Holy Hot Tamales!

Last night after cooking for about 8 hours, I was going to start this post like so:

What is better than homemade tamales? How about the kind you buy from a store that take 30 minutes to steam and save you 7 1/2 hours of your life? Disclaimer: They only took so long because I will dilly dallying along and wasn't really trying to speed things along, or multitasking)

However, after eating one of the tamales I had to admit that the homemade ones won hands down (even on my first attempt). They even looked cute, like little presents.

This mother's day I decided to make these for my mom-in-law Kim as her present. I also made a "Tres Leches" cake (that she'd been craving) as well, but forgot to take the picture with the strawberries and whipped cream. So I'll post the picture tomorrow. However, here are the recipes for everything in the mean time. If you have a hankering for a back ache and a lost day I DEFINITELY recommend these! So yummy!

Green Chili Chicken Tamales

Filling
1 8-ounce package dried corn husks
1 pound tomatillos, husked, rinsed

4 3-inch-long serrano chiles, stemmed, chopped

4 large garlic cloves, chopped

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups low-salt chicken broth

4 cups (packed) coarsely shredded cooked chicken (about 1 pound) 

2/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Dough

1 1/3 cups lard or solid vegetable shortening

1 1/2 teaspoons salt (omit if masa mixture contains salt) 

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder (omit if masa mixture contains baking powder) 

4 cups freshly ground masa dough for tamales (34 to 36 ounces), or make masa dough with 31/2 cups masa harina (corn tortilla mix; about 17 ounces) mixed with
2 cups (about) low-salt chicken broth (I used a more, like ½ cup at least)

For filling:
Place husks in large pot or large bowl; add water to cover. Place heavy plate on husks to keep submerged. Let stand until husks soften, turning occasionally, at least 3 hours and up to 1 day.

Preheat broiler. Line heavy baking sheet with foil. Arrange tomatillos on prepared sheet. Broil until tomatillos blacken in spots, turning once, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer tomatillos and any juices on sheet to processor and cool.

Add chiles and garlic to processor and blend until smooth puree forms. Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add tomatillo puree and boil 5 minutes, stirring often. Add broth. Reduce heat to medium; simmer until sauce coats spoon thickly and is reduced to 1 cup, stirring occasionally, about 40 minutes. Season with salt.

Mix in chicken and cilantro. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)

For dough: 

Using electric mixer, beat lard (with salt and baking powder, if using) in large bowl until fluffy.

Beat in fresh masa or masa harina mixture in 4 additions. Reduce speed to low and gradually beat in 1 1/2 cups broth, forming tender dough. If dough seems firm, beat in enough broth, 2 tablespoons at a time, to soften. (You know it’s ready when the consistency is a bit thicker than creamy peanut butter and a small ball of it will float in a glass of cold water.)

Fill bottom of pot with steamer insert with enough water (about 2 inches) to reach bottom of insert. Line bottom of insert with some softened corn husks. Tear 3 large husks into 1/4-inch-wide strips to use as ties and set aside. Open 2 large husks on work surface. Spread 1/4 cup dough in 4-inch square in center of each, leaving 2- to 3-inch plain border at narrow end of husk. Spoon heaping tablespoon filling in strip down center of each dough square. (It helps to spread the masa dough by putting a scoop in the center and than using a soft slightly moist corn husk to flatten it down, this sticks less than doing it with your hands.)

Fold long sides of husk and dough over filling to cover. Fold up narrow end of husk. Tie folded portion with strip of husk to secure, leaving wide end of tamale open. Stand tamales in steamer basket. Repeat with more husks, dough, and filling until all filling has been used. If necessary to keep tamales upright in steamer, insert pieces of crumpled foil between them.

Bring water in pot to boil. Cover pot and steam tamales until dough is firm to touch and separates easily from husk, adding more water to pot as necessary, about 45 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cool 1 hour. Cover and chill. Before serving, re-steam tamales until hot, about 40 minutes.)


Mexican Rice

2 cups long grain rice
1 tbsp vegetable oil
½-1 cup diced onion
1 diced ripe tomato
4 cups chicken broth
3 “knorr tomate” bouillon cubes

At medium-high heat, warm up oil. Add rice and brown stirring constantly for about 3 minutes. Add diced onions and brown rice for about 5 more minutes, or until rice browns. Add tomatoes and fry with rice and onions for about 2 minutes. Warm up chicken broth and pour in. Add bouillon cubes and stir. Heat until it boils. Cover with lid and lower heat to low. Cook for 15 minutes or until water/broth is absorbed.


Tres Leches Cake

Cake:
6 large eggs, separated
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream topping: 

1 14-ounce can evaporated milk 

1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk 

1 cup heavy cream

To make the cake:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease and flour a 9 by 13-inch baking dish and set aside.
In the bowl of a mixer, beat the egg whites on low speed until soft peaks form. Add the sugar gradually with the mixer running and peak to stiff peaks. Add the egg yolks 1 at a time, beating well after the addition of each.
Sift together the flour and baking powder and add to the egg mixture, alternating with the milk. (Do this quickly so the batter does not lose volume.) Add the vanilla. Bake until golden, 25 minutes.

To make the cream topping:
In a blender, combine the evaporated milk, condensed milk, and heavy cream and blend on high speed.
Remove the cake from the oven and while still warm, poke holes 1" apart into the cake. Pour the cream mixture over it. Let sit and cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 4 hours or overnight.