Honduran Tamales Al Pastor Recipes

HONDURAN TAMALES AL PASTOR

Steps:

• Marinade the meat! Combine all the meat spices, oil, soda, and juice in a large bowl (save the pineapple pieces for later). Cut the pork into pieces roughly the size of your thumb. Make sure all the pork is covered, and refrigerate the mix for 8-20 hours.
• Pour the whole bowl of marinating goodness into a slow cooker with large slices of pepper and onion and the pineapple bits. Cook on low for 12-ish hours, stirring at the 2 and 6 hour marks. The meat should be almost falling apart when you're done, and your kitchen will smell so good.
• You'll just want the pork for the tamales, so you can remove it from the marinade and vegetables. You can make the meat early and refrigerate it for a couple of days.
• Pour the whole 4.4-pound bag of corn meal into a very large pot. Gradually add warm water and mix (by hand is easiest) until the batter is consistent and is about as runny as pancake batter.
• Add the bell pepper, tomato, onion, cumin, bouillon, cilantro (optional), and all-purpose seasoning in a blender. Add about a teaspoon of salt (to your liking) and blend until it's smooth. Add the oil (or shortening) to the masa. Pour this into the pot of batter and mix until even.
• Pour about 5-6 cups of the masa into a smaller pot and add the can of tomato paste. Stir until well-combined.
• Bring both pots to a boil and cook for an additional 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat.
• You'll want the leaves to be at smallest the size of a legal piece of paper (about 9 by 15 inches). If the leaves are stiff, they'll need to be soaked for a while in warm water.
• Put about 4 parts regular masa and 1 part red masa onto each leaf (you'll be rolling and folding these -- use your best judgment on how much). Add a piece of pork, rice, peas, garbanzos, corn, raisins, or any other filling your heart desires to each one.
• Roll the leaf tightly to form a long tube. Then, fold each end onto the middle to seal the tamal. If there are any holes in the banana leaf, you'll want to seal it in tin foil after this. See the picture in the next step if you need more help.
• Once folded, you'll want to tie them with some kitchen twine, like you'd tie a bow on a gift.
• Add about an inch of water to several large pots, a croc-pot on high, or an instant pot on "slow cook", then fill with wrapped tamales. Cover the pots with banana leaves, then the lid (unless it's an instant pot. Don't cover that with leaves). Cook for about 1-2 hours, or until the tamales feel pretty firm.
• Unwrap the tamales and enjoy! It should go without explaining, but don't eat the leaves. Tamales pair well with: Crema Hondureña o Salvadoreña Sour Cream or Ranch Salsa Ketchup Thai Sweet Chili Sauce (just trust me on this one) Your favorite hot sauce Or they're great on their own!

AUTHENTIC TACOS AL PASTOR

Steps:

• Cook tomato on a ridged grill pan over medium-high heat until slightly blackened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool until easily handled. Peel off skin and remove seeds.
• Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add guajillo and ancho chile peppers; cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Drain.
• Combine tomato flesh, softened chile peppers, 2 slices pineapple, orange juice, quartered onion, vinegar, chipotle peppers, salt, garlic, cloves, cumin seeds, and oregano in a blender; blend until smooth.
• Arrange pork slices in a glass or ceramic baking dish. Pour blended mixture over pork, ensuring all sides are evenly coated. Cover baking dish with plastic wrap.
• Marinate pork in the refrigerator, 4 hours to overnight.
• Cook remaining pineapple slices on a ridged grill pan over medium-high heat until slightly blackened and soft, about 5 minutes per side. Chop into small pieces.
• Wipe out grill pan and preheat over medium-high heat. Cook marinated pork in the hot pan, turning once, until browned, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Chop pork coarsely into small pieces against the grain. Serve with pineapple, chopped onion, and cilantro.

HONDURAN TAMALES

Steps:

• Pour about 3/4 the masa harina into a large pot. Add water in batches, mixing until a moderately thin batter forms.
• Combine tomato, green bell pepper, onion, cilantro, cumin, and bouillon in a blender. Blend until smooth. Pour into the large pot with the batter and season with salt. Pour about 5 cups of this combined mixture into a smaller pot; add tomato paste and stir until it is an even red color.
• Pour 2 cups oil into the large pot of batter; pour remaining 1 cup oil into the smaller pot of red batter. Bring both pots to a boil, stirring continuously to prevent burning. Cook until flavors set, 3 to 5 minutes more. Remove from heat.
• Cut banana leaves into 12x15-inch rectangles. Spoon 1 cup regular batter and 1/4 cup red batter into the center of each leaf. Add small amounts of pork, potatoes, rice, and peas. Fold leaf over the filling several times; fold sides in. Wrap twine around tamale to hold in place.
• Place tamales in a large pot; cover halfway with water. Cover and cook over medium heat until filling has thickened, about 1 hour.