Good tamale making is an art and a social event. Never try this
alone, but remember only one person can be in charge. In our family,
Aunt Emmy was the head tamalera for many years. She could work faster
than anyone I've ever known, but she had to be in complete charge, and
we all knew better than to challenge her authority!
Ingredients
1 lb corn husks (ojas)
5lbs masa (unprepared)
1 lb lard
pork broth
2 T baking powder
2-3 T salt or to taste
Chile powder to taste, 1/4 cup
Directions
Preparing the ojas:
Soak ojas until they are pliable. Rinse husks well, removing any corn
silk. Stack ojas and allow to drain. Ojas have a right side and a wrong
side. A sure sign that a tamal was spread by a novice is an oja
turned wrong-side out. The spreading side is smooth to the touch; the
outside is rougher, more textured. Stack the ojas smooth side down to
avoid any embarrassing mistakes while you're spreading. Cover jojas to
keep them moist, until you are ready to spread. You can prepare the
jojas a few days in advance and store them in the freezer until you're
ready for the tamalada (the tamale-making fest).
Preparing the masa:
Cream lard thoroughly in a mixer. Slowly add the masa, occasionally
ladling broth to maintain desirec spreading consistency. Add baking
powder, salt, and chile powder and beat well. Grandma
always said that the masa is perfect when you drop a small dollop into
a glass of water, and it floats, but few people make tamales as well as
Grandma did!
Form the tamales
Spread masa on the ojas leaving about 1/2 inch of husk showing at the
bottom and 3 to 4 inches for folding at the top. (The perfect oja is
just wider than your widespread hand, fingertip to thumbtip.) Place a
couple of heaping tablespoons of red chile in the center of the masa
coated husk, put a pitted black olive in the center of the meat, and
fold each end over to cover the meat. Fold the tip of the oja down. You
now have a completed tamal. Repeat the process until you have used up
all the masa.
Cooking
To cook, line a roaster or dutch oven with ojas. Place a small pie
plate or a tempered bowl in the center of the roaster, and arrange the
tamales so that they stand open end up around the plate or bowl. Pour
water into the roaster to steam tamales. Cover tamales with cheesecloth
or a clean cotton cloth. Place cover on the roaster and steam over
medium heat for one hour. Remove husks and serve. If the tamal is
somewhat mushy, allow it to sit for five minutes before eating. (White mottled tamales indicate that more cooking is needed.)
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