Mama Trevino's Tamales
TAMALE MEAT MIXTURE
6-8 pound pork roast
5 pound chicken
SPICES AND SEASONINGS
½ cup corn oil
6 tablespoons Gibhartds chili powder
3 tablespoons garlic powder
3 tablespoons cumin
1 tablespoon black pepper
2 tablespoons salt
MASA
2 lbs. masa
3 tablespoons paprika
3 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
3 tablespoons Gibhardts Chili Powder
3 tablespoons garlic powder
CORN SHUCKS
several corn shucks
COOK THE MEATS
Start with the pork roast. Cut the roast into fist size chunks. Put the chunks into a pan, and cover with water. Boil for about 2 1/2 hours or until it becomes really tender. After the meat is really tender, take it out of the broth to cool (save the broth, you will need it for the masa!)
After the roast chunks are cool enough to handle easily, shred them with your fingers. Try to remove and discard the fat as you go. There is no need to throw a lot of fat into the tamales. If you have cooked the roast chunks thoroughly, it will be easy to shred into small pieces with your fingers.
Cover the chicken with water in a large pot, and boil for 2 hours, or until the chicken is done and tender. Take the chicken out of the broth and allow the chicken to cool. (Save the broth as well!) Remove and discard the skin. Take the chicken meat off the bones and shred them into very small filaments. Discard any large chunks of fat.
Combine both meats in very large pan, and mix together. Make sure that the meats are thoroughly combined and mixed well. Add the spices and seasonings by mixing the oil and seasonings in a small pan and warm on the stove. Do not cook the oil and seasonings mix, but just gently warm on the stove.
When the oil and seasonings mix is warm, pour over the meat and mix with your hands until it is completely distributed through the meat. It takes a good 10 minutes to get the mixture completely uniform.
The meat is now finished. You should put the meat in the refrigerator covered until ready to make the tamales. Put both the chicken broth and roast broth into the refrigerator as well. You will need the broths when you make the masa.
MAKE THE MASA
Start with 2 pounds of the masa flour. Now, skim the fat off the broth that you saved from the pork and chicken we made earlier. Throw the fat away, and save the broth. Warm the broth from the pork and chicken up. Don't get it hot, just nice and warm. Now put the masa in a large bowl. Add the dry spices to the masa and mix until it is completely incorporated. Mix well, as you don't want a clump of spices in a tamale. Now add 2 cups of corn oil to the masa mixture. After adding the oil, begin to slowly work in 2 quarts of the warm chicken/pork broth, about a cup at a time. Work the mixture with your hands to make dough. If it is too dry, add enough warm water to get it right for spreading. It should be about like thick peanut butter. If it is too thin add more masa; if it is too thick, add more broth or warm water. Thick peanut butter is the consistency you are trying for.
Soak the shucks in a sink full of warm water for about 2 hours. You will need to carefully separate them when they get soft. Try to not tear or damage the corn shucks. It is easier to make the tamales if the shucks are in one piece.
ASSEMBLE THE TAMALES
After the corn shucks are soft, take some of them out of the water, shake the water off, lay them on the counter on a towel.
Pick up a shuck, lay it across the palm of your hand with the small end toward your fingers. scoop up about 1/2 cup of the masa dough with a spatula, and then smear it on the shuck. Cover about left 2/3 of the shuck with masa, leave 1/3 on the right uncovered. Similarly, cover the bottom 2/3 of the shuck, and leave the top 1/3 uncovered. You need to leave the top and side uncovered so you can fold it up later. Now, go to the next shuck and do the same, laying them out on the counter as you put the masa on them. When you have covered 5-10 of the shucks with masa, it is time to add the meat. Take about 1 tablespoon of meat mixture, and lay it on the masa about 1 in from the left edge.
Starting on the left side (the side where the Masa dough goes all the way to the edge), roll the tamale all the way to the right edge. Now, fold the top of the shuck over like an envelope and lay tamale on the counter with the fold on the under side. Roll the next one the same until all your shucks with masa on them are rolled. Keep repeating this entire process until all the tamales are built. You will have about 4 dozen or more.
COOK THE TAMALES
You need a very large pot that has something in the bottom to keep the tamales out of the water while they steam. Add about 3 pints of water to the pot, then start stacking the tamales upright until full. The envelope end of the tamale will be on the bottom, the open end of the tamale should be on top. Continue to fill the pot. The tamales need to pack tight enough that they do not fall over and begin to unfold. Cover the pot, and bring the water to a boil and then reduce heat to medium-low and cook for at least 2 hours. Check water several times and add more if it is getting low, you DON’T want to boil it dry; add more water as you need to.
When done, take one tamale out and leave it on the counter for about 5 minutes to test. Unwrap it and it should be firm, with no raw masa. When done, remove all the tamales and let them cool on the counter, then put in bags for the freezer. If eating right away, serve hot with some hot sauce.
Red Chile Tripe Soup with Fresh Garnishes (Menudo Rojo)MENUDO
2 lbs. beef tripe
1 tablespoon salt
1 large lime, juiced
1 medium pig's foot, split lengthwise (see Ingredients in Cook's Notes)
1 lb. marrow bones, cut in 1-inch cross sections
6 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
½ medium onion, chopped
2 teaspoons dried oregano
4 medium chiles cascabeles nortenos or California/New Mexico chiles, dried, stemmed, seeded and deveined
½ teaspoon cumin seeds, ground
1 teaspoon salt
FOR THE CONDIMENTS
2 small limes, quartered
½ cup onion, chopped
3 tablespoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
TRIPE
Wash the tripe thoroughly in several changes of warm water. Place it in a large bowl, sprinkle with the 1 tablespoon salt and the lime juice; vigorously work the salt and lime into the tripe with a scrubbing motion. Let stand 30 minutes, then wash the tripe again in several changes of warm water. Slice the tripe into small pieces about 2 inches long and 1/2 inch wide. Place in a large kettle or stockpot, cover with several quarts of cold water, bring to a boil, then simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes. Pour into a colander set in the sink, let drain a minute, then return to the pan.
SIMMERING THE TRIPE
Add the cow's or pig's foot, the marrow bones and 3 quarts water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and skim off the foam that rises during the first few minutes of cooking. Add half the garlic to the pot along with the onion and oregano; partially cover and simmer until the tripe is very tender, 2 to 3 hours.
CHILE FLAVORING AND FINAL PREPARATION
When the tripe is nearly tender, heat a griddle or heavy skillet over medium. Tear the chiles into flat pieces and toast them a few at a time by laying them on the hot surface, pressing them flat with a metal spatula for several seconds, until they blister and color a little, then flipping them over and pressing down for a few seconds more. Place them in a small bowl, cover with boiling water, weight with a plate to keep them submerged, and soak 30 minutes.
Remove the cow's or pig's foot and all the marrow bones from the broth, then skim off any fat floating on top. If you wish, let the foot cool a little, then cut out and discard all the bone and cartilage, chop what remains into small pieces and return it to the pot.
Drain the chiles and place them in a blender jar with the remaining garlic and the ground cumin. Add 1/3 cup of the menudo broth, blend until smooth, then strain through a medium-mesh sieve into the pot. Season with salt, partially cover and simmer 30 minutes.
SERVING THE SOUP
When you are ready to serve, place the condiments in small bowls on the table. Serve large bowls of the steaming soup and pass the condiments for each guest to add to his or her liking.
VARIATION
Menudo with Hominy
Prepare (3/4 cup) dried field corn as Half-Cooked Hominy (or use a large can of hominy, drained, and you won't need to cook it beforehand). It using raw, simmer in 3 quarts water until nearly tender, about 3 hours. Add the blanched tripe, foot and bones, skim, add the flavorings, then cook slowly until the tripe is tender. Finish the soup as directed.
No comments:
Post a Comment