BajaNomad

It's tamale time again

oladulce - 12-26-2008 at 07:53 PM

New years day will be tamale day at our house and I'd like to try someting new to go along with BigWooo's delicious pollo,tomatillo,olive, and pineapple creations.

I know i've seen tamales discussed before but a nomad search didn't bring up much and my eyes hurt from scrolling back thru all the recipe topics.

Please share your tamale tips and recipes or resources.

Gracias

[Edited on 12-27-2008 by oladulce]

BajaNuts - 12-27-2008 at 01:57 PM

A red-headed Irish friend of mine used to make a fruit tamale. She learned the recipe from a Mexican gal.

I believe she used the same dough recipe as for a savory tamale with a little cinnamon and nutmeg and maybe a little sugar added to the dough. She used Maseca, (I guess it's different than Masa flour???) and I'm pretty sure she added a bit of baking powder to the dough.

For a filling she made a cream cheese spread with softened cream cheese and sugar (I'd guess 1 tablespoon sugar to 8 oz cream cheese)... may need a dash of milk to soften the cheese. For fruit she would use peaches or strawberries. Put a little cream cheese and fruit in each one, wrap it and steam it like normal. These are really good for breakfast.

CP - 12-27-2008 at 02:32 PM

I like to do mini-tamales as part of an appetizer or dessert selection. I always blend the masa with something to make it more interesting. I'll make two or three different kinds and wrap them in different ways to distinguish. Only big enough for one or two bites.

These are some we have done... it all depends on what ingredients were available at the moment. They were fun and tasty.

Savory
Corn and Sage stuffed with Fresh Cheese served with a chipotle-cranberry relish.
Cilantro-Chile stuffed with Black beans and Fresh Cheese served with sour cream.


Sweet:
Cinnamon-Almond stufffed with Coconut served with chocolate sauce.
Roasted Sweet Potato stuffed with Apple Chutney

oladulce - 12-27-2008 at 02:52 PM

Thanks Bajanuts, those fruit tamales do sound good. I wouldn't have thought to use cream cheese for fear it would get runny after steaming. I like the simplicity of the recipe.

oladulce - 12-27-2008 at 03:12 PM

CP- I was hoping, yet fearful that you'd respond!

Hopeful because I knew you'd have delicious ideas.
Fearful because your culinary skills are out of my league ;D

How do you wrap your mini tamales? Do you steam them?
What kinds of stuff do you add to the masa? Do you wing-it with your tamale ideas or follow recipes?

All of tamale creations you mentioned sound delicious ! I never would have thought of combining those ingredients.

Wooo and I would like to sign up for a tamale lesson when we get settled in.

BajaNuts - 12-27-2008 at 04:46 PM

Here's a couple links to recipes. The fresa one sounds good and it makes a pink dough. It calls for "strawberry pie filling" which you can substitute any flavor filling. It also calls for strawberry puree, I'd just take some of the filling and put it in a blender or food processor.

Neither one says anything about cream cheese inside the tamale, but I think it would be OK. Maybe try it without the cream cheese inside to start with. The fresa recipe includes a whip cream type topping Another recipe suggested using watered down fruit juice in the sweet dough instead of water (or the broth some recipes call for in savory recipes.) Jamie used to sell these at our local farmer's market and would sell lots of the fruit ones for breakfasts.

http://www.recipezaar.com/Tamales-De-Fresa-Strawberry-Tamale...
http://www.foodreference.com/html/smango-tamales-523.html

DENNIS - 12-27-2008 at 09:43 PM

I've made at least forty million tamales. Maybe a few more.
All I can say is forget those stupid corn husks and use parchment paper, for sale in U.S. grocery stores. With that, you can make them as large as you want.
Fill them with what tastes good to you [ I've used pnut butter and jelly ] and just remember...they must have salsa, sauce or as I like to call it, gravy.
Make a bunch as it's just as easy as making a few.
Forget tradition and attend to flavor and quality.

vandenberg - 12-27-2008 at 09:59 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by DENNIS
I've made at least forty million tamales. Maybe a few more.
All I can say is forget those stupid corn husks and use parchment paper, for sale in U.S. grocery stores. With that, you can make them as large as you want.
Fill them with what tastes good to you [ I've used pnut butter and jelly ] and just remember...they must have salsa, sauce or as I like to call it, gravy.
Make a bunch as it's just as easy as making a few.
Forget tradition and attend to flavor and quality.



Love the simplicity, but it won't get you your own show on the cooking channel.:biggrin::biggrin:

Pops - 12-27-2008 at 10:28 PM

Make GREAT tamales
http://forums.bajanomad.com/viewthread.php?tid=10527#pid8058...

CP - 12-28-2008 at 08:28 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by oladulce

How do you wrap your mini tamales? Do you steam them?
What kinds of stuff do you add to the masa? Do you wing-it with your tamale ideas or follow recipes?

.


Gotta argue against the parchment paper thing as the husks are huge on the cute scale as well as add a distinctive flavor...kinda like hay. oladulce, I cut the presoaked husks down to a roughly 4" piece and tear full length thin strips for the ties. The three shapes I make are a triangular flag fold, a roll up and tie at both ends, and the usual roll up and fold flap over and tie in the middle. Yes I steam them until the husk pulls away cleanly from the masa paste. The stuff I add to the masa is the first part of it -
Savory
"Corn and Sage stuffed with Fresh Cheese served with a chipotle-cranberry relish" has roasted corn and julliened sage leaf mixed into regular masa. Sweet potato ones I used mashed sweet potato with just enough masa for a firmer texture.

I am totally with DENNIS to forget tradition and attend to flavor and quality. Traditional tamales will always be there but you get big grins when you serve something unique. Thats also why I make them mini-sized. I'd rather see someone eat a bunch of them if they like them than not want to finish a big one...some folks have a hard time with non-traditional foods. Wimps.

Ya, I do just wing it in the recipe. Have made a kazillion so I know what I am looking for.

The strawberry recipe sounds intriguing...I like colors.

Chile today....hot tamale

Pompano - 12-28-2008 at 08:34 AM

Only a Mexican wife...


The sick Mexican husband was laying on his
death bed. He had only hours to live when suddenly he
smelled tamales.

He dearly loved tamales more than anything
else in the world, especially his
querida Chita's tamales.
With every last bit of the energy left in his
mind and body, the terminally
ill husband pulled himself out of bed, across
the floor, down the hall, and
into the kitchen.

Here, his wife was removing
the fresh batch of tamales
from the stove top. As he reached for one of the
freshly made tamales, his
wife, Chita, smacked him in the back of the head
with a wooden spoon:

"Leave them alone, pendejo!" "...They're for
the funeral!"

DENNIS - 12-28-2008 at 09:06 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by CP
Gotta argue against the parchment paper thing as the husks are huge on the cute scale as well as add a distinctive flavor...kinda like hay


You're right about presentation but, the husks limit the size and are a pain in the butt to deal with.
As far as flavor goes....I say they don't add anything. I chewed a piece till it was mush and detected nothing. They're only used because of long standing tradition. It's all the Aztecs had to work with along with other natural products such as bannana leaf.

DENNIS - 12-28-2008 at 09:14 AM

Here's an interesting book on the cultural aspects of the not so simple Tamale [Tamal].
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Que Vivan Los Tamales!: Food and the Making of Mexican Identity
by Jeffrey M. Pilcher
BUY IT NEW$24.95 Online price $22.45 Member price Add To List )


Write a ReviewPublisher: University of New Mexico Press
Pub. Date: April 1998
ISBN-13: 9780826318732
Sales Rank: 92,621

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Que-Vivan-Los-Tamales/Jeffr...



[Edited on 12-28-2008 by DENNIS]

DENNIS - 12-28-2008 at 01:17 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by vandenberg

Love the simplicity, but it won't get you your own show on the cooking channel.:biggrin::biggrin:


Oh..nuts. I was looking forward to shareing Tamalelore with Rachel Ray.

vacaenbaja - 12-28-2008 at 05:41 PM

I know two sisters that are great cooks. One I call "Can" do.
She cooks her food using every short cut, and break away from traditional methods that she can.
The other sister I call "Can" not. Because she refuses to deviate from tradition or use anything that is canned packaged or pre made if it can be helped.
Although "Can dos' cooking is great, there is just something about the food made from scratch that "Can"not makes that
is so much better. Those of you that were around before "instant everything" should know what I mean.
Ummm deep fried everything.....my heart!!...er don't forget the bacon grease and corn meal it adds flavor you know.

DENNIS - 12-28-2008 at 05:43 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by vacaenbaja
don't forget the bacon grease and corn meal it adds flavor you know.



I love cholesterol. I wish they'd just put it in a can.

Lorito - 12-28-2008 at 06:10 PM

The strawberry tamales sound delicous!

For my chicken tamales, I add grated jack cheese, whole corn, and roasted/chopped chiles to the dough. For the chicken, I bake it first, then shred it. After shredding I simmer in balsamic vinegar with some marjoram and basil.

I do have a dessert tamale recipe......I'll post it later tonite.

Lorito

Cypress - 12-29-2008 at 10:42 AM

Coffee filters will work for tamale wraps if you don't have corn husks.:D

Pompano - 12-29-2008 at 10:43 AM

Bounce? #22

DENNIS - 12-29-2008 at 10:57 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Cypress
Coffee filters will work for tamale wraps if you don't have corn husks.:D


I've used those too. They work well for the small ones.

oladulce - 12-31-2008 at 06:59 PM

I found a fairly simple recipe for the pork tamales which has you boil the pork roast in chicken broth and seasonings and includes 2 triangles of Ibarra chocolate (in the yellow odd-shaped box).

There's no explanation for the addition of the chocolate.

Before I start boiling, any opinions or has anyone added chocolate to a mixture like this before?

Paula - 12-31-2008 at 07:41 PM

Mexican chocolate like Ibarra or Abuelita is an ingredient in mole. Does the recipe also call for lots of red chile, onion, garlic, tomato, nuts or peanut butter and a big list of other fruits, veggies and spices? If so it will probably be delicious.

CP - 1-12-2009 at 01:22 PM

Hey oladulce!
Please report back...how was your tamal-ing??

Cypress - 1-12-2009 at 01:34 PM

It's always tamale time!!!:bounce:

DENNIS - 1-12-2009 at 01:50 PM

Yeah, Oladulce....It's time for a Tamale report.
I didn't comment on your pork recipe above but, I'll give a variation now.
Go down to the corner and buy a kilo of fresh made Carnitas and shred them. Add what seems appropriate. I love good Carnitas especially with a box of beer.

CP - 1-12-2009 at 02:17 PM

Ohhhh if we only had a corner to go to for Carnitas in our little pueblo.....that is trully one of the finer treats about going to 'town'. Thank dogs for the carnitas stand in Insurgentes and El Paraiso (which we call Pig Paradise) in Cd. C!
Ya, we can make it ourselves, but I could never allow myself to cook with so much fat. I'd rather leave that to someone else and enjoy on the rare occasion.
Sorry, got off the tamale subject there....

DENNIS - 1-12-2009 at 02:33 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by CP
Ya, we can make it ourselves, but I could never allow myself to cook with so much fat.


You mean your doctor wouldn't approve of the big tub of boiling lard? Change doctors. It's not an every day thing.

CP - 1-12-2009 at 02:54 PM

Quote:
Quote:


You mean your doctor wouldn't approve of the big tub of boiling lard? Change doctors. It's not an every day thing.


I change them as often as I get my lipidos tested...

Bob H - 1-13-2009 at 07:58 AM

This will make LOTS of Tamales....

10 pounds of pork (1 ½ hog heads) or a 10-pound pork roast
One gallon shelled, yellow corn
½ cup of pickling lime
Lard
Salt
Broth from the meat
Ground red pepper
Black pepper
30 dozen corn shucks

Boil meat until tender; bone and grind finely; sauté garlic in small amount of lard; add home ground red pepper to taste for hot, medium or lightly seasoned tamales; salt the ground meat.

Boil shelled yellow corn in water with the lime in a large wash pot until the husks fall off the corn kernels and the corn becomes tender; Wash corn about 11 times to remove the lime, then drain.

The next day, have corn ground; mix with pure lard, meat broth and then salt to taste. Lard keeps the tamale dough from being sticky; test on palm or hand and if dough doesn?t stick to palm, then it is ready.

Wash and scald corn shucks; drain off water; place flattened corn shuck in palm of one hand with the other hand, daub corn mixture onto the cornshuck spreading it crosswise to both edges leaving both ends of the length-wise shuck free of dough, when a thin layer is daubed into the shuck; spread a heaping teaspoon of the meat mixture lengthwise over the dough; roll shuck lengthwise and fold one end over about two inches.

Stand tamales with folded ends down in a large cooker until the bottom is completely packed; Pour in about three inches of water—but do not cover the tamales. Fill the pot with the rest of the tamales which will be about ½ the recipe. Cover tightly and cook slowly for about 1 ½ hours—repeat for the second half of the recipe.

oladulce - 1-13-2009 at 11:12 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by CP
Hey oladulce!
Please report back...how was your tamal-ing??


A success! By the time the new vacuum sealer arrived, there wasn't much left to freeze. Esposo BigWooo is the maestro by the way and me, shopper/assistant. These were my favorite:

PORK (excelente!)

Boil, then simmer the above a few hours.
Heat together, thicken with a little cornstarch, and add to pork:

Spread in to masa as usual.

CHILI SWEET POTATO


Cut potatos in half and spread butter, cinnamon, and a little brown sugar on the halves and bake at 350° x 1 hr. Scoop out potatos in to a bowl. Heat chicken broth and butter til warm and add to potatos.

Mix all ingredients together and spread in to the corn husks.
* These tamales don't have the masa wrapper, the masa is mixed in with the potatos and spread in to the husks.

I cooked the pork the day before which made a huge difference. Still, by the time we spread the last bit of masa we were quite DONE with tamale making for a while!

We never think to make smaller batches so it's not so laborious until we're half way thru the process. Reminds me of "White man build big fire- stand far back..."

[Edited on 1-13-2009 by oladulce]

bajachris - 3-30-2009 at 10:40 AM

I love pina tamales. Does anyone have a good recipe?

My mom makes pork and cooks them in a steamer for 24 hours. Lots of work!

Sharksbaja - 3-30-2009 at 11:55 AM

No but I'm interested. Que es, "tamal de pina"?

pineapple tamales

nancyinpdx - 3-30-2009 at 04:24 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Sharksbaja
No but I'm interested. Que es, "tamal de pina"?


It has a little sugar and baking powder in the dough and are filled with pineapple. Pineapple tamales are my favorite! I lived in Colonia Juarez, TJ for several months and also en el centro. Every time I saw the tamales, I'd buy them for breakfast. Yum!

I asked for a good recipe on the mexconnect forum and Jetski posted a good one. There is a food and cooking forum there and mexconnect is now free and has lots more interesting stuff on it and its oldie users are super Mexico experts. Check it out!