Recipe: Mexican Tamales Rojos y Verdes

Steam for about an hour

As is his custom, Mr. Big Food prefaces the recipe in The Big Food Manual with some commentary from the cook book from which the recipe was culled:

“These are the most popular tamales in Mexico. For parties, the dough is divided in two so there are the same number of red and green tamales. You can make the red and green tamales following the recipe in this book, or if you have a favorite recipe then try it!

            Also, to cut the preparation time in half you can buy any green or red salsa from the grocery store and still enjoy these delicious tamales.

Enjoy them hot with hot cocoa.”—Cocina Tìpica Latinoamericana (Traditional Latin-American Cooking), Festival Hispano Cincinnati (2001)

“Red and Green Tamales”

I have no idea what it's like these days, but the Hispanic Festival in Cincinnati was fun when we were going.

Recipe below the fold.

MEXICAN TAMALES ROJOS Y VERDES

Serves 15

2 ½ C tamales flour (“can substitute with yellow cornmeal”)

¾ C shortening

1 tsp salt

½ Tbsp baking powder

2 C chicken stock

35 corn husks, soaked in lukewarm water (“most International markets carry these”)

STUFFING

1 lb pork loin (or chicken breast), cooked and shredded

1 ¾ C red salsa (preferably homemade—see recipes in Appetizers … section)

1 ¾ C green salsa (preferably homemade—see recipes in Appetizers … section)

2 Tbsp shortening

Prepare Stuffing: in a skillet sauté red salsa and half the shredded meat in 1 Tbsp shortening for 5 minutes. Set aside and let cool. Repeat with green salsa, and remaining meat and 1 Tbsp shortening. Prepare dough: mix together tamale flour, salt, and baking powder. Beat shortening using electric mixer at high speed until fluffy. Add flour mixture to creamed shortening alternately with chicken stock. “The dough will be ready when a little pellet floats in cold water.” Dry corn husks with paper towels and open. Add to each corn husk 2 Tbsp dough and 1 Tbsp Stuffing (red or green). Wrap up dough and Stuffing in corn husk and place vertically in a steamer. Steam cook tamales for approximately 1 hour “or until dough separates completely from corn husk when opening.”