tamales....

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its a week late for cinco de mayo, but, here is a recipe for tamales

 

 

Tamales

 

Recipe By :The McDougall Program for Women, page 288

Serving Size : 40 Preparation Time :2:00

Categories :

 

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

-------- ------------ --------------------------------

Wrap:

banana leaves or corn husks -- (see Hint)

Filling:

1/3 cup water

1 small onion -- finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon minced fresh garlic

1 can black beans (15 ounce) -- rinsed and drained

1/2 cup roasted red pepper -- chopped

1 small fresh jalapeño

(seeded and finely chopped)

Dough:

5 cups fine masa flour

(plus extra for kneading as necessary)

4 cups water -- at room temperature

6 cups mashed potatoes

1/2 teaspoon salt

several twists of freshly ground black

pepper

 

Thaw the banana leaves or soak the corn husks in warm water until soft.

Separate the husks to make softening easier. Rinse both to make sure they

are clean.

 

Place the water for the filling in a small saucepan. Add the onion and

garlic and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the remaining

filling ingredients and cook over low heat for an additional 5 minutes.

Set aside.

 

To make the dough, place the masa flour in a large bowl. Add the water

and mix with a spoon until it sticks together and starts to come away from

the sides of the bowl. Sprinkle a couple of tablespoons of the masa flour

on the counter or kneading surface. Remove the dough from the bowl, place

it on the masa flour, and knead for 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth

and stretchy, adding more flour as necessary to keep it from sticking to

the counter. Place the ball of dough in a very large clean bowl. Add the

mashed potatoes and mix together well using your hands. Season with salt

and pepper.

 

Cut the banana leaves into pieces approximately 7 to 8 inches by 12 to 14

inches. Keep the corn husks covered with a damp paper towel while

filling.

 

Spread 1/8 to 1/4 cup of the potato-masa mixture in the center of either a

banana leaf or corn husk. Make a small indentation in the center of the

mixture and fill with 1 teaspoon of the filling mixture. Fold the wrap

over lengthwise to cover the mixture and fold again lengthwise. Fold both

ends under and set aside with the folded ends down. The filling should be

completely enclosed. Repeat until all the mixture is gone. Put the

completed tamales under damp paper towels until all are assembled.

 

Arrange the tamales in loose layers in a steamer. Steam over boiling

water for 1 hour, adding more water as necessary.

 

To serve, remove the wrapper and discard. Season with salsa before

eating, if desired. Makes 40 to 50 tamales.

 

Hint: Dried corn husks are sold in the specialty food section of most

supermarkets. You can also find them at Mexican markets. Banana leaves

will probably be more difficult to find. Mexican markets or specialty

stores sometimes carry them. They are usually sold frozen. The taste is

the same no matter which one you use. Banana leaves are larger, so they

hold a greater amount of the dough. A less authentic, but effective, way

to wrap the tamales is to use parchment paper and aluminum foil. Place

filling in parchment paper and fold over to enclose completely. Then wrap

in foil.

 

Tamales are a lot of work, but they are delicious. They freeze well and

are easy to reheat in a steamer basket. Other fillings to try include

mango salsa, mashed pinto or black beans, and seasoned rice or vegetables.

You can also wrap them up with no filling at all.