medtran49
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3 cups masa harina for tamales
1/2 cup water
1-1/2 cups unsalted chicken stock (divided)
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp salt
8 oz lard (preferred) or vegetable shortening
3 ears fresh corn, shucked and cleaned or 1-1/2 cups frozen corn, thawed
If using fresh corn, steam for about 5 minutes, remove from pot and set aside to cool.
Mix the masa and water and stock until well mixed. Cover and let sit for at least 15 minutes.
Slice corn off cob, then scrape. Puree in a food processor blender. Set aside.
In a stand mixer using the paddle blade, mix the lard, salt and baking powder. Add 1/4 of the masa mixture, mix well. Add the corn puree, mix well. Continue to add the masa 1/4 at a time, mixing well between each addition. Add 3/4 cup chicken stock, mix on slow until incorporated because it will splash. Turn mixer up to medium speed and let run for several minutes until well incorporated. Add remainder of stock if needed. You want a fairly thick hummus texture. Once you get the texture, turn machine up to medium and let it mix for several minutes.
Now comes the test. Fill a glass or a 2-cup measuring cup with about 2 cups of cool tap water. Drop a 2-3 Tbsp ball of dough into the water. If it floats, yea! You are done. If it sinks to bottom, add another ounce or so of lard and a couple Tbsp of stock and mix well for several minutes, then try the float test again. If the ball stays submerged but floats some, keep mixing for several minutes, then try the float test again. Once you get a floater, cover the bowl and let rest in refrigerator for an hour.
If it gets too thick while resting, add a few Tbsp of stock or water and mix well.
Makes about 24. I made a double batch since we were making 2 fillings.
Corn, roasted, skinned poblano pepper, queso fresco/blanco cheese.
5 large (5-6 inches long) poblano peppers, charred and skinned, cut in 1/4 to 3/8 inch strips
2 ears fresh corn or 1 cup frozen, thawed
8 ounces queso blanco or queso fresco cheese, grated or crumbled
Steam corn for about 5 minutes, cool, then slice from cob and scrape cob.
Salsa verde
1-1/2 pounds tomatillos, husks and stems removed, cut in half
1 or 2 large jalapenos or serranos, seeded and stemmed
1 small onion, cut in half, skin removed, stalk end removed, stem end trimmed of the roots
2 large cloves of garlic, smashed
Juice of 1/2 lime
1 medium-sized bunch of cilantro, leaves and tender stems picked
salt
Place the tomatillos, jalapenos, onion and garlic in a medium saucepan with just enough water to cover. Cover pan and bring to a boil over high, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Drain and transfer to a blender with lime juice, cilantro and a good pinch of salt. Pulse until you have a chunky mixture. Taste and adjust salt, adding more lime juice if desired.
Red chile chicken sauce.
6 medium dried guajillo chiles
3 medium dried ancho chiles
5 medium dried chiles de arbol
4 medium cloves garlic, chopped finely
1-1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp Mexican oregano
1 Tbsp vegetable or canola oil
2 cups unsalted chicken stock
2 pounds boneless/skinless chicken thighs or 2-1/2 pounds bone in/skin off thighs
salt and pepper
Stem and seed the chiles. In a large skillet, toast the chiles over medium-high heat, flipping frequently until darkened and slightly aromatic, about 3 minutes. Transfer chiles to a medium saucepan and cover with 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil over high, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes until chiles are very soft. Drain over a large bowl, reserving liquid. Place chiles in a blender with 1 cup of reserved liquid. Puree chiles. Strain through a fine-mesh colander, using a spatula to push sauce through. Discard solids.
Over medium-high, heat oil in a large dutch oven type pan until shimmering. Add chile sauce, garlic, cumin, oregano, and some salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until sauce darkens some and thickens to about the consistency of tomato paste. Add the chicken stock, mix well and bring to a boil. Place the chicken thighs in the sauce, cover and cook for about 20 minutes for boneless, 25-30 minutes for bone-in. Turn thighs over once at about mid-point of cooking. Once cooked, remove thighs and let cool. Turn heat up to medium-high and let sauce reduce until it is a nice consistency, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust seasonings. Meanwhile, shred chicken into a bowl. Add 2-3 large cooking spoonfuls of sauce to chicken. You want it moistened well, but not runny.
Crema or creme fraiche for garnish
48 corn husks, soaked in water for a minimum of 1 hour, you want extra in case some get torn. We usually just use half the package since they are generally HUGE packages.
To form tamales, lay out a corn husk on a board with thin end at the bottom. Using 3-4 Tbsp of masa, form about a 4 to 4-1/2 inch square on the husk, with the dough being about 1/4 inch thick. You want the top part of the dough to be about 3/4 inches from the top of the corn husk as you will be folding up the bottom part. Place filling in the middle, leaving about a 1/2 to 3/4 inch border all the way around. Fold, bringing edges of dough together, wrapping excess husk around and over, fold bottom up. If desired, you can tie with a piece of corn husk cut from extra husks. I don't do that as I find it's not necessary. Place tamale on a board with the fold on the bottom.
I usually do a dozen of each filling then start stacking in the steamer.
In a very deep pot, like a pasta pot or pressure cooker, place a steaming rack or basket. Fill with water to just level of steamer rack/basket. Place tamales, fold end down in pan, stacking pretty tightly. If you don't have enough tamales to fill your pan, crumple up some foil and fill the empty space so they won't fall over. Cover the open tops of the tamales with extra corn husks so the steam condensate doesn't drip down into them. Cover pan and steam for 75 minutes. Once they are done, remove pan from heat and let cool for a few minutes. Remove tamales to a plate with tongs and let stand for about 10 minutes to cool and firm up.
To serve, gently unwrap, place on a plate. Use the salsa verde for the poblano/corn/cheese filling. The red chile sauce for the chicken with some of cheese sprinkled on top. Drizzle crema on both. Enjoy!
To freeze, lay on a single layer in a sheet pan, freeze, place in bags. To reheat, defrost and heat in a microwave or steam until heated through.
We also sometimes make a green chile/pork filling which is also very good. You would make it similar to the red chile sauce, except using fresh chiles, tomatillos, onion, garlic, cumin, large chunks of pork butt, etc. Craig bases it on his green chile stew.
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