Those tamales had better be good!

So here we are, the beginning of a new year. I suppose I could be thrilled what with a “clean slate” and all, but considering what happened New Years Eve, I’m thinking I may want to stay in bed for a year. Or two. Rip van Winkle’s looking a right genius about now. (Ok, I watch too much British TV!) Nothing bad happened that night, really. Yes, I had to work, but I was out of there by 11:30. No problem. Wasn’t going anywhere anyway. It was the food that ruined it all.

As in any restaurant, ours has it’s own group of Latinos. I say ‘Latino’ because I learned, the hard way unfortunately, that not all of them are from Mexico. Anyway, one of the Ladies brought in a batch of tamales that she had worked on all day the previous day. I was excited. Being from Arizona I’ve had my share of freshly steamed tamales. And good ones too! These were not good ones.

First, they were chicken, which is not a bad thing, really. Tamales can be stuffed with anything. But pork is traditional and best. However, it is necessary to make sure the chicken is skinless, boneless, and most importantly, grizzle-less. Nothing ruins a gastronomic experience more than biting into something inedible like cartilage. The chicken was bland too. No seasoning whatsoever. And that wasn’t even the worst part. It was the first time I had ever had tamales wrapped in banana leaves instead of corn husks.

Now, I can see using banana leaves if you were stuffing your tamales with Jamaican jerk chicken, or, dare I say, bananas. It just didn’t work for me. The masa had almost a slimy texture with an aftertaste of banana that I can only assume came from the leaves. It was not a flavor I was expecting in a savory dish. If I was doing a kind of Baja style tamale stuffed with papaya and shrimp, now that would be good wrapped in banana leaves!

But, like I said, I’m used to the more traditional tamales stuffed with pork, or in Spanish, carnitas. I’m talking about the kind that cooks for hours and hours. In the U.S.‘s Deep South, pork roasts are smoked at about 225-250° for at least six hours or so, until it falls apart to the touch. I like to wrap my seasoned roasts twice in plastic wrap (Don’t worry. The plastic doesn’t melt) and twice more in foil and then I roast it in the oven for six hours.

Another way is to put the pork in a large heavy pot, add one orange, cut in half, one white onion, peeled and cut in half and either three or four dried chipotle chilies, or, if you want some heat, a whole can of chipotles. You then add just enough cola to cover the pork. Any cola will do. Even Dr. Pepper! I once used Cherry Coke. You can also use root beer or just plain water with a cup of brown sugar. Bring this all to a boil, cover and reduce the heat to low and cook for three hours. Carefully pull the pork out (it will fall apart!) and shred it with some forks, throwing away any grizzle. Drain the liquid and return the pulled pork to marinade for a day.

Now for the masa. Masa harina can now be found in any supermarket in the Mexican aisle. It’s not just any kind of flour, but is actually finely ground corn meal. Here’s a recipe my mother learned from some Mexican friends in our Phoenix neighborhood.

4 ½ C masa harina
½ tsp cumin
1 T red chili powder
3 C broth (beef, chicken or veg or a combo)
1 C lard or shortening (not butter!)
2 tsp salt
4 tsp baking powder

In a large bowl, combine the first four ingredients together. In a mixer, beat together the remaining three ingredients. Add the masa mixture and continue to beat until smooth.

Soak the corn husks in warm water for 20-30 minutes. When the masa is ready, pat the husks dry. Spread a spoonful of the masa on the husks and place a little pork down the middle. Carefully wrap the husks, pulling the ends in like a burro (I say burro, not burrito!). Stand the tamales up on end in a steamer and steam for 30 minutes.

You can make this easier by spreading some masa and pork on a sheet of greased wax paper and rolling it up and chilling it for a few hours. Then you just unroll it and cut it into pieces big enough for the husks. Less messy that way, I think!

Here’s a variation that I think would have worked well with banana leaves : use blue corn meal instead of masa harina, 2 T brown sugar instead of cumin and chili powder, and fruit instead of pork. Try some prickly pear cactus fruit! Bananas would be ok....I suppose