Tamale Recipes?

Question

Want to try to make some, I have seen it made but it will be my first attempt. Any one who has a good recipie that they have used in the past. No cut and paste please off a web search I can do that myself. Recipies that you personally have.
Thanks

Answer 1

http://www.fabulousfoods.com/features/tamales/tamales.html

http://www.sonofthesouth.net/tamales/Tamale_Recipe.htm

Answer 2

Beef Tamales

Beef Tamales
Recipe adapted from Food911. Beef shoulder roasted is simmered with garlic, onions, ancho, pasilla, and New Mexico chiles.

Yield: 25 tamales

i n g r e d i e n t s
2 pounds beef shoulder roast
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 onions, peeled and sliced
1 garlic bulb, cloves removed and peeled
4 ounces dried New Mexico chilies
2 ounces ancho chiles
2 ounces pasilla chiles
2 tablespoons cumin seed, toasted
1 tablespoons salt
2 bags dried corn husks, about 3 dozen
4 cups masa mix for tamales
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
4 cups reserved beef broth, warm
1 cup vegetable shortening


d i r e c t i o n s
Beef; Season the beef shoulder all over with salt and pepper then brown in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Once browned on all sides, add enough water to cover the roast along with the 1 sliced onion and about 6 cloves of garlic.

Cook until the meat is fork tender and comes apart with no resistance, about 2 hours. When done, remove the roast to a platter to cool, reserve the beef broth. Hand shred the meat and set aside.

Sauce; To prepare the sauce, remove the tops of the dried chilies and shake out most of the seeds. Place the chilies in a large stockpot and cover them with water. Add the cumin, remaining sliced onion and garlic. Boil for 20 minutes until the chiles are very soft. Transfer the chiles to a blender using tongs and add a ladle full of the chile water (it is best to do this in batches.) Puree the chiles until smooth. Pass the pureed chiles through a strainer to remove the remaining seeds and skins. Pour the chili sauce into a large bowl and add salt, stir to incorporate. Taste to check seasonings, add more if necessary. Add the shredded beef to the bowl of chili sauce, and mix thoroughly. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Husks; go through the husks and sort by size and remove any silks or debris. Soak the corn husks in your sink filled with warm water until soft, about 30 minutes. (You can also soak husks in large bowls of water if you are not doing a lot of tamales).

Masa; In a deep bowl, combine the masa, baking powder, and salt. Pour the broth into the masa a little at a time, working it in with your fingers. In a small bowl, beat the vegetable shortening until fluffy. Add it to the masa and beat until the dough has a spongy texture.

Drain Husks; Rinse, drain, and dry the corn husks. Set them out on a sheet pan covered by a damp towel along with the bowls of masa dough and beef in chili sauce.

Spread Masa; Start with the largest husks because they are easier to roll. Lay the husk flat on a plate or in your hand with the smooth side up and the narrow end facing you. Spread a thin, even layer of masa over the surface of the husk with a tablespoon dipped in water. The easiest method of spreading masa is with a masa spreader (see side panel for how this is used) Do not use too much, keep the masa thin.

Add about a tablespoon of the meat filling in the center of the masa. Fold the narrow end up to the center then fold both sides together to enclose the filling. The sticky masa will form a seal. Pinch the wide top closed.

Fold; the sides of the corn husk to center over the masa so that they overlap to make a long package. Fold the empty part of the husk under so that it rest against the side of the tamale with a seam.

Steam; Place the tamales in a steamer and cook tamales for 2 hours. Check every 20 minutes. Do not let the water boil away. The tamale is cooked when it separates easily from the corn husk.

Serve; Unfold the husk and spoon about a tablespoon of remaing beef filling on top.

Answer 3

Rio Grande Beef Tamales

Filling
1 1/2-pound chuck roast
1 medium onion-chopped
1 bay leaf
2 cups of water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 cup chili powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted and ground (optional)

6-ounce package of dried corn husks

Dough
6 cups masa harina
2 cups vegetable oil
2 cups beef stock
2 1/2 cups water, or more as needed
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons salt

Preheat oven to 350

Place the meat, onion, and bay leaf in a medium-size baking dish and cover with the water. Bake for approximately 1 1/2 hours, or until the meat is cooked through and pulls aprts easily. Remove the beef from the broth. Set the meat aside to cool for a few minutes and refrigerate the broth. When the beef has cooled enough to handle, shred it fine, either with two forks or in a food processor. Strain the broth after any fat has solidified on it's surface. If the broth doesn't measure 2 cups, add water to make 2 cups of liquid. Reserve the beef and the broth.

In a large, heavy skillet, warm the oil over medium heat and add the garlic and the meat. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir constantly for about 1 minute as the flour begins to brown. Add the chili powder, broth, salt, oregano, and cumin, if you like. Continue cooking over medium heat for about 30 minutes, or until the mixture has thickened and is almost dry. Watch carefully toward the end of the cooking time, stirring frequently so as not to burn the mixture. The filling will be meltingly tender. Reserve the mixture. ( The filling can be made ahead and refrigerated for a day.)

To prepare the corn husks, cover them with hot water in a deep bowl or pan. After 30 minutes the husks should be softened and pliable. Seperate the husks and rinse them under warm running water to wash away any grit or brown silks. Soak them in fresh warm water until they are ready to use.

To prepare the dough, measure the masa harina into a large bowl. Add the oil, stock, water, chili powder, and salt. Mix with a sturdy spoon, or a powerful electric mixer, or your hands until smooth. When well blended, the masa should have the consistency of a moist cookie dough. Add more water if meeded for you preferred consistency. Keep the dough loosely covered while working.

To assemble the tamales, use approximately equal amounts of masa and filling. . To make a 2 dozen 4-ounce tamales, use 2 table spoons each of masa and filling for each tamale.
Hold a corn husk flat on one hand, smooth side up. (You may, depending on the size of the corn husks, need to overlap two husks to form one tamale. Spread the dough over the husks together, just as if they were one.) With a rubber spatula, spread a thin layer of masa across the husk, but not to the edges. Top with filling spread more thickly though the dough's center, stopping short of the dough's edges. Make sure that the dough's edges meet to enclose all of the filling. Secure the tamale by folding the wrapper over or tying it. Repeat the procedure until all the filling and masa are used.

Place the tamles in a steamer, packing loosely in crisscross directions, or stand them on end. Allow enough space between them for the steam to rise effectivle. Cover the pot and cook over simmering water for about 1 to 1 1/4 hours until the masa is firm and no longer sticks to the corn husk. Unwrap one to check its consistency.