So I told you I made Tamales and Hoppin’ John. But that isn’t quite what happened. I soaked the black eyed peas overnight for the Hoppin’ John. I got up in the morning and sautéed the onions. But the onions kept smelling like dish soap. I called my husband over and he confirmed dish soap. We tasted a small piece of onion and you guessed it, there was a nice dish soap after bite to it. Sigh. While we were away, our house sitters kindly washed our seasoned pan with dish soap. So now I either need to un season it (Can I do that?) Or I get new pans! Quick call to my Mother who knows all. She suggested a boiling of water with baking soda to take out the soap and then re-season. We shall see.
I was so glad that I had planned TWO different menus for the first day of the year! I am also glad that I had a crock pot already started with chicken and no need for any washed pans for the rest of the making of the Tamales. Did you know that a single one is called a “tamal”? That is right. We like to Americanize everything and make words make sense to us. So don’t say I never taught you something;)
On with the Tamale making. I used this tutorial to make the tamales. I liked it because it suggested whipping the shortening first.
My altered recipe:
for the masa
3/4 c shortening
2 c masa flour(I used MASECA brand, which is why I think my masa is white and not yellow)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 c chicken broth
Beat shortening until fluffy, about 3 minutes. In a separate bowl, combine masa, baking powder and sald. Add dry mix to the shortening scraping down the sides. Set aside.
For the filling I used :
rotisserie chicken shredded
8 oz salsa verde
4 oz can green chilies
several dashes of Poblano Sauce
I put it all in a crock pot to hang out for a few hours until it was perfectly falling apart.
I live out in the country and corn husks are not terribly easy to come by. By the time I planned to make Tamales, I decided I did not want to drive 40 minutes each way just to get corn husks. So I used parchment paper. I cut it into sizes I thought would work for what I wanted.
How I made them:
Put them in a steamer with water and steam for an hour and a half. Unwrap one to see about doneness.
I found that leaving them in the parchment paper made freezing a breeze. I can just pop one or two in to the microwave and have a lovely lunch. Spoon some salsa verde, Poblano sauce or green enchilada sauce over top and enjoy! I know we did;)
Labels: Food by Anjeanette
