Archive for April 28th, 2009
Tamales for the First Time
Have you dreamed of making your own tamales but been too intimidated to try the multi-step, labor-intensive process at home? I was. Turns out I wasn’t the only one. About 30 folks came out this Saturday for the four hour Tamalada I organized for Slow Food Corvallis, the local chapter of the national organization devoted to preserving such traditional, time-consuming dishes and sharing those meals together convivially. Promoting cross-cultural exchange with the local Mexican community, many of whom toil in the fields to grow that sustainable, locally-grown produce so treasured here, also intersects with Slow Food’s newer social justice, or “fair,” goals.
We asked Maria Ortiz, a native of Texcoco near Mexico City and a Corvallis resident for 17 years, to lead our class. She is a passionate cook, charismatic teacher and Aztec queen. Her biceps flexed as she forcefully kneaded the corn masa harina flour, lard and chicken broth together with her bare hands, for the tamales dough. Just be sure to not make the same mistake we did. We had masa for tortillas, not the more coarsely ground masa for tamales, and had to rush to the Mexican tienda just minutes before the event for 30 lbs. of the proper masa flour.
Not only did we make our own dough, we also made fresh salsas (both red and green) for the fillings from scratch. Into the blender went boiled tomatillos, cilantro, serrano peppers, garlic and onions for the salsa verde, and tomatoes, onions and chipotles en adobo for the red salsa.
Norma Genaro, our other fearless teacher.
Then we soaked dried corn husks for five minutes before spread their surface with the risen masa dough. Be sure to get extra wide, unbroken husks, simply wrapped in cellophane in a stack of five dozen, from your local Mexican store.
The grocery store ones are often cracked and too small to properly wrap. You can also substitute banana leaves, parchment paper or even aluminum foil for the husks. Then you just spread the dough across the top half of the husk and put a tablespoon or so of your filling in its middle. We used shredded chicken and pork with the two salsa and made a third Rajas-style one (my new favorite!) with sliced poblano pepper strips and fresh tomatoes, chopped onions, jack cheese and a sprinkle of the aromatic herb, epazote (found in Mexican stores, it cancels out the gas-creating properties of cooked beans). I want to grow the stuff in our garden (hey, Michael Pollan does). Mexican food goddess Diana Kennedy has “Tamales Con Rajas Y Queso” recipe I’d like to try.
The hour and a half the tamales had to steam went by faster than we expected. We actually all had time to try some before the four hours were up. Everyone went home with a bag of tamales to share, and we still managed to raise money for the new free community dinners planned for low-income residents in South Corvallis. Using a church kitchen meant we couldn’t serve alcohol, so I made the traditional beverages of tart Jamaica (hibiscus) tea and limonada instead. Now I just need to practice making tamales again at home. But the process was definitely demystified. You just need a posse of folks to help you fill and wrap. (See Maria Ortiz’s tamale recipe below):
