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Christmas Eve-Tamales
My sister lives in Mexico and on the weekend the Tamale lady goes door to door selling fresh homemade tamales.
They are pure heaven to eat.
Tamales symbolize more than just a meal to Latino families
ROSEMEAD >> One hand spreads a layer of masa, a corn dough, onto a moist corn husk laying flat on the opposite hand. Shredded pork drenched in red chile fills the masa and the husk is quickly rolled and tucked in from the bottom.Then it’s quickly on to the next husk as the process is repeated.Santos Garza of Rosemead has the tamal preparation down to an art form after decades of making the traditional Latino dish.
This scene would be complete with a few more family hands in a kitchen assembly line of sorts, each taking on a single task to complete the dish. Chatter would center on memories of the past year and events to look forward to in the coming year, making it a joyous and purposeful gathering. “It’s a very special time to gather together,” said Garza, 69. “They unite for dinner, everyone shares and it’s beautiful.”But this time, it’s just Santos in her small apartment kitchen.For many hard-working Latino families with precious few hours to spend in the kitchen, the labor of love that started as a tradition years ago is sometimes much too laborious.
If you make tamales from scratch, it requires first preparing the corn dough, then cooking or preparing the filling — whether it be meat, vegetables or something sweet — and soaking the corn husks. Then comes the real work that results in the final product — making each tamal, one by one.Spreading, filling, wrapping; spreading, filling, wrapping; spreading, filing, wrapping ... until you make however many dozen you need.
This old tradition has given way to a new one — buying tamales to serve at holiday dinners.Many families place orders with home-based “tamaleras,” such as Garza. Others pre-order or wait hours in line at restaurants that makes one’s favorite tamal.
Last edited by Common Sense (12/24/2015 1:31 pm)
“We hold these truths to be self-evident,” former vice president Biden said during a campaign event in Texas on Monday. "All men and women created by — you know, you know, the thing.”
- Common Sense
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Re: Christmas Eve-Tamales
Tamales con Salsa Verde y PolloMasa labeled "masa preparada para tamales" often contains baking powder and salt, so don't add either if it does. Soak the husks three hours ahead or overnight.
Ingredients
[list=1]
- 1 8-ounce package dried corn husks
- 1 pound tomatillos, husked, rinsed
- 4 3-inch-long serrano chiles, stemmed, chopped
- 4 large garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups low-salt chicken broth
- 4 cups (packed) coarsely shredded cooked chicken (about 1 pound; from purchased rotisserie chicken)
- 2/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 1/3 cups lard or solid vegetable shortening
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt (omit if masa mixture contains salt)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder (omit if masa mixture contains baking powder)
- 4 cups freshly ground masa dough for tamales (34 to 36 ounces), or make masa dough with 31/2 cups masa harina (corn tortilla mix; about 17 ounces) mixed with 2 1/4 cups warm water
- 2 cups (about) low-salt chicken broth
“We hold these truths to be self-evident,” former vice president Biden said during a campaign event in Texas on Monday. "All men and women created by — you know, you know, the thing.”
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