Carnitas Tamales Tamale Dough Recipes

REAL HOMEMADE TAMALES

Steps:

• Place pork into a Dutch oven with onion and garlic, and add water to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer until the meat is cooked through, about 2 hours.
• Use rubber gloves to remove stems and seeds from the chile pods. Place chiles in a saucepan with 2 cups of water. Simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes, then remove from heat to cool. Transfer the chiles and water to a blender and blend until smooth. Strain the mixture, stir in salt, and set aside. Shred the cooked meat and mix in one cup of the chile sauce.
• Soak the corn husks in a bowl of warm water. In a large bowl, beat the lard with a tablespoon of the broth until fluffy. Combine the masa harina, baking powder and salt; stir into the lard mixture, adding more broth as necessary to form a spongy dough.
• Spread the dough out over the corn husks to 1/4 to 1/2 inch thickness. Place one tablespoon of the meat filling into the center. Fold the sides of the husks in toward the center and place in a steamer. Steam for 1 hour.
• Remove tamales from husks and drizzle remaining chile sauce over. Top with sour cream. For a creamy sauce, mix sour cream into the chile sauce.

TAMALE DOUGH

Steps:

• Mix masa harina, lard, salt and baking powder in large bowl with wooden spoon until well blended. Gradually add just enough of the hot water to make a smooth stiff dough, stirring constantly.
• Assemble tamales, using about 2 Tbsp. of the masa mixture and 1 to 2 Tbsp. of your favorite filling for each tamale.
• Stand tamales in a steamer basket in large pot filled 1/4 full with water. (Make sure tamales are not touching the water.) Bring water to boil; cover. Steam 1 hour or until tamales pull away from the corn husks, adding more water to the pot when necessary. Cool slightly.

CARNITAS TAMALE PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Whisk the cornmeal, flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar. Stir in the oil until the mixture makes soft crumbs. Whisk in the milk and egg. Add the cream corn and green chiles and stir until just combined. Bake in a 9-inch square pan (or larger, depending on how thick you want it) for 25 minutes or until set. Since it's a tamale-like base, it won't be completely dry like a cornbread. It's supposed to be just a little mushy.
• Poke holes in the crust with a fork. Pour the enchilada sauce over the crust. Squeeze or drain excess moisture out of the carnitas and arrange on top of the crust. Sprinkle with cheese.
• Reduce oven temperature to 350. Cover with foil, return to oven, and bake for 20 minutes. When everything is heated through, remove foil and let bake for another 5-10 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
• Top with chopped cilantro, allow to cool for 5 minutes, and cut into slices or scoop into bowls. Garnish with a little chopped cilantro.

BASIC TAMAL DOUGH

Steps:

• If using fresh masa, skip to next step. If using masa harina, place it in a large bowl and reconstitute by adding 4 cups warm stock. Beat with a wooden spoon or mix with your hands until you have a stiff, smooth dough like a medium-pliable bread dough. Use a little more stock if necessary, but mixture should not be loose.
• Beat lard in the large bowl of an electric mixer on medium speed until very fluffy and fully aerated, about 3 minutes. It may take longer if your mixer is not of the most powerful. (A heavy-duty machine such as a KitchenAid is best.) The best alternative to a mixer is not a spoon but your bare hand: Whip and beat the lard with a rapid folding motion until you feel it lightening and continue to whip until it is fluffy and full of air. It should be as light as butter creamed for the lightest butter cake.
• Keeping mixer on medium speed, begin adding masa or reconstituted masa harina to lard a handful at a time. Stop to scrape down sides of bowl with a rubber spatula as necessary. If mixture becomes too stiff to beat, add up to 1 cup tepid chicken stock a little at a time. Alternatively, beat in masa or reconstituted masa harina using your bare hand as a whipping and folding tool, adding up to 1 cup chicken stock as necessary. When all masa or reconstituted masa harina has been incorporated the mixture should be very light and delicate, the texture of buttercream frosting. Beat in salt.
• The mixture is now ready to be filled or spread onto corn husks, banana leaves, or other wrappers, and steamed.

CARNITAS TAMALES (TAMALE DOUGH)

Steps:

• Beat all ingredients in a large mixer bowl on low speed, scraping bowl continuously, until mixture forms a smooth paste. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 10 minutes.