Tamales De Picadillo De Cerdo Recipes

PORK-PICADILLO TAMALES

Steps:

• Beat first 4 ingredients in large bowl with mixer on low speed until blended. Gradually add water, beating well after each addition until light and fluffy.
• Heat dressing in medium skillet on medium-high heat. Add meat and chili powder; cook 5 min. or until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Stir in raisins and olives; cook 2 min. Remove from heat.
• Spread about 1/3 cup masa dough into 5x3-inch rectangle down center of each of 12 banana leaf pieces. Top each with 1/3 cup meat mixture. Fold in sides of leaves to completely enclose filling. Tie closed with strips cut from some of the remaining banana leaves.
• Pour 3 cups water into tamalera pot or 8-qt. stockpot fitted with steamer basket. Line bottom of tamlera liner or steamer basket with some of the remaining banana leaves. Add tamales, overlapping as necessary to fit; cover with remaining leaves or damp kitchen towel. Cover with lid. Bring water to boil on medium-high heat; simmer on medium-low heat 1 hour or until tamales pull away from leaves, adding more boiling water to pan and adjusting heat as necessary to maintain a gentle boil. Serve tamales topped with salsa.

TAMALES DE CERDO RECIPE - (4/5)

Steps:

• (Soak dried cornhusks in hot water before using) For meat, you need pork with plenty of fat-either well marbled or with a fat layer or both. We've had good luck with de-boned country style pork ribs. Or have the butcher cut something to order. Whichever meat you use, cut it up into smaller pieces-no more than two inches thick or three inches long. Add a little salt with a shaker and place in a large sauce pan. Add water to just barely cover the meat. Add two peeled garlic cloves and one tablespoon vinegar. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered until all of the water has boiled away. Fry the pork pieces in the rendered fat just until brown, butNOTcrispy! The meat should be tender and stringy. Remove the meat. Trim off any excess fat (there shouldn't be any) and with a knife or meat hammer; break up the meat into small pieces. Slice the corn kernels off the cob (or use frozen corn). Quickly grind the corn in a food processor with your choice of fat (lard, or butter, or shortening) until you get a very coarse mixture with visible corn kernels. Don't over process! Remove from the processor and blend in 2 1/2 cups warm chicken broth and two cups masa harina to the ground corn. Add a dash of Bijol powder to give it a nice yellow color. Fry the onion and green pepper in olive oil at medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft. Add garlic and continue to fry for two to three minutes. Do not drain off excess oil! Mix tomato paste in 1/2 cup warm water and add it and the wine to the vegetables. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Place the pork, vegetables, and the ground corn/masa mixture in a large cooking pot. Add lemon juice to the mixture and blend. Add salt and pepper and stir. Cook the mixture on low heat, stirring frequently (don't let it burn!) until it thickens-about 20 minutes. Add more masa or more broth as necessary so that you have a stiff, but pliable paste. Taste and add salt if needed. Remove from heat and let cool. Raúl: Cuban tamales are a great taste treat. We love to eat them just about any time. In a Cuban tamal, the meat is mixed in with the dough and not used as a filling as in Mexican tamales. Jorge: In Cuba they use a type of field (or dent) corn, it's not as sweet and it's more mealy than the sweet corn we eat in the U. S. Glenn: If you have a friendly farmer nearby, you may be able to buy some. Raúl: But please note, you need fresh field corn,NOTthe dried stuff they feed to the cattle! You'd have to find a farmer with a field who would let you pick it fresh off the stalk. In Cuba we cut off the corn kernels with a grooved piece of wood with a blade in it. Glenn: The easy way? Use sweet corn. The masa flour tends to dampen the sweetness. Jorge: We've even used frozen Niblets corn when fresh corn on the cob wasn't available! The difference in taste is very slight. Raúl: Most people (even Cubans) wouldn't know the difference! Glenn: Some beginners make the mistake of using pieces of meat that are too large. A good tamale will be riddled with flecks of meat. 1 1/2 pounds pork in chunks 2 whole peeled garlic cloves 1 tablespoon vinegar Water to cover meat 3 cups ground fresh corn (may substitute frozen) 3/4 cup lard, or butter, or shortening 2 1/2 cups masa harina 2 1/2 cups chicken broth Dash or two of Bijol for color olive oil for frying 1 large onion, chopped fine 1 green pepper, chopped fine 5 cloves garlic, minced 3 ounces tomato paste (1/2 can) 1/2 cup water 1/2 cup red or white wine Juice of one large lemon 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Corn husks (Soak dried cornhusks in hot water before using) For meat, you need pork with plenty of fat-either well marbled or with a fat layer or both. We've had good luck with de-boned country style pork ribs. Or have the butcher cut something to order. Whichever meat you use, cut it up into smaller pieces-no more than two inches thick or three inches long. Add a little salt with a shaker and place in a large sauce pan. Add water to just barely cover the meat. Add two peeled garlic cloves and one tablespoon vinegar. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered until all of the water has boiled away. Fry the pork pieces in the rendered fat just until brown, butNOTcrispy! The meat should be tender and stringy. Remove the meat. Trim off any excess fat (there shouldn't be any) and with a knife or meat hammer; break up the meat into small pieces. Slice the corn kernels off the cob (or use frozen corn). Quickly grind the corn in a food processor with your choice of fat (lard, or butter, or shortening) until you get a very coarse mixture with visible corn kernels. Don't over process! Remove from the processor and blend in 2 1/2 cups warm chicken broth and two cups masa harina to the ground corn. Add a dash of Bijol powder to give it a nice yellow color. Fry the onion and green pepper in olive oil at medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft. Add garlic and continue to fry for two to three minutes. Do not drain off excess oil! Mix tomato paste in 1/2 cup warm water and add it and the wine to the vegetables. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Place the pork, vegetables, and the ground corn/masa mixture in a large cooking pot. Add lemon juice to the mixture and blend. Add salt and pepper and stir. Cook the mixture on low heat, stirring frequently (don't let it burn!) until it thickens-about 20 minutes. Add more masa or more broth as necessary so that you have a stiff, but pliable paste. Taste and add salt if needed. Remove from heat and let cool. To make the tamales: Take two husks and overlap them flat on the table. Put some of the corn mixture in the center of the cornhusks. Fold the cornhusks, first over the filling the short way, and then folding up the liong way from the ends. Tie with a string. Tamales are best cooked in a large pot with about two inches of water in the bottom. (If you have the little insert that keeps the food off the bottom, great!) Add the tamales, standing them on end and cover the pot. Bring the water to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer/steam about 90 minutes to two hours. IMPORTANT: Be sure to check the water level occasionally so that the pot doesn't run dry! TIP: Freshly cooked tamales tend to be a bit mushy. The best way to make tamales is to cook them a day ahead then put them in the refrigerator overnight. Cooling will help the tamales firm up to the proper consistency. The next day, just steam them long enough to heat through. If you'd like to make a large batch and freeze them, always cook the tamales first and then freeze. Usually we can't resist and end up eating a couple of"loose"tamales the same day!

TAMALES DE PUERCO (RED PORK TAMALES)

Steps:

• Cut pork into 3 chunks and place in a large saucepan. Add onion, garlic, bay leaves, and salt and cover with water. Bring to a boil; skim foam from surface. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 1 hour. Remove pork and let cool. Strain broth and reserve.
• Bring a pot of water to a boil while pork is cooking. Add tomatoes, arbol chiles, and guajillo chiles, and boil until chiles are soft, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, reserving cooking water, and allow to cool.
• Place corn husks in a bowl, cover with boiling water, and soak for 30 to 60 minutes. Drain, place on a work surface, and cover with a clean, damp towel.
• Combine tomatoes, 1/2 cup cooking water, chiles de arbol, guajillo chiles, and cornstarch in a blender; blend until smooth. Strain tomato sauce through a fine-mesh sieve.
• Beat lard with an electric mixer in a large bowl until fluffy. Combine masa, 1 cup reserved pork broth, 1 tablespoon salt, and baking powder in a separate bowl and mix until smooth. Add masa mixture to lard and mix until it has a smooth cookie dough consistency. Test if the masa is ready by dropping a small ball of masa into a glass of cold water; if it floats, it's ready, if not, keep beating for a little longer.
• Shred cooled pork with 2 forks.
• Select 1 wide corn husk or 2 small ones. Spread about 2 tablespoons masa mixture onto the the corn husk, filling it up to 2 inches from the bottom and 1/4 inch from the top. Add 1 tablespoon of the tomato sauce and pork down the center of the masa mixture. Fold sides of husk together, 1 over the other. Fold the bottom of the husk over the seam of the 2 folded sides. Repeat with remaining husks.
• Place a steamer insert into a saucepan and fill with water to just below the bottom of the steamer. Bring water to a boil. Add tamales with the open side up and cook until filling is heated through and separates from the husk, about 1 hour. Let tamales rest for 15 minutes before serving.

AUTHENTIC MEXICAN PICADILLO

Steps:

• Bring 6 whole tomatoes to a boil in a small pot. Transfer to a blender. Add 3/4 cup water, onion halves, and whole garlic clove. Blend until smooth.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion and serrano pepper. Cook until onion is transparent. Add minced garlic; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add chopped tomato and cook for 1 minute more. Add ground beef; cook until browned, about 8 minutes.
• Pour canned tomato sauce into the beef mixture. Cook for 2 minutes. Mix in potatoes and carrots. Cook for 2 minutes; add the blended tomatoes, jalapeno, chicken bouillon, cumin, and bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well, reduce heat, and simmer until most of the liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

TACOS DE PICADILLO

Steps:

• Use a mortar and pestle to mash the garlic, cumin seeds and peppercorns into a smooth paste. Add 1/4 cup water and mash until the paste is incorporated into the water. Transfer the mixture to a measuring cup. (Alternately, blend the garlic, cumin seeds and peppercorns in a blender with about 1/4 cup water, occasionally scraping down the sides of the blender until very well blended, about 5 minutes.)
• To make the picadillo, heat the oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high. Add the beef and let it brown, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until mostly cooked through, about 8 minutes. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion becomes translucent and the meat is fully crumbled, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Add half the blended garlicky liquid to the beef, along with 1/4 teaspoon salt and about 1 cup water. (The water should cover the beef by about two-thirds.) Let the mixture come to a simmer over medium heat. Let cook, occasionally scraping the bottom of the skillet using a wooden spoon to release any browned bits, until the liquid reduces slightly, 5 to 7 minutes. Turn off the heat and season to taste with salt.
• Drain most but not all of the liquid from the beef picadillo into another skillet (you'll want to retain just enough to keep the meat moist), then cover the beef picadillo and set aside.
• To the excess beef cooking liquid, add the remaining blended garlicky liquid, 1 cup water and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Bring the mixture to a strong simmer over medium-high heat and let it cook for about 5 minutes, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Season to taste with salt.
• Taste the drained beef picadillo, season to taste, and add a few spoonfuls of the reduced broth to season the meat, if desired.
• Lay one tortilla in the skillet containing the simmering broth and let it soak just until slightly softened, 5 or 6 seconds (enough time for the tortilla to absorb the flavors of the broth without absorbing too much liquid and falling apart). Working quickly, use a spatula to remove the softened tortilla from the skillet, allowing excess liquid to drip off, and lay the tortilla down on a plate. Spoon about 1/4 cup beef picadillo down the middle. Roll the taco and transfer it to a platter, seam side down. Repeat this step until you have filled all of the tortillas. Discard any remaining broth.
• Sprinkle the tacos with the shredded lettuce and diced tomato. Serve with rice and beans and salsa, if using.

TAMALES DE PICADILLO DE CERDO

Steps:

• Bate los primeros 4 ingredientes en un tazón grande con una batidora eléctrica a velocidad baja hasta mezclarlos bien. Añade gradualmente el agua tibia, batiendo bien después de agregar cada vez hasta que la masa esté ligera y esponjosa.
• Calienta el aderezo en una sartén mediana a fuego medio-alto. Agrega la carne y el chile en polvo; cocínala 5 min. o hasta que esté ligeramente dorada, revolviéndola de vez en cuando. Incorpora las pasas y las aceitunas; cocínalas durante 2 min. Sácala del fuego.
• Esparce cerca de 1/3 taza de masa en un rectángulo de 5x3 pulgs. al centro de cada una de 12 hojas de maíz. Pon encima de la masa 1/3 taza de mezcla de carne. Dobla ambos lados de las hojas para encerrar el relleno. Amarra los tamales con tiras recortadas de algunas de las hojas de plátano restantes.
• Vierte 3 tazas de agua en una tamalera o una olla alta de 8 qt. de capacidad, con una vaporera adentro. Forra el fondo de la tamalera o de la vaporera con algunas de las hojas restantes. Pon los tamales en la tamalera, con el lado abierto hacia arriba; cúbrelos con las hojas restantes o un paño de cocina húmedo. Tapa la tamalera. Deja que el agua hierva a fuego medio-alto; cocina los tamales a fuego medio-bajo, manteniendo un hervor suave durante 1 hora o hasta que los tamales se separen de las hojas; agrega más agua hirviendo y ajusta el fuego según sea necesario para mantener un hervor suave.