Here Today, Gone Tamale (26 page)

With sudden understanding, Patti caught my eye. “Yes. Maybe. I think so.”

“When was that crazy woman making tamales in my kitchen?” Senora Mari demanded.

“Shh,” we all said in unison. We crowded close to the camera as Patti quickly flew through the photos until she reached one of Elaine and her daughters.

“What's so special about that?” Ryan asked.

“Nothing, you dimwit,” Patti groaned. “That's not the one.”

Clenching my hands so tight that my nails bit into my palms, I urged. “Come on. Where is it?”

And then Patti stopped, her eyes glued to the camera. Wordlessly, she turned the display so we could all see the truth.

“OMG!” I cried. “Elaine hid the necklace in the tamales during the party!”

“She must have thought you caught her in the act,” Lightfoot said quietly.

“I had the evidence all along.”

The four of us sat for a moment in silence.

“Wasn't she afraid of someone catching her in the act?” Ryan asked.

“I wish I had her here,”
Abuelita
said. “I'd pull every hair out of her head.”

“Exactly,” Ryan said, slapping his hand on the table and nearly toppling the salsa. “Didn't she know Senora Mari would find it?”

Senora Mari's scowl was frightening.

“Yes, but we all know how demanding Elaine Burnett can be,” I said. “She probably wanted Milagro to look bad so that her own business would take up the slack.”

I glanced from one to the other. “And she nearly died by her own hand.”

“I thought she was going to choke to death during the tamale-eating contest, for sure,” Ryan added.

“You have a keen grasp of the obvious,” Patti muttered.

“Yip,” Lenny said, and I put him down. He ran to the supply room and came back with his leash.

“Someone needs you,” Uncle Eddie said in a singsong voice.

“And I need him,” I said with a smile. “Best friend and hero rolled into one.”

What else could a girl
want?

Senora Mari's Tamales

Yield: 4 to 5 dozen chicken and pork tamales

MEATS:

3½ pounds whole chicken

3½ pounds pork roast

CHILE SAUCE:

24 pods dried red chile

2 teaspoons salt

MASA:

1½ pounds lard

5 pounds masa harina

5 tablespoons baking powder

5 tablespoons salt

FILLING:

1 large onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

2 tablespoons lard

3 cups meat broth (from cooked meats)

4 cups chile sauce

2 tablespoons salt

shredded meats

TAMALE ASSEMBLY:

2½ pounds corn husks

MEAT: Boil chicken and pork roast and cook until meat falls off bones. Remove from stove and let cool. Discard fat. Drain meat and save broth. Then shred meats.

CHILE SAUCE: Wash red chile pods and remove stems and seeds. Bring chile and water to a boil; reduce heat and steam 10 minutes or longer. Pour liquid into blender; strain sauce through colander or sieve to remove any remaining chile skins. Add two teaspoons salt. (This should yield approximately 4 cups.)

MASA: Whip lard to consistency of whipped cream. Mix with masa, adding baking powder and salt. Beat until mixture is fluffy.

FILLING: Sauté onions and garlic in 2 tablespoons of lard; add 1 cup of broth, 2 cups of chile sauce, 2 tablespoons of salt and shredded meat to make filling. Simmer 20 minutes, adding more broth if needed. Add 2 cups of chile sauce and 2 cups broth; mix well. More broth can be added if masa is too thick to spread easily.

TAMALE ASSEMBLY: Clean and dry husks. (Corn husks brush off more easily when the husk is dry.) Wash in warm water and leave to soak until ready to use. Spread husks with masa and filling by placing 1 heaping tablespoon of masa in the middle of the husk and spreading toward outside edges, top and bottom. Spread closer to top of husk than bottom.
Spread 2 tablespoons filling in the middle of the spread masa lengthwise. Overlap husks and roll. Fold bottom of husk up 1½ inches. Place on flat surface with fold underneath. Repeat until all masa and filling has been used.

STEAM TAMALES: Steam cook tamales by placing them upright on the folded end in steamer. Place husks or foil on top; cover tightly and steam 2 to 3 hours. If no steamer is available, use a large cooking vessel such as a cold-pack canner. Line bottom with foil, as the husks scorch easily. Place tamales on rack or pan inside of a cooker and put a tin can, which has had both ends opened, in the center. Stack tamales around can and pour 4 to 5 inches of water in cooker. Steam 2 to 3 hours tightly covered. Tamales are done when one can be rolled clear and free of the husk.

Hints on Making Tamales

One pound masa to 1 pound meat makes approximately 1 dozen tamales.
The yield is determined by the size of the tamale. Filling may be prepared the day before and refrigerated. Beef as well as chicken or pork may be used if desired. Masa harina may be purchased at most stores. Canned red chile sauce may be substituted for fresh chile sauce, but the same rich flavor is not obtained. Finger tamales may be made for appetizers. In making tamales, the cut end of the corn husk is used as the top and the slim, pointed end as the bottom. Dried red chile may be purchased as mild or hot, whichever you prefer.

Aunt Linda's Healthy Sweet Tamales

4 cups masa harina

4 cups water

½ cup vegetable oil

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 cup sugar

Pinch of salt

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 cup raisins

1 cup coconut

3 apples diced with skin

1 can pineapple tidbits without syrup

2 cups mozzarella cheese

1 cup pecan quarters

48 corn husks soaked in water

Place masa harina in a large bowl, add water and mix using a mixer. Mix together oil, cinnamon, sugar, and salt until they dissolve. Add to masa and mix, using a mixer on high for 2 minutes.

Add baking powder and mix on high speed for 5 minutes. Add remaining fruits, cheese, and pecans and mix them using a large spoon. Let the masa rest for 10 to 20 minutes.

Place a quarter cup of filling in the center of each husk lengthwise. Spread the masa and fold, the same way Senora Mari does in her recipe. Place in steamer with open ends up and steam for one hour and 15 minutes.

Awesome Texas Chili Pie

2 pounds ground chuck

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 (12 to 14 ounce) can tomato sauce

1 (10 ounce) can Ro-tel

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground oregano

1 tablespoon ground cumin

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 (14 ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 (14 ounce) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

¼ cup masa (corn flour) or corn meal

½ cup warm water

Corn chips

Sharp cheddar cheese, grated

Diced red onion (optional)

Brown ground chuck with garlic in a pot over medium-high heat. Add tomato sauce, Ro-tel, salt, oregano, cumin, and chili powder. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 30 minutes.

Add drained and rinsed beans. Stir to combine, then cover and simmer for another 20 minutes.

Mix masa with water, then add to the chili. Stir to combine and simmer for a final 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside.

Serve by lining bowls with corn chips, and pile in chili, cheese, and diced onions.

 

A crowd-pleaser!

Melanie's Texas Peachy Pecan Pie

Serves 8

¾ cup sugar

3 tablespoon flour

4 cups sliced peeled peaches

1½ tablespoons lemon juice

¼ cup brown sugar

¼ cup flour

½ cup chopped pecans

3 tablespoons butter

1 (9-inch) unbaked pie shell

Combine sugar and flour in large bowl. Add peaches and lemon juice. Combine brown sugar, flour, and pecans in small bowl. Cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle one-third pecan mixture over bottom of pie shell, cover with peach mixture, and sprinkle remaining pecan mixture over peaches. Bake until peaches are tender (about 40 minutes).

Uncle Eddie's Favorite Chile Rellenos

6 fresh ancho, pasilla, or Anaheim chiles, or 1 (27 ounce) can poblano peppers or mild whole green chiles

½ pound Oaxaca cheese, thinly sliced

1 cup corn oil

6 raw eggs (separated)

¼ cup flour

Salt or Mexican seasoning to taste

2 cups salsa verde

2 cups homestyle Mexican salsa

Rinse the chiles. Preheat your oven to broil. Place the chiles in a 9x14” baking dish and place on the top shelf of your oven. Watch and listen closely. When the skins start to make popping sounds and to char and turn black in places, take the chiles out and flip them over. Be sure and use a potholder so you don't burn your hands!

When both sides are fairly evenly charred, remove them from the oven. Wrap each chile in a moist paper towel or place in a sealed plastic bag to steam. After a few minutes, check them. Once the skin comes off easily, peel each chile.

Cut a slit almost the full length of each chile. Make a small T across the top, by the stem. Pull out fibers and seeds (this is where the heat is) and replace with a slice of cheese. You can set these aside, for a few minutes or a few hours if you put them in the refrigerator.

Heat the oil in a skillet until a drop of water sizzles when dropped into the pan.

Whip the egg whites at high speed with an electric mixer, until stiff peaks have formed. Beat the egg yolks with one tablespoon flour and salt. Mix the yolks into egg whites and stir until you have a thick paste.

Roll the chiles in the remaining flour and dip each one in the egg batter. Coat evenly. Fry, seam side down on both sides until golden brown. Place on paper towels to drain.

Meanwhile, heat the salsa in a medium saucepan (either one or some of each). Place one or two rellenos on each plate and pour salsa over them. Serve them immediately.

Tips:

Fillings can be made ahead of time and refrigerated, then brought to room temperature before stuffing chiles. Fillings should be at room temperature or slightly chilled. If fillings are hot, the juices will flow out and cause the coating to slide off. Use enough filling to stuff each chile relleno as completely as possible, but not so much that the seam won't hold
together.