Tamales Nortenos (part 2)

INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

While the meat is cooking, toast the cumin seeds on a cast iron
griddle and then grind into a fine powder using a coffee mill or  spice
grinder and set aside.  When the meat is cooked tender, set aside to
cool. Separate the meat  chunks from the broth, reserving the broth.
Shred the meat into small  strands.  Heat 2 tablespoons of lard or
shortening in a heavy pan, preferably  cast iron.  Add the chile
seasoning and cumin and stir for a few  seconds. Add the meat and fry
for two or three minutes. Add the  reserved broth and simmer until the
liquid level is reduced. The  mixture should be soupy. Set aside to
cool while you make the masa.  The Masa: The tamale dough, or masa, is
made from masa harina, a corn  flour that is also used for making
tortillas. Masa mix can be  purchased in Latin American markets or
supermarkets that carry Latin  American products. It can also be
purchased by mail order if not  available locally. It is NOT the same
as corn meal.  I recently found a new version of Maseca brand masa that
is  specifically formulated for tamales. It is a little coarser than
the  tortilla masa and gives the tamales a better texture. If you are
lucky enough to live in an area with a large Hispanic population, you
can buy prepared masa and save yourself the trouble of having to mix
it from scratch.  Combine masa, baking powder and salt in a bowl.
Dissolve the boullion  in the lukewarm water to make a broth. Mix the
broth into the masa a  little at a time, working with your fingers to
make a moist dough.  In a small bowl, beat lard or shortening until
fluffy, add to masa  and beat until masa has a spongy texture.  The
Tamales: Remove a soaked corn husk from the water and shake to  remove
excess water.  Start with the largest husks because they will  be
easier to roll. If you end up with a lot of small husks, you can  lay
two together, overlapping about 1/2" but this is a little  trickier and
may take some practice. Lay the husk flat on a plate and  spread about
1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons (depending on the size of the  husk) of masa in
the center. Don't use too much! The easiest way to  spread the masa is
to spoon it onto the husk and spread it with your  fingers. If the masa
is sticky, wet your hands.  Add about 1 tablespoon of meat filling on
top of the masa. Again,  don't use too much.  Now comes the tricky
part. Roll the corn husk so that the filling is  enclosed in the masa.
Don't worry if the filling is not completely  surrounded with masa.
When the masa cooks it will become firm and the  tamale will be fine.
Fold over each end. If the husks are very thick,  you may find it
difficult to fold the large end and get it to stay.  If this is the
case, don't worry about folding the large end and put  that end up when
you put the tamales into the steamer.  Load the tamales into a steamer
standing them up vertically. I use a  large pot with a steamer basket
in the bottom. When all the tamales  are rolled, and the steamer is
full, cover with a damp cloth and  steam until the tamales are done,
about 2 to 3 hours. During steaming  it is very important to keep the
water at a low boil. Also, DO NOT  let the steamer boil out of water.
TIP: Place a coin, a penny works good, in the bottom of the steamer
with the water. You can tell when the water is boiling because you  can
hear the coin rattling around. If the coin stops rattling, the  water
has boiled away and you should add more.  After about 2 hours, you may
want to pull out a tamale and sample it.  Let it cool for a few minutes
and then unroll the husk. The tamale  should be soft and firm and not
mushy.  Now you get to enjoy the fruits of your labor. Bite into one of
these  delicacies and you will know the answer to the question "Why am
I  doing this?" that you kept asking yourself while you were making
them.  As I said in the beginning, tamales can be a lot of work, but
they are  worth it and I strongly encourage you to give it a try. If
you have  further questions, please send me mail and I will try to
help.  Posted to CHILE-HEADS DIGEST V3 #133  Date: Wed, 16 Oct 1996
20:54:11 -0400  From: "Garry Howard" <g.howard@ix.netcom.com>  Garry's
Home Cooking Website,  http://members.aol.home/garhow/cooking.htm

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