Tamales!

I  made tamales the other day. I know I've mentioned them before--that they are, hands down, one of our very favorite foods, and one which always brings back happy honeymoon memories, when I realized that Matt still loved me in the morning, even after listening to the protests of my tortured bowels well into each night--but I realized I'd never documented the process before. Of making tamales, that is.

So I thought I'd lay it down for you.

Start with: shortening, masa (which should be nothing more than corn, lime [the mineral, not the fruit], and salt), baking powder, fresh or frozen corn, and a couple of jalapenos.

We make corn and jalapeno tamales. More common are pork and chicken tamales, made with lard instead of vegetable shortening. Take your pick. You can also fill them with cheese or about anything else.

And you'll want some cornhusks, which you need to soak in water until they're soft and pliable. It usually takes about an hour, and you have to weigh them down with something so they won't just float to the top. Plan on 1-2 per tamale.

About masa: we get our masa at a variety of places. This bag came from Aldi's! You can also get it at Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, a variety of ethnic stores, and probably most other grocery stores these days. It's a couple of bucks a bag.

I was making a double batch, so I started with 4 cups of masa. (Because of the work involved in making and rolling them, you may as well make a batch for now and a batch for the freezer. Put the batch for the freezer in a ziplock bag, and take them down a day or two before you want them and thaw them in the fridge.) Then I added 2 teaspoons of baking powder. (I've forgotten this before, and in a panic I called Matt, who reminded me that this addition is probably a recent one in the several-hundred-year-long history of tamales. They turned out fine.) Plus a little salt.

Then add 4 cups of lukewarm broth or water. (Predictably, we use water.)

In a separate bowl, because I'm into that these days, whip 1-1/3 cups of shortening until it's fluffy. I like the KitchenAid for this, but handheld mixers work just as well.

In the masa bowl, mix together the dry mixture and the water with your hands. (I try to remember to take off my rings before I do this because I've found there's nothing like having somebody compliment your wedding jewelry, to look down and realize there's a little bread dough or something stuck in it. Classy, I know, and that's just how we roll.) This is one of the few kinds of food I can stand to have on my hands, and I actually think it feels really nice. It's warm and kind of spongy. And something about the masa just smells so fresh and clean and basic, and if you ate little bits of it off your hands, before or after you whipped in the shortening, well, who could know or blame you?

Once that's combined, whip it into the shortening until the texture is spongy--basically, until you've incorporated some air into the mix.

Get your filling ready.

Get out your cornhusks. Spread a big spoonful of masa onto the tamale and pile a little filling in the middle.

Then you have to fold them up. This is where it gets tricky. And, unfortunately, where I am unable to assist you with helpful pictures because it's impossible to do such things one-handed and thereby photograph oneself doing them. I was also trying to avoid the unfortunate scenario of getting jalapeno oils all over the camera, a place where I regularly put my eyes. (I did end up with it all over my hands, though, and had to keep testing them by putting them in my mouth to see if it was gone. This way I didn't inadvertently find out in my eyes, or elsewhere. What finally got it off was rinsing them in a little cream we had that had gone a little sour. The sourness probably wasn't strictly important, it was just the only cream we had that seemed expendable enough for handwashing.) But here's one way to do it, though there are others. (I agree that tying them shut is a waste of time, unless you like the way it looks.) What I do is to fold in the short ends of the rectangle, then roll it up the long way, like a burrito. If that makes sense. It ends up looking like this.

Repeat with the rest of the cornhusks and masa. I made about 12 tamales, using 2 cornhusks each. I find that bigger tamales are a better return for your energy than smaller ones. We each eat 2-3 at a sitting, covered with sour cream and salsa.

All at once now:

Vegetarian/Vegan Tamales

adapted from Azteca Mill Masa Bag

2 cups of Maseca/dry masa

2 cups lukewarm water

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup vegetable shortening

1/2 cup corn, frozen or fresh

1-2 chopped fresh jalapenos, mostly seeded

6-12 cornhusks

Place cornhusks in a bowl of warm water to soak. Combine Maseca, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Work in water until a soft dough is formed. In another bowl, beat the shortening until fluffy. Beat in the masa. In a separate bowl, mix corn and jalapenos. Spread on cornhusks and place a tablespoonful of filling in the center. Roll up and steam in a double boiler or steamer for an hour. Serve with salsa and sour cream if desired. Makes 6-12 tamales, depending on size.