Being of inquisitive mind, I wondered how the tradition of tamales began and discovered that it dates back to Meso-American times when, long before the Spaniards arrived, Mesoamericans believed that God crafted humans from corn.  ”Quite literally, corn was their substance of life.”  An excerpt from a Seattle PI article states:

Because corn was so important, preciously wrapped tamales became a part of ritual offerings, a human stand-in, of sorts. “When the conquistadors came, and human sacrifice was no longer acceptable, they used tamales as a substitute, placing little bundles of corn as offerings,” says Alarcón.

To this day, the most sacred occasions in Mexico — baptisms, first communions, and special wedding anniversaries — are still marked with the ritual of tamale making.

Enter Josefina Vega, Aracely’s mom, who makes 200-300 tamales every Christmas. She carries on the tradition of beginning at midnight on Christmas eve and working until 4 or 5 a.m. making the masa, slow-cooking the meat, soaking the corn husks, and assembling the tamales.  Aracely added that, besides making tamales, the other tradition is having a tired and cranky mother on Christmas Day : )  Nonetheless, she is learning to make tamales and other Latin dishes so her family can appreciate the foods of their heritage.

The best tamales are made from fresh unprepared masa and corn husks purchased at Latin markets. Traditionally masa is mixed with lard, but Josefina uses soybean oil and olive oil rather than animal fat because its a healthier alternative and she is diabetic. The substitution can result in the masa being a little drier and less fluffy.  Garlic, onion, and water from the cooked meat is added to the masa for flavor. Josefina doesn’t have a recipe but if you would like try your hand at making tamales, here is one. Perfecting a dough (masa) that will be fluffy, not leaden, when it is steamed is the trickiest part of tamale making and, just like anything else, takes practice.

Tamale fillings vary by region (as do the wrappers and masa); savory fillings from shrimp  to a rich, dark mole to sweet fillings of fruit such as pineapple and raisins.  Josefina is from Sinaloa in northern Mexico where they use more vegetables such as carrots and potatoes. Probably the most common filling is pork with pasilla chiles. Today, Josefina was making spicy pork tamales, with jalapeno peppers adding the heat – I don’t know about you, but I love spicy!  Not hot, just a little kick that fills your mouth and is soothed by a gulp of icy cold beverage.

But I digress… The meat mixed with pasilla chiles, cumin, oregano, garlic and onion and is slow-cooked in the oven for several hours. While the meat is cooking, prepare the masa and soak the corn husks in water until they are soft.

The other key to tamale success is Organization: before starting the actual assembly, the fillings should be ready to go, leaf wrappers and ties (if you use them) should be soaked and cleaned, and a steamer should be prepared.  I now have a baker’s dozen of tamales that I’m going to prepare for New Years Day, so I’ll let you  know how they turn out. Fortunately, all I have to do is steam them for the right amount of time, my notes say to check them after 45 minutes – if the tamale is easily removed from the husk, i.e. the cornmeal is not sticking, then they’re done. Looking forward to it!

Happy New Year everybody!

On Saturday, I joined three generations of my friend Tina’s family and watched and learned as she prepared latkes for the second night of Hanukkah. Her son Jason helped peel the potatoes and Tina gave me some valuable tips on making the perfect latke:  crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.  She uses a recipe that she copied from a December 1999 L.A. Times article as a guideline, since she only makes latkes once a year it’s easy to forget the importance of certain details such as:

1. Drying the grated potatoes on paper towels or a clean dish towel. Cover and press with paper towels also.

2. Only peanut oil imparts the desired flavor.

3. Don’t use a non-stick pan – you won’t get the desired crispiness.

Potato Latkes

6 large baking potatoes

3 onions, quartered

4 eggs, lightly beaten

¼ to ½ cup flour

2 t. Kosher salt

freshly ground pepper

Grate potatoes by hand using the largest holes on the grater.  A food processor can be used for the onions, place the onions in a colander in the sink to drain, use a wooden spoon to release as much liquid as you can from the onions. Transfer grated potatoes to a sieve and set over a large bowl to drain. Press down with a wooden spoon to release liquid into bowl. Use your hands to squeeze remaining moisture from potatoes, reserve only the white starchy liquid at the very bottom. Spread potatoes onto paper towels. Place paper towels on top. * It is important that the potatoes are dry or they won’t brown well and will be mushy.*

Put potatoes and onion in a large bowl. Mix in the reserved starchy liquid, eggs, flour, salt & pepper.

Heat ¼ inch of peanut oil in cast iron or other frying pan (not non-stick) over med-high heat. When oil is smoky, use a measuring cup or ice cream scoop to add ⅓ cup batter for each latke. Press down to flatten. Cook until golden brown – about 2-3 minutes, then turn over and cook another 2-3 minutes. Drain n paper towel and transfer to baking pan in 200 degree oven to keep warm.

Enjoy the latkes traditional style – with some applesauce and sour cream, or with a gourmet touch – with lox (smoked salmon), creme fraiche, and chives.