Tamales – Any Kind

Tamales – Any Kind

Tamales were super scary for me to even consider – considering how many steps are involved in making them.  But when you get right down to it – they are actually pretty darn easy.  They just take a doggone long time to prep.

Meat Filling:  From pork, to beef, to chicken, to vegetarian, you can literally fill tamales with anything.  Taco meat, pork butt cooked in salsa, shredded chicken seasoned with green chiles – even sloppy joe meat could fill a tamale and probably taste amazing.

For this one I cooked a pork shoulder in a favorite adovada seasoning mix I can easily find here in New Mexico. I also tipped in some veggies.

In the near future I will post a wonderful chicken recipe that works amazingly well as a meat filling in tamales.

Key:
Palm = roughly a tablespoon
Pinch = roughly a teaspoon

Ingredients for Meat:
¾ lb. pork shoulder
3 tbs fat (butter, olive oil, lard, or bacon grease)
1 pkg adovada seasoning (or: 2 pinches cumin, 2 pinches ancho seasoning, 1 pinch Mexican oregano, 2 palmfuls *chili powder, 1 palmful onion powder, half pinch of salt)
2 cups chicken stock
small onion, chopped
diced tomato (peeled and seeded if you have a sensitive tummy)

Ingredients for Dough:
3 cups masa harina flour (I prefer organic because of the glyphosates used in growing corn)
1 ½ cups fat (lard, butter, or bacon grease)
1 pinch baking powder
½ pinch of garlic salt
1 pinch cayenne (optional)
1 pinch onion powder (optional)
2 ½ cups of liquid from cooking the meat (or chicken stock)
12 large corn husks

* New Mexico Chimayo Red Chili is a great route to take here.

Makes roughly 12 tamales.

Cooking the Meat - Crockpot Method:
Place pork shoulder in crockpot along with the rest of the ingredients.  Cook on high for 6-8 hours.  Shred the pork into the cooked veggies and liquid, making sure to reserve some of the cooking liquid for the dough.
 
Cooking the Meat - Dutch Oven Method:
Brown pork shoulder for a minute in the fat, then add in the seasonings, let cook another few minutes until brown.  Tip in the chicken stock and veggies and cook on medium for at least 2 hours.  I tend to cook mine 3 – 3.5 hours, as I typically make this on a weekend.  Shred meat into veggies and liquid, making sure to reserve some of the cooking liquid for the dough.
 
Prepping the Corn Husks:
Rinse corn husks in clean running water and then place in a pot of boiling water.  Turn off heat and let soak for at least half an hour.
 
Directions for the Dough:
In a large bowl combine fat with the cooking liquid or chicken stock, then mix in the baking soda and other seasonings, when well mixed begin to fold in the masa harina flour.  The dough should hold together well if pinched.  If not add more liquid.  If too wet add another tbs of flour.
 
Assembling Tamales:
Lay a soaked corn husk on a flat surface and spread the masa dough out on it in a 3x4 rectangle (approx.) – in the center of the husk – making sure to leave a centimeter or two clear on the wide end of the husk, so your filling doesn’t ooze out when folded. 
 
Spread 2-3 tbs of meat in a line down the center of the dough.  Now, fold the sides in and the narrow end down.  You can rip one husk into thin strips to tie each of the bundles.
 
Cooking the Tamales:
Place cooked tamales in a steamer and steam for 1 hour.  Alternatively, you can bake at 350 degrees F for one hour in a well-sealed pan with ½ cup of water in the bottom – using a rack to keep the tamales elevated and out of the water.
 
Serve with your favorite sauces.  See a previous post for my Hatch Green Chile sauce recipe which goes amazingly well with these pork tamales.

Hatch Green Chile Sauce Recipe

Nutritional Benefits:
 
Pork:
B1 (Thiamine) – vital for metabolism, boosts brain function, protects the heart
B2 Riboflavin – needed to break down carbohydrates, proteins and fats
B6 (AKA Pyridoxine) - a coenzyme that assists more than 100 other enzymes, supports immune function, helps break down proteins, carbs and fats
B12 (AKA Cobalamin) - involved in every cell's metabolism, cofactor in DNA synthesis
Magnesium - involved in over 300 chemical reactions in the body, increases energy, elevates mood
Niacin – Boosts brain function, improves skin health
Phosphorous – moves muscles and keeps bones and teeth strong
Zinc – Plays key role in healthy immune systems, cell growth, and protects against inflammation.

Corn Masa Flour
Vitamin A - great for eyes, skin, bones, and body tissues
Vitamin C - boosts immune system, protects eyesight, helps prevent free radicals, 96% of daily allowance
Magnesium - involved in over 300 chemical reactions in the body, increases energy, elevates mood
Potassium – Regulates fluids in the body, relays nerve impulses



Resources: 

GMO Weed Killer's Cancer Risk:  https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news/gmo-weed-killers-cancer-risk
Study: Glyphosate Doubles Risk of Lymphoma:  https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news/study-glyphosate-doubles-risk-lymphoma


#MainCourse #Dinner

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