What's your favorite Tamale filling recipe? Photos added

casadetamales.com

I like 'em all!!

Gourmet Tamal Recipes from the LA Times

yes they are and no it doesn't....

Me too, Ken. I saw a tamale sign just down the street here in Sandyeggo and I'm heading thataway....

...right after I sample this new sammy idea I might invest in....

watch for the new stands coming soon along the Baja Road

THE PICKLE DOG!




Slather cream chesse around a large deli-style dill pickle and wrap with pastrami.

I invented this....

Huntress.....

I love a Oaxacan Style Pork Tamale, especially for Christmas......

Here is Chef Rick Bayless' recipe, which makes the most tender, flavorful tamales I have ever eaten. You should be able to find banana leaves at this time of year, as tamales are always popular for Posadas.

Makes about 18 tamales

For the filling:
16 large (about 4 ounces) dried guajillo chiles, stemmed, seeded and each torn into several pieces

4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

1/2 teaspoon black pepper, preferably freshly ground

1/4 teaspoon cumin, preferably freshly ground

1 1/2 pounds lean boneless pork (preferably from the shoulder), cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Salt


For the batter:
10 ounces (1 1/3 cups) rich-tasting pork lard (or vegetable shortening if you wish), slightly softened but not at all runny

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

2 pounds (4 cups) fresh coarse-ground corn masa for tamales OR 3 1/2 cups dried masa harina for tamales mixed with 2 1/4 cups hot water

1 to 1 1/2 cups chicken broth

2 1-pound packages banana leaves

1. Preparing the filling. In a large blender or food processor (or working in batches), combine the chiles, garlic, pepper and cumin. Add 3 cups water, cover and blend to a smooth puree. Strain the mixture through a medium-mesh strainer into a medium-size (3-quart) saucepan.

Add the meat, 3 cups water and 1 teaspoon salt. Simmer, uncovered, over medium heat, stirring regularly, until the pork is fork-tender and the liquid is reduced to the consistency of a thick sauce, about 1 hour. Use a fork to break the pork into small pieces. Taste and season with additional salt if necessary. Let cool to room temperature.

2. Preparing the batter. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the lard or shortening with 2 teaspoons salt and the baking powder until light in texture, about 1 minute. Continue beating as you add the masa (fresh or reconstituted) in three additions. Reduce the speed to medium-low and add 1 cup of the broth. Continue beating for another minute or so, until a 1/2-teaspoon dollop of the batter floats in a cup of cold water (if it floats you can be sure the tamales will be tender and light).

Beat in enough additional broth to give the mixture the consistency of soft (not runny) cake batter; it should hold its shape in a spoon. Taste the batter and season with additional salt if you think necessary.

For the lightest textured tamales, refrigerate the batter for an hour or so, then rebeat, adding enough additional broth or water to bring the mixture to the soft consistency it had before.

3. Preparing the banana leaves. Unfold the banana leaves and cut off the long, hard sides of the leaves (where they were attached to the central vein). Look for holes or rips, then cut leaves into unbroken 12-inch segments (you will need 20). Either steam the segments for 20 minutes to make them soft and pliable, or one at a time pass them briefly over an open flame or hot electric burner until soft and glossy.

4. Setting up the steamer. Steaming 20 leaf-wrapped tamales can be done in batches in a collapsible vegetable steamer set into a large, deep saucepan (if you stack the tamales more than two high they will steam unevenly). To steam the whole recipe at once, you’ll need something like the kettle-size tamal steamers used in Mexico or Asian stack steamers, or you can improvise by setting a wire rack on 4 coffee or custard cups in a large kettle.

It is best to line the rack or upper part of the steamer with leftover scraps of banana leaves to protect the tamales from direct contact with the steam and to add more flavor. Make sure to leave tiny spaces between leaves so condensing steam can drain off.

Son divinos!!

My friends and I had a fun night of eating, drinking and cooking. We all made and then traded tamales. I made Loretana's pork in a red sauce, kicked it up with jalapenos and sauce from a can of chipotles and chicken in green chile sauce. There were beef and olive, pumpkin, chile and cheese. All tasted great. I would like to make some of the more unusual tamales at some point, some of them sounded so delicious, but a little to much for a tamale trade as many of them had additional sauces and such to serve with them. Thank you all for the suggestions.
And, by the way, if you use banana leaves try to get fresh not frozen. I purchased frozen before I found fresh and they were a little funky. The fresh were great.

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bannana leaves filled with with goeduck and olives stuffed with pits


[Edited on 12-14-2011 by durrelllrobert]

My favorite filling would be:



Ahh...nothing like a banana cream burrito.