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Steamed Meat - Filled Cornhusks
(Tamales)
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| What You Need: |
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24 dried cornhusks, or substitute 24 sheets of baking parchment paper, 4 by 9 inches
1/3 cup lard
2 cups instant "masa harina" (corn flour)
2 teaspoons double-acting baking powder
1½ teaspoons salt
1½ cups lukewarm beef or chicken stock, fresh or canned
THE FILLING
1½ cups mole poblano made with turkey, chicken or pork, cut in ¼-inch dice and moistened with its sauce;
OR 1½ cups pollo en adobo, cut in ¼ -inch dice and moistened with its sauce;
OR 1½ cups picadillo
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| How To Cook: |
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1. In a large bowl or pot, cover the cornhusks (if you are using them) with hot water and let them soak for 30 minutes. Then drain and pat the husks dry with paper towels.
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2. Meanwhile, cream the lard with an electric beater at medium speed for 10 minutes, or beat and mash it against the sides of a bowl with a spoon for about 20 minutes, or until light and fluffy.
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3. In another bowl, mix the "masa harina", baking powder and salt together, then beat it about ¼ cup at a time into the creamed lard, continuing to beat until the ingredients are thoroughly combined. Slowly pour in the lukewarm stock, stirring constantly; beat for 4 or 5 minutes until a soft, moist dough is formed.
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4. Assemble the tamales one at a time in the following fashion: Place about a tablespoon of dough in the center of a cornhusk or sheet of paper and, with a knife or metal spatula, spread it into a rectangle about 3 inches by nearly 4 inches to reach almost to the long sides of the husk or paper.
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5. Drop a heaping tablespoon of filling in the center of the dough. Then fold one side of the wrapper a little more than halfway across the filling and bring the opposite side over the first fold. Turn the ends up to cover the seam, overlapping them across the top. Lay the tamales, seam side down, in a large colander in as many layers as necessary.
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6. Place the colander in a deep pot about 1 inch larger in diameter than the colander, and pour enough water into the pot to come to an inch below the bottom of the colander.
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7. Bring the water to a vigorous boil over high heat, cover the pot securely and reduce the heat to low. Steam the tamales for an hour, keeping the water at a slow boil and replenishing it with boiling water as it evaporates.
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8. When the tamales are done, remove them from the colander with tongs, arrange them on a heated platter and serve at once. The tamales may be cooked ahead if you like and reheated by steaming them again for half an hour.
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