Chicken or Pork Tamales
Serves: 3 pounds of masa equals 3 dozen

Prepare the corn husks. Cover the husks with very hot water, weight with a plate to keep them submerged, and let stand for a couple of hours, until they are pliable. 
Variations: Banana leaves, cut into 24 8" x 12" rectangles (if using banana leaves, omit the soaking and simply pass them over the stovetop flame to make them pliable).

Prepare the dough
  • 2 pounds fresh masa (for tamales) or 3 cups dry mixed with 2 cups water and set aside for 15 minutes
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder 
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt 
  • 1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon cumin (optional) 
  • 1/2 pound of lard or veg shortening 
  • 7 ounces water or chicken broth
  1. Combine lard, salt, and baking powder and, using an electric mixer, beat at medium-high speed until well whipped, about 1 minute.
  2. Add one-fourth of the masa at a time to the lard, beating between additions until thoroughly incorporated. Add chicken stock and continue beating until dough is light and has a soft and spreadable hummus-like texture. Cover masa with plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour.
  3. Remove masa from refrigerator and re-whip, adding additional chicken stock 1 tablespoon at a time, if necessary, to return it to original hummus-like texture. Use tamale dough in any tamale recipe (see links above for ideas, assembly, and cooking instructions).

Form the tamales. Cut 24 8- to 10-inch pieces of string or thin strips of corn husks. One at a time, form the tamales: Lay out one of your chosen corn husks with the tapering end toward you. Using back of spoon, spread masa mixture thinly and evenly on inside of corn husk, covering half the length of each husk. Spread about ¼ cup of the batter into about a 4-inch square, leaving at least a 1½-inch border at the end toward you and a ¾-inch border along the other sides (with large husks, the borders will be much bigger). Spoon about 1½ tablespoons of the filling down the center of the batter.Pick up the two long sides of the corn husk and bring them together (this will cause the batter to surround the filling). If the uncovered borders of the two long sides you’re holding are narrow, tuck one side under the other; if wide, roll both sides over in the same direction around the tamal. (If the husk is small, you may feel more comfortable wrapping the tamal in a second husk.)
Finally, fold up the empty 1½-inch section of the husk (to form a tightly closed “bottom,” leaving the top open), and secure it in place by loosely tying one of the strings or strips of husk around the tamal. As they’re made, stand the tamales on their folded bottoms in the prepared steamer. Don’t tie the tamales too tightly or pack them too closely in the steamer — they need room to expand.

 Steam and serve the tamales. Get 16 quart stock pot with lid, steamer with lid or tamalera: tamale steamer. Fill with hot water being careful not to cover the rack. The rack is covered with tamale husks that were left over from the ones used for the tamales. The vegetable steamer is placed over the husks bottom side up to give a dome effect. The tamales are placed open and up, side by side around the dome. Continue this process with about 2 dozen tamales. As the pot begins to fill up the tamales can be placed flat on top of each other. Cornhusks again are used to cover the mound of tamales then cover with a cloth and close with the lid. Steam over a constant medium heat for 60 minutes. Watch carefully to make sure that all the water doesn’t boil away and, to keep the steam steady, pour boiling water into the pot when more is necessary. The tamales are done when the husks peel away from the masa easily. Let the tamales stand in the steamer off the heat for a few minutes to firm up. For the best-textured tamales, let them cool completely, then steam again for about 15 minutes to heat them through.

​Recipe in part from Trevino Family and Rick Bayless recipes

Pork or chicken filling
  • 8 ozs. Pork Shoulder or chicken thighs
  • 2 Tbls. Olive oil
  • ¼ cup diced yellow onion
  • 2 Tbls. diced celery
  • 2 Tbls. diced carrot
  • 1 tsp. ground cumin
  • 1 bell pepper or spicy pepper (may substitute ¼ canned chipotle chile and use Veracruz sauce)
  • 1 clove garlic, chopped
  • 2 tsp. tomato paste
  • 1 cup stock
  • ¼ tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 ½ tsp. salt
  • ¼ cup plum tomatoes
  • 1 sprig thyme
  • 1 sprig oregano or ½ tsp dry
  • ½ bay leaf
  • 2 tbls. cilantro
Directions: Season meat with salt, pepper and cumin. Heat a heavy bottom pot, add olive oil when hot and sear meat on all sides. Remove and set aside, add mire poix (onion, celery, carrots) and garlic to pot and sauté until vegetables start to caramelize. Add tomato paste and cook for three minutes. Place meat, vegetables, and rest of ingredients except cilantro in a braising pan (add ½ to 1 cup stock if it seems dry). Cover tightly and cook in a preheated 350 oven until done. Clean meat of fat and shred. Fold in chopped cilantro. Mix with tomatillo or red sauce.

Tomatillo sauce Verde
  • 1-2 pounds tomatillos (husks removed)
  • 1 poblano pepper
  • 1 medium onion
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1 jalapeno pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoons each cumin and oregano
  • 2 Tbl vegetable oil
  • Salt and pepper
On a baking sheet, roast the tomatillos, pepper, onion and garlic about 4 inches below a very hot broiler until soft (they’ll blacken in spots), about 5 minutes; flip them over and roast the other side. Cool, then transfer to a food processor or blender along with all the juice that has run onto the baking sheet. Add the chiles, garlic, cumin and oregano and process to a smooth purée. Alternatively ingredients can be placed in a saucepan, covered with water and simmered until softened. Drain and puree. Salsa can be used at this point. 

​Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. When it is quite hot, add the purée all at once and stir until noticeably thicker and darker, about 5 minutes. Add 2 cups of broth and simmer over medium heat until thick enough to coat a spoon quite heavily, about 10 minutes. Taste and season generously with salt, usually about 2 teaspoons. Stir in the chicken and cilantro; cool completely.

Tomato sauce
  • roma tomatoes (6)
  • large garlic cloves, unpeeled (4)
  • 1/2 medium white onion
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon lard or corn oil
  • 1-2 fresh jalapeño chiles, seeded and chopped
2 cups shredded, cooked chicken or pork

Preparation:
  1. Roast the tomatoes and garlic on a comal or griddle until the tomato skins blister and the garlic skins turn brown.
  2. Peel the tomatoes and garlic and puree briefly in a blender. Do not over blend. Sauce should have some texture.
  3. Heat the lard or corn oil in a medium skillet, add the onion and cook 5 minutes. Add the tomato mixture and the jalapeños and cook another 5 minutes. Add the chicken, mix well, and remove from heat. Allow filling to cool to room temperature.
  4. Fill, wrap and steam following the directions for tamales

Tamales With Red Chili and Chicken Filling Recipe
JOSHUA BOUSEL
YIELD: Makes approximately 30 tamales
Ingredients
  • 6 medium guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
  • 3 medium ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
  • 3 chiles de arbol, stemmed and seeded
  • 4 medium cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
  • 2 cups homemade chicken stock or low-sodium broth
  • 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 recipe Basic Tamale Dough
  • 3 dozen dried corn husks, soaked in water for at least 1 hour
Directions
  1. Combine all the dried chiles in a large Dutch oven or cast iron skillet and cook over medium-high heat, flipping chiles frequently, until slightly darkened and aromatic, about 3 minutes.
  2. ​Transfer chiles to a medium saucepan and cover with 4 cups water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low and simmer until chiles are very soft, about 20 minutes. Strain chiles through a fine-mesh strainer set over a medium bowl. Transfer chilies and 1 cup of steeping liquid to the jar of a blender.
  3. Add garlic and cumin and puree until smooth. Using a rubber spatula, push sauce through a fine-mesh strainer set over a medium bowl. Discard solids in strainer.
  4. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add red chili sauce and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened to the consistency of tomato paste, about 5 minutes. Stir in chicken stock and bring to a boil. Nestle chicken thighs in sauce, reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook until thickest part of thigh registers between 175-185°F on an instant-read thermometer, about 20 minutes. Transfer chicken to plate and let stand until cool enough to handle, then shred by hand or using two forks.
  5. While chicken is cooling, increase heat to medium-high and let sauce boil until slightly thickened. Remove from heat, let cool slightly, then season with salt and pepper. Add shredded chicken to sauce and stir to combine. Set aside.

​Tamales With Rajas and Oaxacan Cheese Recipe
JOSHUA BOUSEL
YIELD: Makes approximately 30 tamales
Ingredients
  • 6 medium poblano peppers
  • 1 pound Oaxacan cheese, pulled into thin strips approximately 3-inches long
  • 1 recipe basic tamale dough
  • 3 dozen dried corn husks, soaked in water for at least 1 hour
  • Salsa verde, for serving
Directions
  1. Roast peppers directly over the flame of a gas stove, grill, or under a hot broiler, turning occasionally, until skin is completely charred and blackened all over. Place in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let stand until cool enough to handle, 10 to 15 minutes. Using paper towels, rub off charred skin, then stem and seed poblanos. Slice peppers into strips 1/4 inch thick and 2 to 3 inches long.
  2. Working one at a time, place a corn husk on work surface. Place 2-3 tablespoons of tamale dough on larger end of husk and spread into a rectangle approximately 1/4 inch thick, leaving a 1-inch border around edges of husk. Place a few strips of peppers and cheese down center of dough. Fold over sides of husk so dough surrounds filling, then fold bottom of husk up and secure closed by tying a thin strip pulled from another husk around tamale.

Tamales With Green Chili and Pork Recipe
JOSHUA BOUSEL
YIELD: Makes approximately 30 tamales
Ingredients
  • 4 medium poblano peppers
  • 1 medium jalapeño
  • 1 pound tomatillos, husked, washed, and halved
  • 3 mediums cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
  • 1 cup packed roughly chopped fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems
  • 1 cup homemade chicken stock or low-sodium broth
  • 2 tablespoons juice from 1 lime
  • Kosher salt
  • Sugar, to taste
  • 4 cups shredded pork carnitas(see note)
  • 1 recipe basic tamale dough
  • 3 dozen dried corn husks, soaked in water for at least 1 hour
  • Salsa verde, for serving
Directions
  1. Preheat broiler. Roast poblanos and jalapeño peppers directly over the flame of a gas stove, grill, or under a hot broiler, turning occasionally, until skin is completely charred and blackened all over. Place in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let stand until cool enough to handle, 10 to 15 minutes. Using paper towels, run off charred skins, then stem and seed peppers. Transfer to the jar of a blender and set aside.
  2. Meanwhile, place tomatillos on a baking sheet, cut sides down. Broil until tomatillos have charred and softened, about 10 minutes. Transfer to blender with peppers, along with any liquid.
  3. Add garlic, cilantro, chicken stock and lime juice and puree until smooth. Transfer salsa to a large bowl and season with salt and sugar to taste. Stir in shredded pork and set aside.
Notes If you don't have shredded pork available, you can simmer 2 pounds of cubed boneless pork shoulder in the green chile sauce, covered, until fork tender and then shred. Additional chicken stock may be required to thin out the sauce if it thickens too much during cooking.