Who makes tamales for Christmas?
I LOVE tamales! I've never found one I didn't like, from Tex-Mex to authentic Mexican to Mississippi hot tamales to hunter's duck tamales! Usually, I have a few Mexican friends whose wives or mothers make a huge batch for Christmas and I get some from them... but, I'm away from home. I think I may try to make some fresh/creamed corn tamales. If you have fresh corn, you cut it off the cob and basically make creamed corn. I'll probably buy some frozen kernels and do that rather than canned creamed corn. Basically, you mix that with equal parts dry corn masa and some butter or lard. The consistency should be thick and sticky. You smear that thickly on corn husks. The filling is roasted peppers and onions with fresh cheese (or jack). Then, you just steam them in a big pot - some folks add a little beer for flavor.
Comments
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I've never tried to make them, but I sure love to eat them! I used to get some great pork tamales, handmade by a Mexican lady in a town I used to live in. I sure miss them.
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I'm thinking some leftover smoked turkey and smoked pork barbecue may go well in those fresh corn ones, too... especially with some habanero and tomatillo salsa!
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Tamales in the areas i have lived in use meat as filler, hog's head if they are traditional. When I lived in San Antonio my best friend's inlaws were Hispanic. One Christmas we all made tamales together. We decided to use deer meat in ours. The mil was upset, insisting we could not make them with deer meat. But being told I cannot do something when I have already worked out the logistics doesn't work so well on me lol. They were great, we lived, and all was well. Although I'm not sure what I may have done to the mil's psyche 😂
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I looked into the history of tamales once, and it seems that the Aztecs had festivals where they were served.... and back then, the meat used was either turkey, duck or deer!
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Lol too funny! I didn't think about that but I don't suppose they had much in the way of pigs except wild javelinas. Those came with a lot more risk. Pretty sure javelinas have been around as long as the cockroach 😂
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That is one meat I've never tried. I hear it is good if you remove the scent glands.
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I haven't tried it either. I've heard they weren't safe to eat all the way up to some that use them in their sausage every winter. Wonder if it depends on where you live, either by bias or by local conditions being unsafe? I firmly believe that any invasive mammals or even reptiles would be put in check quickly if they became the new to-die-for cuisine. Some would include insects but that might not go over as well lol.
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Here is what the great George L. Herter (my personal hero) wrote about javelina.... if you want to read more, here is a link to Bull Cook vol 1 (of 3) Bull cook and authentic historical recipes and practices : Herter, George Leonard, 1911- : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
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Thank you @judsoncarroll4 . I did not know that about cinnamon and soy sauce either. Great resource!
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I love Mexican food, but tamales are one thing I've never tried to make myself. I've only had them in restaurants.
What are you favorite Mexican foods? Burritos (either beef, chicken, or refried bean) and enchiladas are great. I like poblanos, and really ought to try making them sometime. Anyone here make their own sopapillas?
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Honestly, I haven't found any Mexican food from any region that I don't like! I will eat cheap Tex-Mex, stand in lines with no one who speaks English to get pig brain tacos, eat the finest Mexico City cuisine, the seafood from the coast or the most amazing, complex Oaxacan and Yucatan dishes... but no, I've never been there. I've dated Mexican women from all over that area of the continent, and always ask to taste their grandmothers' food! Yep, I'm a food gigolo... no excuses. ;-p !!
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The only thing I've found that I don't care for is menudo. The times I've tried it I've found it to be very fat/greasy. Unless the temperature is very hot, almost to burning my mouth, I did not care for it. All the peppers in the world won't get rid of that problem (I love spicy, hot foods).
@VermontCathy I'm with @judsoncarroll4 in liking it all, although I've not eaten Mexican food from as many regions as he has. I have made sopapillas but its been years lol. I've had various Hispanic friends that taught me recipes and techniques over the years. As is the case with many foods there are little tricks that can take a food from good to amazing.
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I had a friend who was from Honduras whose mom taught me how to make tamales. The only real difference is that she wrapped hers in banana leaves. I made them at Christmas for several years after that but with corn husks. We all loved them, but then I learned about GMO corn and round up and felt I needed to use organic masa flour and corn husks but couldn't find any. I haven't made any since then. How do you guys feel about it?
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@kbmbillups1 I try to avoid GMO products as much as possible. I think that daily or frequent use is not a good. Sometimes it's difficult to entirely avoid it. I just do the best that I can lol.
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You can make them with a masa-here in NM we use blue corn and it is delicious.
Here is a video and recipe: https://santafeschoolofcooking.com/Recipes/Blue_Corn_Tamales_with__Calabacitas/index.html
Serve with Chimayo red chile, of course.
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@judsoncarroll4 Your friends recipe sounds intriguing. Wish I had known about it when we spent a couple winters in AZ. Might have had to test the recipe.
Do you think it would work as good for pigs?
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Only time I have ever eaten tamales they were made by a local Mexican woman. Could not handle how doughy they were. The dough to me was like a mouthful of raw dough. Others who bought them from her raved over them. Never tried them again. Are they supposed to be soggy, doughy textured?
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I'm not sure I know what you mean
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Definitely not soggy. Soft, but not soggy, more like fluffy or tender.
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I would LOVE to have some tamales right now!! That sounds so good!!
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@judsoncarroll4 I was wondering if you thought the recipe for Javelina would also work for pork and be as tasty, even though pork is not really a strong flavor.
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Unfortunately, that is one of the game meats I have not been able to try - I want to, some day. But, javelina, deer and turkey were the original meats used by the Aztecs. So, I am sure it would be perfect, really. I forget the name of the Spanish explorer who first introduced pigs to the Americas, but the story goes that he traded some to whatever tribe was wherever they landed. The natives went crazy over pork, to the point that the next morning they attacked the armed and armored Spanish to steal the rest of the pigs. As a North Carolinian, I can't blame them!
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There used to be a Mexican restaurant down the road that made really extravagant tamales. They said it was how they were served in nicer restaurants in Mexico City. They would serve one, huge tamale, unwrapped, but with the husk underneath for presentation. They would slice it down the middle and stuff it with more meat, grilled corn, and that salty, white cheese that is kind of like feta. They put a sauce around it on the plate. Unfortunately, it changed ownership. I was really impressed, though.
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I've made sopapillas! I hadn't had them or even heard of them before I went down to Wyoming. I loved them. I think I've only made them twice since though. They are really easy to make.
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@judsoncarroll4 now if you are using corn husks for tamales (my banana plants are still too small imo to steal leaves from, lol), how do you best preserve those husks for use later? Can you do that?
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That sounds wonderful!! Too bad you only have memories now. Hopefully you find another restaurant that makes them that way.
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You just dry them. They are soaked before using.
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I'm trying to figure out exactly how they made their so I can make my own. I cook a lot of Mexican food thanks to having dated a couple of Mexican ladies.
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Y’all are making me hungry! Our church is blessed with having a large population of Hispanic people and several grandmothers. Every Christmas we have a big party and us gringos bring our favorite Christmas dishes and those delightful ladies show off with tables mounded over with the traditional foods they were raised with including crockpots full of homemade tamales. Heavenly!
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@judsoncarroll4 OK---you done it again.......MADE me HUNGRY!! There was a wonderful friend in TX that made tamales and I am sooo wanting some now!!
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