Tamales Before Christmas- A Family Recipe

Tamales Before Christmas- A Family Recipe

Everyone has their favorite memories of Christmas time: the traditions, smells, rushing around, lights, and Advent Candles, which mark the weeks before the Birth of Christ. As a Mexican kid, I will always remember the tamales. Please don’t laugh, I don’t even like tamales, but I loved the camaraderie and dozens of cousins who came to eat the traditional tamale feast to this very day. The work, and it is work, was done by Welo and Wela, who always managed to turn it into a real production. The day before “Tamale Making,” All of us kids would pile into the station wagon and drive to Pittsburg to purchase the masa.

It was exciting to hear my mom talking with my Aunt Vera, Lupe, and Rachel, promising the tamales would be the best. “Don’t put too much salt, Veva,” my aunts would say, and of course, my mom would promise. My dad would get home and take a pinch of masa, then smile, “They’re gonna be great this year, Genevieve!” Together, they would work on making the mole, which is the filling for tamales, sampling it plenty of times along the way. The next day, Christmas Eve, the cousins would arrive, and that’s when the real fun for the kids began. We’d run wild in the walnut orchards that surrounded our home, playing Freeze Tag until we dropped. All the while, tamale making was happening in the kitchen. When the making, filling, spreading, and cooking were done, we’d get a wrapped corn husk with our special treat and munch outside, knowing that Santa must certainly be near since the tamale-making was done.

To the delight of the family and Wela, who is still with us, this tradition has been carried on by my sisters and sister-in-law. Let me share a little Christmas with you from Welowela’s kitchen. It’s possibly the best tamale recipe you’ll ever taste! This is dedicated to all the Grandparents who have provided such cherished memories of Christmas, whether they be about tamale making, cioppino, or pork roast. We here at Welowela honor you, and cherish your memory.

BEEF TAMALES – Recipe

Cook Time: 8 hours

Ingredients: 17-18

Servings: approx. 40

INGREDIENTS: For Beef Brisket Filling

5lb to 6lb brisket

1 large onion

6 cloves of peeled garlic

3 ½ tsp of salt

1 teaspoon of black pepper.

6 dried Ancho chilies, also called Poblano Peppers (choose the deepest red to almost black)

1 ½ teaspoons cumin seed

INGREDIENTS: for the masa

5½lbs. of masa, from your favorite Mexican Mercado

1 lb of lard. (Armour Lard, Wela swears by it)

5 teaspoons of salt

1teaspoon of baking soda

2 cups of bone broth

HOJAS/ Husks

3 ½ pounds of corn husks. Typically sold in bags, or bundled, at the Mexican Mercado

Hot water

PREPARATION:

Corn husks/ Hojas

The term hojas refers to corn husks that have had the silks removed. They have been trimmed to make the wrapping process easier. Remove any extra silks. The corn husks are dry, thin, and papery. Soak them overnight in hot water so that they soften and become more pliable. When ready for use shake the water off and pat them dry with a dish towel.

Mole/ Beef Filling

Cut the brisket into large pieces. Put it into a large approx. 8 qt Dutch Oven. Add in the onion, garlic, salt, and pepper. Cover the beef with water and bring it to a boil. Lower the flame and let it simmer for about 3 hours, or until it is easy to shred apart.

Set the beef aside to cool off. Strain the beef broth from the meat. Chop the garlic finely and add it to the shredded beef.

Boil the chiles and cumin seeds in water. Let these ingredients sit in the water till they cool and become soft. Slit open the chilis and cut out the seeds and vein. Use a molcajete or blender to grind these ingredients into a soft paste.

Melt the lard, add the chili paste, and sauté it for about 3 to 4 min. Don’t let it burn. Add this mixture to the beef, continuing to cook all the ingredients so that the flavors meld. Add about ½ cup of beef broth, either from the brisket or from bone broth. Cook for about ten min. over a low flame. The filling or mole should be thick and pasty, not watery. Add salt if you think it needs it.

Masa:

Get the premade masa that you purchased from the Mexican Mercado. Add salt and baking soda, mixing it together. Add the melted lard one cup at a time and keep mixing it. Touch the masa with your finger, if it does not stick to your finger, it is ready to go. If it does stick, you need a little more lard. Keep mixing it with a mixing machine or wooden spoon until it has the consistency of peanut butter. It needs to be spreadable.

Spread the Masa:

Get the corn husks that you set aside, and on a large wooden cutting board, lay them out with the trimmed edge on the bottom and the long tapered edge on the top. Leaving about 2 inches from the pointed top. Spread the masa to cover the entire tamale leaf. Spoon a generous amount of mole, (filling) down the center. Wela put a few whole black olives in the center of the tamale, but you don’t have to. Fold the two sides together and fold up the long tapered top to close the tamale off. You should end up with a tightly closed bottom and an open top.

Cooking the Tamales:

Place a strainer at the bottom of a large pot so that the tamales do not touch the water. Fill the pot with just enough water to cover the strainer. Begin stacking the tamales upright, around and around the pot, till they are stacked closely together. Leave just a little space between each one so they can cook evenly. Fill the pot. Place a dishcloth over the tamales and close the pot with a lid.

Cooking:

You will cook the tamales for about 1 ½ hours, maybe 2. Bring the water to a boil and let it simmer. Keep some water simmering on the side in a pot in case you need to add water. Cook. You will know that the tamales are done by choosing a tamale from the center of the pot and from the side. Peel the husk away from the tamale. If the masa comes off easily, without sticking to the husk, then the tamale is done, if not, it needs to cook more.

Our Welo always topped his tamales with his favorite hot souce and freshly cut avocado.