Christmas in Mexico and Tamales

Feliz Navidad!

Merry Christmas from Mexico, one of our stops-I've lost count-on the Christmas Around the World series here at Prudence Pennywise. The festivities in Mexico begin on December sixteenth with a nine day procession called "Las Posadas" Children representing Mary and Joseph roam from house to house looking for a room in the inn for Baby Jesus. After the last posada parade, families attend a special midnight mass and baby Jesus is placed in the manger scene, having at last found a resting place.

The iconic Christmas flower, the poinsettia comes from Mexico, and legend has it that the flower's pointed petals represent the Christmas star that led the shepherds and wise men to the baby Jesus.

The giving of gifts happens on Kings day, January sixth. Like many other countries, Mexican children put out their shoes and wait for the Three Wise Men to leave them little surprises.

And yet, having grown up in southern California, my favorite Mexican Christmas tradition is the giving of tamales. Mmmm!It didn't seem like the Christmas season was in full swing until our Mexican friends brought us a giant bag full of the delectable savory corn cakes filled with meats and chiles. They were so delicious that we had to learn to make them ourselves. I have to hand it to my mom for always taking the opportunity to learn from others. Although I balked a little at the time, on three separate occasions my mother invited Mexican friends to our home to teach our family to make tamales. I'm so grateful now that my mother realized how important it was to share traditions, ideas, and recipes from other cultures. Making tamales is a long and drawn-out process, albeit an enjoyable one, especially if you make them in a group. (Tamal making parties, or "tamaladas" are common in December in southern California.) I've been making tamales for the last decade, sometimes alone, sometimes with others. I've tweaked a couple of different recipes and I think this version, with a combination of fresh corn and dried corn flour, is the absolute tastiest. I filled some tamales with shredded chicken that has been simmered in tomatillo salsa, and some with cheese and green chilies, and some with all three. You can fill it with whatever your heart desires!

Money Saving Tips: If at all possible, visit a Mexican market for your ingredients. You'll end up with a large bag of masa mix. Next month I'll show you how to make tortillas with that masa so that it doesn't go to waste. You can easily double this recipe to make a larger batch, so that you won't waste any of the corn husks.

Fresh Corn Tamales adapted from Bon Appetit and other sources

Estimated Cost: $8.00 for 20 tamales

1/2 of 6 ounce package corn husks
2 and 3/4 cups masa mix (corn tortilla mix)

8 tablespoons softened butter

4 tablespoons sugar

2 and 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

3/4 cup vegetable broth

5 cups corn kernels, thawed if frozen

1 and 1/2 cup packed cheddar cheese

1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

about 2 cups fillings-shredded cheese, cooked shredded meats, green chilies, etc

The night before you make tamales, soak corn husks in a large bowl of warm water. Weigh the husks down with a plate so that they stay submerged. Cut about 20 12 by 12 inch pieces of waxed paper. (Just roughly estimate with your eye-they don't need to be perfect.)

In a large bowl, using a pastry cutter or two knives, blend masa mix, butter, sugar, salt and pepper until crumbly. IN the bowl of the blender, combine broth, half of the corn kernels, cheese, and baking powder. Process until smooth. In the large bowl with the masa mix, add pureed corn kernels and remaining corn kernels. Mix well. This will be your dough. For each tamal, open one corn husk. Place a scant 1/2 cup tamal dough in center. (You'll get used to eyeballing it. You'll use more for bigger husks, less for smaller.) Press dough down into rectangle shape, leaving 1 inch borders all around.Put about 2 tablespoons filling in the center of dough. Wrap tamale dough over the top and around to form a cylinder of dough with filling completely enclosed. Fold up ends of corn husks around tamal dough. Fold waxed paper around tamal into a little bundle. (I don't bother tying the tamales, since wrapping in waxed paper works just as well, is faster, and it keeps them fresher afterwards.)Repeat process with all tamales.
When tamales are finished, place in steamer basket and steam for about 90 minutes. OR if you don't own a steamer-like me, fill the bottom of a large pot with crumpled foil. Pour in about 1 inch of boiling water. Place about 10 tamales in a pot. Cover the top with extra corn husks. Place the lid on tightly. Over low heat, steam tamales for about 90 minutes to two hours. Add more boiling water to bottom every thirty minutes. (I pour the water just down the side of the pot.) Tamales are cooked when they no longer stick to the husk. Store cooked tamales in refrigerator, in a plastic bag. Remove waxed paper and place husk-covered tamales in microwave for about 1 minute each. Remove husk before eating-you probably know that, but just in case...

Feliz Navidad and best of luck!

Next Up:

Hanukkah and Potato Latkes with Applesauce