Hot Tamale!

I LOVE me some tamales!  My best friend is half Mexican and as is Mexican tradition, tamales were always served at the Christmas festivities in her house. Man, I loved going over there on Christmas eve to partake in the treat! One year I asked her mom how she made her tamales and she looked at me (like I was crazy), laughed and said "I'm not stupid, I order them from Cuca's!" (Cuca's being the local taco stand in town). She told me that they were way too labor intensive for her and that Cuca made them perfectly already. After hearing this, I concluded that tamale making was not going to be in my future and was best left to Cuca's.

As my cooking skills and love of food grew over the years, I decided to take on the

challenge. I made them once at home and decided that although they are time consuming, they really are not difficult and the reward is awesome. A few years ago, I mentioned to one of my lady friends that I wanted to make them again. She quickly invited herself to join, we added another friend to the party and began a new tradition of our own. Although we do not reserve this adventure for holidays, we do always have an adventure! Tamale day is sort of like Las Vegas for us (much less glamorours of course)...what happens or is said on tamale day, stays on tamale day!  It's an awesome opportunity to have some quality friend time. ***Due to this motto, I don't have pictures of the assembly process, but will get some posted soon***

All that said, while tamales are not hard to make, they are quite time consuming, so be prepared for a half day adventure. This recipe will yield 24-30 tamales, depending on how heavy handed you are with the dough. Even if you only want a few, I recommend that you go ahead and make a whole recipe, as they freeze beautifully!  And while your at it, double the recipe and keep the extras frozen for a nice afternoon treat, or a quick weekday lunch.

Ingredients:

For the Meat Filling:
2 Pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts
8 dried California chili peppers (can be found in the Mexican aisle of your grocery store)
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup of chicken stock
1/4 cup of juice from canned jalapenos

For the wrappers:
One bag of dried corn husks (can be found in the Mexican aisle of your local grocer)

For the dough:
4 cups of masa harina
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon of cumin
2/3 cup of lard
2 to 4 cups chicken broth
Salt to taste

Directions:

For the wrappers:
About an hour prior to the start of your adventure, place the husks in a large bowl or pot and cover completely in hot water. Soak the husks until they are soft and pliable, at least 45 minutes and up to 2 hours.

For the Meat:
Place the chicken breasts in a pot and cover with water.  Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat to keep them simmering and let cook until the chicken is cooked through (approx 20 minutes).

While this is happening, place your dried chili peppers in a small pan and cover with water.  Bring the water to a boil and turn off the heat.  Cover the pan and let the chili's steep for 15 minutes to soften them.  Once they have softened, remove the stems and place them in a blender (reserving the liquid).  Add the remaining "filling" ingredients and blend, adding the reserved chili liquid, one Tablespoon at a time, until a thick sauce is formed (about the same thickness as a gravy).

Remove the chicken from the hot liquid and let cool until handleable.  Shred the chicken and toss it with the red chili sauce.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Remember that this is the main source of flavor for your tamale, so make sure it is slightly hotter and more seasoned than you think it should be.  The bland flavor of the masa will tone down the flavor of the chicken mixture once it is combined.

For the dough:
In the bowl of a mixer, place the lard and mix on high speed until it is slightly fluffy looking.  Add the masa, cumin, and baking powder and mix to combine. Gradually add enough of the reserved cooking liquid, 2 to 4 cups to create a dough that is like thick mashed potatoes. The dough should be moist but not wet. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and set aside until ready to use.

To assemble the tamales:

Remove two corn husk from the water and pat to remove excess water. Lay them together with the wide sides overlapping each other.  Spread about 1/3 of a cup of the dough in an even layer across the middle of the husk to within 1/2-inch of the edges. Spoon about a heaping Tablespoon of the meat mixture in a line down the center of the dough. Roll the husk so the dough surrounds the meat and fold the ends under to finish creating the tamale.  Use a string or a thin strip of the corn husks to tie aournd the middle of the tamale, holding the loose ends in place.  Repeat until all the husks, dough and filling are used.

To steam the tamales:

Place a steamer basket in the bottom of an 11-quart pot and add enough water to come to the bottom of the basket. Layer the tamales on top of the steamer basket.  Bring the water to a boil over medium heat, then cover and reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. Check the water level every 15 to 20 minutes, and add boiling water by pouring down the side of the pot, if necessary. Steam until the dough is firm and pulls away from the husk easily, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Serve warm. Store leftover tamales, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap, in the freezer, for up to a month. To reheat, remove the plastic wrap and steam until heated through.