Every once in a while I get the bug to make tamales. It's an all day process, so the stars have to be aligned just so. It happened again just a couple of days ago!
Because our family is primarily vegetarian these are not quite made in the traditional way, which involves a lot of lard. Instead of mixing lard into the Maseca (a special cornmeal treated with lime that is used for tamales and tortillas) I used corn oil. I learned this from Kippy Nigh's "A Taste of Mexico - Vegetarian Mexican Cuisine" cookbook.
I started the day by making fillings as soon as I got out of bed.
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| Fake meat filling (a couple of chopped up veggie burgers, tomatoes,onions and spices) |
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| Cheese, chicken of the woods mushrooms and sauteed garlic slivers |
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| Cheese and jalepeno halves (steeped in cider vinegar and salt) |
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| Chipotle peppers and black beans with lime juice |
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| Enough dough to make over 60 tamales! |
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| I separated out some dough to mix with finely minced chickweed |
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| Soaking the corn husks |
Then the filling process begins
Had to put a second layer in the canner to steam them all!
All steamed and ready to go!
The final report goes as follows: Jalepeno and cheese - brutally hot but yummy; Chipotle/blackbean - a little dry but a favorite; Fake meat - yummy and milder than expected; Chicken of the woods and garlic - too mild and bland, need to find a way to make them more interesting.
After eating tamales for three meals in a row, we put the remainder in the freezer where they will keep well for popping them into the steamer any time someone wants a little snack or a quick meal!
Looks GREAT! And,not surprising, we also recently dined on Spanish Rice for more than a couple of meals in a row. Hey, when it's GOOD, it's good, right?! Cook on, my Sistah!
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