Andale, tamale...er something.

Since it's so chilly out tonight, and we opted for creative leftovers and anything else in our fridge for dinner, I found myself reminiscing back to the tamales I made a few weeks ago.  I don't really know what prompted me to do it.  New cooking challenge, perhaps.  They were pretty tasty, but for me, it's definitely a weekend (or a when you have more time to cook) meal. 

 Want to give em a try yourself?  I'm going to do my best to remember my altered recipe.  See, I like to look at about 4 different recipes before I make something new and then combine the aspects I think sound good.  So, here's how to do it...(I think)

To begin:

Put 1 lb pork shoulder in the crock pot with 1 cup beef stock, 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1/4 cup diced tomatoes, 1 white onion (chopped), 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon minced garlic.  Then, add water to almost cover the meat.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Once the meat is done...

Shred the meat using two forks.  Save the broth.  In a large saucepan, mix shredded pork with 'taco sauce' using enough to coat (maybe 1/2 cup).  Simmer, covered for 10 minutes.

Now for the tamales...

First, soak corn husks in warm water for at least 20 minutes.  Beat 1/4 cup shortening on medium speed for 1 minute.  In a separate bowl, stir together 1 3/4 cups masa harina, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, and 2 teaspoons salt.  Alternately add masa harina mixture and broth (reserved from before) to shortening mixture, beating well after every addition.  Add just enough broth to make a thicky, creamy paste.

To assemble...

Spread 2 tablespoons of the masa mixture on the center of the corn husk (can be doubled if corn husks are small).  Place about 1 tablespoon of the meat and sauce mixture in the middle of the masa.  Fold in sides of the husk and fold up the bottom.  I used a toothpick to keep mine together. 

To cook...

Place a mound of extra husks in the center of a steamer basket in a large pot.  Lean the tamales in the basket.  Add water to the pot, just below the basket.  Bring water to a boil and reduce heat.  Cover and steam for 40 minutes, adding more water if necessary. 

Serve with hot sauce!  I have to admit, they were pretty tasty...which was good, because if they weren't I wasn't going through all the trouble of making them again :)  But, it's definitely something we'll try again!