This holiday, why not serve something different? Instead of going through an old cookbook for things you can have all year round, do something more special. There are tons of amazing, authentic recetas (which is Spanish for recipes) you can use to make a truly unforgettable, delicious meal for your friends and family.
One of the most popular of which has got to be the recipe for tamales. Here’s a quick guide showing you how to make these sumptuous foods.
Gather Your Ingredients.
To make the dough for your tamales, you’ll need two cups of masa harina, one 10.5 ounce can of beef broth, one teaspoon baking powder, half a teaspoon of salt, two-thirds a cup of lard, an eight-ounce package of dried corn husks, and one cup of sour cream.
To make the filling for your tamales, you’ll need one and a quarter pounds of pork loin, one large onion, one clove of garlic, four dried California chile pods, two cups of water, and one and a half teaspoons of salt.
Prep the Meat.
First things first, you need to prep your tamales’ meat. Put the pork in a Dutch oven with the onion, which you should halve first, and the garlic. Add the water and cover it. Bring it all to a boil, reduce the heat, and let it simmer until the meat’s cooked through. This should take about two hours.
Next, de-seed the chile pods. (It’d be a good idea to wear rubber gloves.) Put the chiles in a sauce pan with two cups of water. Let it simmer that way for about 20 minutes, and then let it cool. Put the sauce pan’s contents — both the chiles and the water — in a blender, and blend until it’s smooth. Strain it, salt it, and put it aside.
Once the your tamales’ meat is cooked, shred it, and mix in one cup of your chile sauce.
Get the Dough Ready.
Now it’s time to get your tamales’ dough ready. Get a bowl of warm water, and soak the corn husks. In another bowl, beat the lard with a full tablespoon of broth until you’ve made a nice, fluffy mixture. Throw in the salt, the baking powder, and the masa harina. Then, add more broth to the mixture as needed. The goal is to make a spongy sort of dough.
Put It All Together.
Take the corn husks out of the water, and spread a half-inch layer of dough out onto them. Take your meat, and put one tablespoon of the filling into the center of all the tamales. Wrap it all up, and put the tamales into a steamer. Steam them for one hour.
Time to Serve.
Now, take your tamales out of the husks. If you have any chile sauce left, drizzle it on top, and put a dab of sour cream on each one. You could also mix the sour cream and the chile sauce together for a delicious topping, too.
If you have any questions about this tamale recipe, or know of any other excellent recetas de comidas, feel free to share in the comments.