Tree of Life" brand is unpasteurized and very tasty.)
Something to keep in mind when you season the masa and filling; steaming leaches out spices and salt, so use intense flavors.
Cook the raisin mixture until the raisins are fully hydrated (fat and swollen).
Strain the raisins and add a cup of Kahlua to this reserve liquid.
Place raisins, reserve liquid and the drained pineapple in separate containers.
Refrigerate overnight
Masa
3 -5 Lb. bags fresh white corn masa
3- cups pecan meal (roasted)
2-lbs. Brown Sugar
4-lbs Unsalted Butter
2-Cups corn oil
2-Cups lard (melted)
2-3.5 oz. packet of Pasta de Achiote
4- Tbs salt
Roast 3 cups of pecan meal in the oven -- on a cookie sheet for 20 minutes @ 300°F. Remove the roasted pecan meal from the oven and add 2 lbs. of brown sugar and 2 Tbs cinnamon. Stir until cool and then sift.
In a large bowl, thoroughly mix the following: white corn masa, melted butter, lard, oil, pulverised dried Achiote paste, 4 cups of raisin reserve, 2 cups pecan meal mix, and 4 Tbs salt.
Refrigerate overnight (seems to spread more evenly).
Day 2:
Filling: Yesterday you made the Base and today you will complete the Filling.
Additional ingredients:
1-14 oz. can Eagle Brand Milk
1- 5 oz. jar of Bonne Maman's Cherry Compote
1-14 oz. bag Baker’s Sweetened Coconut
Traditional Shoyu (Japanese soy sauce)
Kahlua
2- 10oz bags Pecan Halves
In a large bowl mix the following: raisins, pineapple, last cup of reserve, 1-14 oz. can Eagle Brand milk, 1- 5 oz. jar of Bonne Maman's Cherry Compote, 1- 14 oz. bag Baker's Sweetened Coconut, 1 cup Shoyu, 1 cup vanilla, 1 cup Kahlua, 5 cups pecan meal mix, 2- 10 oz. bags pecan halves and 1 lb melted butter.
Put this mixture back into the fridge.
Corn Husk covering for the Tamales
5-6 oz. packs of dry corn shucks
To soften the corn shucks, place all of the hojas in 2.5 gallons of water. Bring the pot to a boil, simmer for 1 hour, then turn off the heat and let the shucks soak for one more hour. Once they've soaked, drain them.
Sort through the hojas (shucks) and pick out small ones. Lay these smaller shucks flat in the bottom of the pot, on top of the steamer rack, to act as a cushion for the tamales.
Clean off any debris from the remaining hojas and stack them in piles, ready to fill.
Let the fun begin!
Making the Tamales
Terri and I can fill 14 dozen tamales in about 2 1/2 hours.
The Pot: We have three different steamers we use, depending on how many tamales we are making. We bought our tamal steamers here in the States (imported from Mexico). The pot that holds 14 dozen is 17" in diameter and 13" tall. Something they all have in common is a rack that nests towards the bottom to support the tamales well above the boiling water, so any large steamer that accomplishes this will work.
Put your steamer on the stove and add water to a level a couple of inches below the rack.
Organize your work space into an assembly line: hojas, masa, filling.....
The "Spreader" takes an hoja and spreads it out flat on a plate (or small tray). The typical corn shuck is somewhat triangular -- arrange the hoja with the narrow end pointed away from you. Using a spatula, spoon or butter knife (we've been spoiled using the small stainless spreaders available at restaurant supply houses) spread a heaping tablespoon of masa so that it covers the lower 2/3's of the right 4 inches of the hoja, and pass it to the "Filler".
The "Filler" takes a heaping teaspoon of filling and spreads it over the length of the masa, and then rolls it closed -- starting with the filled side. Fold the unfilled narrow end over and place the tamales around the pot. Put the tamales shoulder-to shoulder, with the open end of each tamal facing up.
(Note: how much masa and filler you use is a matter of personal preference. Some of the best tamales I ever ate were from an outdoor market in Eugene, Oregon made by women from the San Luis Potosi area. The tamales were huge with thick masa wrapped in banana leaves. Yummmy!)
After the pot is filled (isn't that a grand sight!), place the lid on and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a steady boil and steam the tamales for an hour. If you have to add more water, be sure it is boiling hot.
Tamal Test: Take a tamal from the middle of the pot, let it cool for ten minutes and then taste. Cooling the tamal for ten minutes will stiffen it if the masa is properly "set". If the masa hasn't "set" yet and is still "doughy", keep cooking for an additional 30 minutes. Test another tamal and repeat this sequence until they are all done.
After your tamales have cooled, wrap any you can't eat soon in foil. Tamales freeze well and can be quickly reheated by steaming.
Buen Provecho!
Everything has to be fresh.... Nothing dried.
Dice up the Cilantro and measure it out. I normally just do it by sight..... Put it in a blender and start it. You will have to add a little bit of water to finish the process. you will have a nice strong green liquid for use.
The quote above is just a little off.
This T & P is how we make infused oils; but we do one thing differently:
we blanche the herb, in boiling water, then shock it in an ice bath,
squeeze it dry, then blend it.
This method will give you a stronger and more brilliant color, by blanching and shocking first. I f you want to gauge the amount of water to blend this, there is no measurement...there is a lot of that in cooking, pinch this, al ittle bit of that etc,.
:)SF BHT, I love ya man; but please stop with the colored type, it phucks my eyes. d
The quote above is just a little off.
This T & P is how we make infused oils; but we do one thing differently:
we blanche the herb, in boiling water, then shock it in an ice bath,
squeeze it dry, then blend it.
This method will give you a stronger and more brilliant color, by blanching and shocking first. I f you want to gauge the amount of water to blend this, there is no measurement...there is a lot of that in cooking, pinch this, al ittle bit of that etc,.
Good tip I have been doing it like Sra Cortina taught me. I will try it this way next time.....
Point taken with the colors.......:D
This is a dish that a few friends recommended last year and comes in handy for a large group over to watch football (Soccer)
You can find it at this Link with Pictures: http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/004396tamale_pie.php
I have made it several times and people love it. I have grated cheese in a bowl next to it and I serve it right out of the oven steaming hot.... This might be a better Tamale type dish for the time challenged people.
Tamale Pie
Posted by Elise on Apr 12, 2007
Filed under Beef, Casserole, Comfort Food, Main Course
Tamale Pie is one of those quintessential American pot-luck casserole dishes. It was probably invented by someone who had a taste of a real tamale and tried to recreate the flavor in a cornbread casserole. I always loved tamale pie as a kid, fortunately it was often served in our school cafeteria. The tamale pie I remember was made with ground beef, with green chile, olives, whole corn, and topped with cornbread, though one could just as easily used pulled pork or a more traditional tamale stuffing for the casserole. Tamale pie is not remotely Mexican and only somewhat resembles the flavor of real tamales. But it does taste great, is budget friendly, and easily feeds a lot of people.
Tamale Pie Recipe
Ingredients
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeds and stem removed, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons chile powder (more or less to taste)
2 teaspoons cumin (more or less to taste)
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can fire-roasted tomatoes
1 (4-ounce) can green Anaheim chiles, drained, chopped
1 (16 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (4 ounce) can sliced ripe olives
1/3 cup raisins
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese (about 4 ounces)
1/3 cup water
1-pound of prepared cornbread mix (such as Jiffy or Bob's Red Mill).
Whatever is needed according to cornbread mix instructions to make the cornbread batter (water, egg, oil, milk)
Method
1 Preheat oven to 375°F.
2 Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium high. Add the ground beef, onion, and bell pepper. Add salt, chile powder, and cumin. Cook, stirring infrequently, until the ground beef has browned on all sides. Remove from heat. Drain excess fat if necessary (if you are using lean beef, there shouldn't be excess).
3 Mix in fire-roasted tomatoes, Anaheim chiles, corn, olives, raisins, cheese, and water. Adjust seasoning. Add more chile powder and cumin if desired. Rub a little olive oil over the insides of a 9x12-inch casserole dish (or use a nonstick cooking spray). Spoon filling into the casserole dish.
4 In a large bowl, prepare the cornbread batter according to the directions on the package. Pour the cornbread batter over the top of the filling in the casserole.
5 Bake for 40 minutes, until the top is browned.
Serves 6-8.