One of my most prized possessions I lost in the flood was my collection of personal recipes spanning 30 years of trial and error. They were in a folder about an inch thick.

I made some tamales yesterday that were good, but not as good as the ones I used to make. I had found a recipe for pork filling that included a dash or so of cinnamon. It was an adaptation of a recipe native Mexican chef had shared with me. The left over birth was turned into a chile mole to serve over them.

So I was wondering if anyone here might be familiar with such a recipe. I know it included various fresh and dried chilies as well as cumin and a few other spices, but I can’t remember what they were.

Abrignac wrote:

**** that recipe!

opelmanta1900 wrote:

We buy from the little mescan neighbor lady.......she gave this to my wife in case anything ever happened to her,we do love our tamales

Two dozen tamales

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3-4 lbs hogs head meat

4 cloves garlic, peeled

3 dried ancho chilies

3 dried pasilla chilies

1 1/2 teaspoons toasted ground cumin

4 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

For the masa:

2/3 cups lard

4 cups masa harina

1 tablespoons baking powder

1 tablespoons salt

3 cups warm pork stock, reserved from hog head boil

24 corn husks, soaked in hot water until softened

. In a large pot, place the hogs head and garlic, cover with water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and skim the surface as needed. Cook for 2 hours, or until tender.

In the meantime, puree the peppers with about 1½ cups of their soaking water. Take the pork out of the liquid and reserve the broth for making the masa. Pick the meat off the head and place in a bowl and add the garlic and the chili puree to it. Toss this mixture together and season with the toasted cumin and salt.

In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add the lard and cream it until it’s light and fluffy.

In a separate bowl, mix the masa harina with the baking powder and salt, then gradually add the dry ingredients to the lard a little at a time. Add the stock—you want the masa to be pretty smooth and not too stiff so it can spread easily.

Pat the corn husks dry and, using your hands, add 3 tablespoons of masa—about the size of a golf ball—to the center of the smooth, concave side of one of the corn husks with the tapered side facing away from you. Spread it out in the center of the husk leaving room at the top and bottom for folding. Place 2 tablespoons of the pork filling in the center of the masa then fold the sides of the masa around it so that the pork is completely covered. Fold the tapered end of the husk over, toward the bottom. Repeat with the remaining husks to make 24 tamales.

Steam the tamales with the bottom of the husk facing down for about 45 minutes, or until the masa releases from the husk. Let rest for 10 to 15 minutes and enjoy!

Whistlebritches wrote:

That sounds about right. Thanks

Abrignac wrote: