Tamale Tutorial (article)

[Guest guest]

this is an article about tamales sent to me by my dear

friend, swan.

 

Tamale Tutorial

By Cheri Sicard

 

For cultures with Latin roots, tamales

are perhaps the most important celebratory

food in existence.

 

Special tamales are regularly prepared for

celebrations and feast days ranging from

Christmas, New Years and Day of the Dead to Weddings,

Christenings and Birthdays.

 

Like many classic foods, tamales can be Zen-like in

their simplicity -- a corn dough with or without a few

flavorings and/or fillings wrapped up in a cute little

package of corn husks or banana leaves (and

occasionally other leaves as well) and steamed.

 

But with those few basics, an infinite number of

flavors and combinations are possible -- from sweet to

savory, mild to spicy, simple to complex and

everything in between.

 

Don't let the thought of making tamales scare you.

People make it seem like a bigger deal than it really

is. Yes, it takes a little time to set everything

up, and you'll probably make a few messy attempts your

first few tries. But it's not hard to get the knack,

and the whole process really took much less

time than I anticipated.

 

The reactions you'll get when you make tamales are

well worth the effort. When I told people I was going

to make over 300 homemade tamales for my New

Year's party, they looked at me like I was crazy. Even

the Latinas working the local Los Angeles Mexican

markets claimed their grandmothers

didn't even bother to make tamales anymore, preferring

to buy them ready made.

 

But there's nothing like homemade, and the process of

making the tamales turned out to be lots of fun. And,

by the way, I knew what I was doing.

 

Tamales are a perfect party food -- they are

inexpensive to make, everyone loves them and ALL the

work can be done well ahead of time.

 

Tamales are also a great way to bond with friends and

family. Get a group together and make a project of it.

Everyone will go home with great food and you'll all

have a great time creating this classic culinary

treasure. Since it takes a bit of time to prepare the

doughs and filling for tamales, it's a good idea

to make a lot. They freeze extremely well and can be

reheated for quick snacks anytime by simply steaming

the frozen tamales.

 

Anatomy of a Tamale

 

Between the different dough flavorings, fillings and

regional styles, you can make endless variations of

tamales, but all tamales have certain characteristics

in common:

 

Masa Dough -- Most tamales are made with a masa or

specially treated ground corn dough which has been

mixed with some type of fat, such as lard, butter or

oil and some sort of liquid, such as water or stock.

Some nouvelle tamales might use other ingredients such

as rice, potatoes or polenta as a base, but

for the purposes of this article we will deal with

traditional masa tamales.

 

You can also substitute mashed potatoes or sweet

potatoes for the fat or oil when making fat-free

tamales.

 

Dough Flavorings --Some people like to keep their masa

dough plain, others like to mix flavoring ingredients

(such as corn, onions, peppers, etc.) right into the

masa dough.

 

Fillings -- The fillings for tamales are literally

infinite -- meats, vegetables, cheese, sauces, salsas,

even fruit or chocolate. Use your imagination!

 

Wrappings -- Dried cornhusks are the most common (and

easy to find) tamale wrappers.

 

Simply soak the wrappers in warm water for at least 30

minutes before using.

 

Some cultures, especially those in tropical regions,

like to use large banana or even avocado leaves to

wrap their tamales.

 

 

Tamale By Any Other Name

 

Tamales can come disguised with other names, but

they're still basically tamales. For instance

in parts of Central and South America as well

as Cuba they may be called tamals, in Bolivia

and Ecuador you may find humitas, and Venezuelan

markets and snack bars are often filled with

halacas while tamales in Colombia can be called

bollos. Depending on which parts of Mexico you

travel to, you may be served tamales, corundas

or zacahuiles.

 

Essential Tamale Tools

 

Tamale making doesn't really require much in the way

of special tools, but you will need:

 

 

1. A large pot or container in which to steam the

tamales.

 

If you're only making a small amount, a large pot with

a steamer insert will do. If, on the other hand, you

plan on making a large amount (and why not, if you're

going to go to the trouble of making tamales, make a

lot and freeze them), a tamale steaming bucket is

best.

 

 

2. A heavy-duty electric mixer, such as a Kitchen Aid

will make the job infinitely easier. The masa dough

must really be beaten a lot in order to achieve the

right consistency for good tamales -- while it's

possible to do this without an electric mixer, I

wouldn't want to tackle it.

 

 

There's a small plastic masa spreader gadget on the

market. It's an inexpensive little trinket, but

totally unnecessary. In our experience, it was easier

to spread the masa with the back of a tablespoon than

with the gadget. Maybe you'll have a different

opinion, but we found it slowed us down.

 

Storing, Freezing and Reheating Tamales

 

Tamales store very well, which makes them a perfect

party food because you can do ALL the work, except for

re-heating long before the party. Use a steamer to

reheat cooked tamales, just until heated -- about 10

minutes for refrigerated tamales, about 25 minutes for

frozen tamales.

 

You can store cooked tamales, well wrapped, in the

refrigerator for up to 5 days or the freezer for up to

6 months (longer if you have a vacuum sealer system

like the Tilia Foodsaver).

 

Pack your cooked tamales in water tight plastic bags

before putting in ice chests for travel. Even better,

use ice packs instead of ice, so there's no danger

of the tamales getting wet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jazz up your holiday email with celebrity designs. Learn more.

http://celebrity.mail.

[Guest guest]

Okay - very useful. We'll put this in the Files somewhere. Many thanks.

 

The article states:

 

>Most tamales are made with a masa or specially treated ground corn dough .

.. .

 

Isn't that what I said? Am I wrong? Isn't this your basic tortilla dough?

 

Best, Pat ;=)

[Guest guest]

Thank you! We saw the bean/olive mix and just about drooled on the

computer screen! Thanks for the 411-- I've never known how to make

tamales, but I love them. There's several varieties that I can buy

at Whole Foods here in Austin, but oh, it's so much more fun to make

them instead!

 

-selena