Mario Batalis Green Chile Pork Tamales Recipe 425

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450°F. Toss the poblanos and jalapeños in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil oil and season with salt. Place in the oven to roast for about 15 minutes or until the skin is dark brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Remove the skin and the seeds from the peppers. In a blender, puree the peppers with the tomatillos and half the cilantro and season with salt. Heat the remaining oil in a Dutch oven. Season the pork with salt and pepper and brown the pork on all sides. Add the onions, garlic, and the cumin and cook for 2 more minutes. Add the beer and the chicken stock and bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Add the rest of cilantro. Stir in the tomatillo mixture and let simmer until the pork is tender and the mixture has reduced a bit, about an hour and a half. Season with lime wedges. Take 2 tablespoons of masa mixture, press into palm of hand, to flatten. Place a tablespoon of filling mixture into center and fold masa paste around to cover and seal. Place inside two overlapping corn husks, roll up to cover and fold in edges to cover tamale completely. Place tamales in steamer, seam side down and steam for 30 minutes. If you do not have a steamer, add water to pasta pot, enough to boil but not touching the bottom of the pasta insert. TIPS: You could also braise chicken, shrimp or beef in this braising liquid. You can find cornhusks at a Latin grocery store. Be sure to soak them for about an hour before using. The tamales freeze really well, so you can enjoy the leftovers another day.

Steps:

• There are a few steps to making tamales and it is usually an all-day affair.
• Cooking the meat: Chop the pork butt into 3-inch cubes; reserve the bone.
• Add the oil to a large pot or Dutch oven and place over medium-high heat (we use a Dutch oven because it seems to cook faster). Add the pork butt to the pot. Sear the sides slightly until just golden, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Add the peppercorns, bay leaves, onion, 3 cloves of the garlic and 1 tablespoon salt. Add 2 to 4 cups of water, or enough to cover the pork butt, then add the reserved bone. Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and bring it to a boil. Cook on medium heat until very tender, about 2 hours.
• Preparing the corn husks: Separate the corn husks and take off all the little hairs and dust from them. Allow them to soak in hot water while the pork is cooking (or soak overnight).
• Carefully remove the pork from the broth with tongs to a plate or cutting board. Pour the leftover broth through a colander into a large bowl so that all the onion and other ingredients stay behind. Set the strained broth aside for later (about 4 cups).
• Shred the meat with 2 forks into small bite-size pieces. (You want it small enough that you aren't getting large pieces or chunks into the tamal.) Transfer to a medium saucepan.
• Preparing the chile: Cut the stems from the ancho chiles, open them and remove all the seeds and veins. Put them in a 3-quart saucepan, cover with water and add 1 teaspoon salt. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Once the water is boiling, remove from the heat, set aside, cover and let steam for 5 minutes.
• To a blender, add the softened chiles, ground cumin and 1/4 teaspoon salt and blend. Press in the remaining clove of garlic and slowly add 2/3 cup of the reserved pork broth. Continue to blend until smooth. Pour through a fine-mesh strainer into a medium bowl. Reserve 1/4 cup of the chile mixture for the masa, then pour the remaining red chile sauce over the shredded pork and mix together to combine. Keep warm over low heat.
• Preparing the masa: Melt the lard in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Pour the melted lard into a large bowl. Add the masa harina to the bowl of lard, then add the baking powder, 3/4 teaspoon salt, reserved 1/4 cup of the red chile sauce and 1/2 cup of the reserved pork broth. Knead well. Add more pork broth as needed until the dough is moistened and fluffy.
• Assembling the tamales: Drain the husks and pat them dry with a clean towel. Spread the kneaded masa onto the smooth side of the corn husks with a spoon in the center of the husks (2 to 3 tablespoons of masa per husk). Add the meat to the center of the masa, 1 to 2 tablespoons per husk. Fold over the husks in half vertically so that the masa wraps around the filling completely. Fold the pointy side up at the end to hold the tamale in place.
• Cooking the tamales: Arrange the tamales open-side up around the inside of a steamer basket that fits into a large (10-quart) pot, packing the tamales together. If there's extra space in the steamer basket, place a mason jar or small heatproof ceramic bowl upside down in the center, arranging the tamales around it. Arrange a layer of husks around the sides of the steamer basket and up over the top of the tamales and cover with a damp kitchen towel. Fill the large pot with 1 to 2 inches of water. (Note: You can put a penny at the bottom of the pot so you can hear it rolling when you need more water.) Bring the water to a rolling simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce to medium low, set the steamer basket inside of the pot and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Allow the tamales to steam for 1 to 2 hours or until the masa pulls away from the husks. Let sit to cool down for 5 to 10 minutes. Use tongs to remove the tamales afterwards and set on a jelly roll pan to cool down.

Steps:

• In a large, heavy pot heat the oil (I use my Le Cruset). Saute the onion until just translucent, then add the minced garlic and saute another few minutes until garlic softens.
• Add the green chiles and saute, stirring occasionally, for about 7 minutes, allowing most of the moisture from the chiles to evaporate.
• Add the ground pork and stir well to combine. Saute until pork is fully cooked and slightly browned, about 10-14 minutes. Add the ancho powder, cumin, and oregano, stirring to coat the mixture well.
• Fold in the cotija cheese and combine well. Use as tamale filling and enjoy! Top your tamales with your favorite tamale sauce (I use my Rich and Delicious Enchilada Sauce recipe for tamales, absolutely wonderful stuff).
• Also works very well as an enchilada filling. Makes about 3-4 cups filling.