Help me make Tamales!

[Chefzhat]

Anyone have a fairly easy Mexican Tamale recipe? I volunteered to make some for my Spanish Class tomorrow night, and I've looked at a few recipes that take four hours! Right, if I had 4 free hours I'd be doing something other than cooking, like say, sleep!!:D :D

So, can anyone help? Or tell me that I'd better choose something else (less strenuous) to make!

Thanks!

debie

[Peggy]

Mama Totola's Tamales!! The recipe is in the Dec 2000 issue. They aren't really hard to make at all. Here is a link that gives better instructions than the recipe itself. http://community.cookinglight.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=18359&highlight=mama+tamales

Do you have the Dec 2000 issue? If not, I will post the recipe for you as soon as I get my family out the dorr.

Peggy

[Beth]

We made Mama Totola's Tamales for a New Year's Eve Supper Club ;ast year. The fillings were precooked, so we didn't have the whole job, and we weren't that concerned about time. It was a good time to try them -- maybe a Sunday afternoon while watching football? I'm not sure what the total time involvement on that recipe is is you don't have a cooked filling, but I know my grandmother used to make tamales and it was an all day process. I am thinking about making them for Christmas Eve.

[Peggy]

I'm back with the recipe. I found it on the recipe finder. I just made these for the second time for my DD's birthday (her request). I made the filling the night before and put the tamales together the next day. I don't think I started until after 4pm and we had them for dinner that night. The additional directions I posted the link for are really helpful. Good Luck!

Peggy


Mama Totota's Tamales

Published: Cooking Light- 12/01/00

INGREDIENTS

14 large dried cornhusks

Filling:
1 pound pork tenderloin
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1-1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
Cooking spray
1 cup chopped onion

Dough:
3 cups masa harina
1-1/2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups water
2 teaspoons vegetable oil



INSTRUCTIONS

Place cornhusks in a large bowl of hot water; weigh down husks with another bowl. Soak for at least 30 minutes. Drain husks; rinse with cold water. Drain and pat dry.

Tear 2 cornhusks lengthwise into 12 (1/2-inch-wide) strips (6 strips per husk).

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

To prepare filling, trim fat from pork. Combine the cumin and the next 4 ingredients (cumin through paprika); rub pork with 2-1/4 teaspoons cumin mixture. Place pork on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray; insert a meat thermometer into pork. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until thermometer registers 155 degrees. Cover pork loosely with foil; let stand 10 minutes. Cut pork in half crosswise; shred with 2 forks.

Heat a small nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add onion; saute 5 minutes or until tender. Combine pork, onion, and 2-1/4 teaspoons cumin mixture.

To prepare dough, combine masa harina, paprika, and 1 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Add water and oil, stirring to form a soft dough. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead lightly 4 to 5 times. Divide dough into 12 equal portions. Working with 1 portion, place dough in the center of 1 husk. Press the dough into a 4x2-1/2-inch rectangle, leaving about a 1-1/2-inch border at the tapered end and a 1-inch border at the broad end. Arrange about 1/4 cup filling down center of dough. Take 1 long side of husk, and roll dough around filling, making sure dough seals around filling. Tie 1 husk strip around tapered end of husk to secure it. Trim all but about 1/2 inch excess cornhusk from broad end. Repeat procedure with remaining husks, dough, and pork mixture.

Arrange tamales in steamer, and cover with steamer lid. Add water to a large skillet to a depth of 1 inch; bring to a boil. Place steamer in pan; steam half of tamales for 12 minutes or until the husks peel away cleanly. Remove tamales from steamer. Repeat procedure with remaining tamales.



YIELD: 6 servings (serving size: 2 tamales)

NUTRITIONAL INFO
calories: 344 carbohydrates: 45.9 g cholesterol: 56 mg fat: 7.4 g sodium: 638 mg protein: 23.1 g calcium: 144 mg iron: 6.3 mg fiber: 2 g

[swquilts]

Sometimes you can find premade masa. Ask your grocer perhaps. It comes in a big (about) 2 lb bag. It's MUCH easier than mixing all of the stuff up. The consistency is better too.

It's too bad though that you can't do the "long" version. The meat is very tasty after its married with the sauce and spices.

You could put all of your meat ingredients into the crockpot to let them slow cook. Then wrap the tamales before your class maybe?

We made them a couple of times and my best friend is Hispanic. Feel free to PM me if you want to.

Susan

[Chefzhat]

Thanks everybody! I've had the pork in the crock pot all day, and will make the meat mixture tonight and stuff tomorrow prior to class. Thanks for the recipe, that's definately less labor intensive than some of the recipes I found - when I have a totally free day maybe I'll try the long recipe. For now, vroom vroom, gotta move fast!

Thanks again!!

Debie

[yomomma]

Any last minute advice on making tamales? I cooked my meat yesterday and am going to try my hand at making these today.

[Beth]

Carol, we made them for supper club once and the biggest issue was figuring out how to fit them into a pot for steaming once we made them. Other than that, it just takes a few to get the hang of shaping and wrapping them. Have fun.

BTW, I think cooking the meat ahead of time or in the crock pot is one of the best ways to make tamales less intimidating. You already got that figured out. :D

[yomomma]

I don't know why I'm amazed, but making tamales @ home tasted better than any I've ever purchased (from those that go around selling homemade tamales). They are actually easier than I thought they'd be - I don't know why I was so intimidated. I am however, gonna have to break down and purchase a steamer/colander pot. I thought I had one, but I guess I gave it to one of the kids when they moved out. So, I made a mad dash to the local discount store and bought a round cake cooling rack. I placed a saucer in the bottom of my dutch oven, then the rack and then stacked the tamales laying down in three layers - steamed for 1 1/2 hours. YUM!

[Beth]

You were smart. We did essentially the same thing (except I had a cake rack that fitin the botom of my pot from canning), but we insisted on stacking them on end. It worked, but made for more of a challenge to get just the right fit in the pot.

Glad they turned out well. I've been wanting to make tamales again, but need an occassion. My kids won't eat them (yet) and it's a bit much for 2 people.