Tamales Verdes

You will need corn husks to wrap the tamales in. They can be purchased along with the masa harina at a Mexican grocer or a well-stocked grocery store. The corn husks must be soaked in water for at least an hour before using.

Step 1: the filling

1. Roast the tomatillos in a 375F oven until blackened on both sides.
2. In a blender, blend the tomatillos, jalapeno or serrano chili, garlic, and cilantro.
3. Roast the green onions in a cast iron pan until blackened on both sides.
4. Add the blended tomatillo sauce and chicken broth to the pan. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer until the sauce has reduced and thickened.
5. Season to taste.
6. In a large bowl, shred your chicken.
7. Add the green tomatillo sauce and cheese to the chicken.

Step 2: corn masa
(Follow the instructions on the package of the masa harina.)

A couple of tips for making the masa:

1. Your broth is so important to making a great tasting tamale. Use the stock from whatever kind of meat you have boiled.
2. The pork lard is an important ingredient here as well. Please stay away from the shelf hydrogenated, tasteless stuff. Instead, find your local family farmer and ask them for rendered leaf lard. If you can’t find rendered leaf lard from a family farmer, a great tip is to ask the meat counter at your Mexican grocer for Manteca de Cerdo. It’s not as clean but it’s natural, healthier and hasn’t been processed!

Step 3: assembly
(For photo illustrations, please visit my blog.)

1. You can fill the tamale with as much masa as you personally like. I prefer mine thinner, so I use about a heaping tablespoon and a half of masa for each tamale. Fill the corn husk with masa, starting on one edge, leaving about 1 1/2 inch of space on the opposite side. Add as much or as little filling as you would like and carefully fold the corn husk over, sealing the masa from one end to the other. Make a second roll, bring the bottom flap up and tie with a long piece of corn husk. It takes some getting used to, but once you get going, it’s easy peasy!

2. Once your tamales are all filled and rolled, you will need a steamer, or tamalera, which can also be purchased at a Mexican grocer. You will need to fill the bottom with water and bring to a boil. Once it’s boiling, add the tamales. I stand them up and usually fill the entire bottom area.

3. Cover with a damp towel and lid. Steam for 1 hour or until the masa easily pulls away from the husk.

There you go! Christmas Eve Tamales!