Tamale Making 101

It's the Holiday's.

You know what that means?

 Latina's everywhere are making tamales.

It's tradition.

And what better way to get a jump on the Christmas season than to gather with the chicas for a session of Tamale Making 101.

Here I am with Professora, Virgi.

Class pet, as always.

The cast of tamale making characters....

Our hostess,

Ms. Gallup.

Sidebar:

Okay, okay, so 

 she is from New Mexico,

just not from Gallup.

Not that there's anything wrong with Gallup.

Her husband, 

Ya tah hay, 

he is from Gallup.

His name is really not Ya tah hay,

it's Tim.

I call him Ya tah hay. 

Honestly,doesn't that sound much

 more intriguing?

Tim, 

from Gallup.

No ring to it.

Nada.

Ya tah hay,

from Gallup.

Orale,

now you're talkin'.

End of sidebar, please continue.

Ms. Mexico (Susie) 

and

 The Tejana (Debbie).

Ms. Ecuador

 (Guadalupe).

Nobody poses with a tamale,

 quite like Ms. Ecuador.

Newbie to the Latina Ladies is,

Ecuadorian,

 Liz.

She fit right in with the bunch.

Making people feel at ease,

 it's what we Latina's do.

But,

 that's only at the first meeting,

after that,

you're on your own, Liz.

Mother/daughter duo,

Julie and Monica.

The Cubana,

Ana.

Don't let this moment of deep, Cuban concentration fool you.

Apparently,

 tamales are not made in Cuba,

 because she had no clue

 when it came to the tamale making business.

See here,

she's just jealous of my tamale making abilities.

My count for the night?

3.

That's right,

3.

Not a typo.

I'm a tamale making machine.

3 things,

1. It's was Tamale Making 101.

 Not Tamale Making 102, 

where you're expected to make more than 12 tamales.

2. All attendees came away with 2 dozen tamales. 

That's a good thing because

 I ate my 3 tamales

 before I headed home for the evening.

Here's a little pictorial in case you're feeling like a tamale,

 or 3.

Virgi's Tamale Recipe.

Start with a pork roast.

Cook the meat until it is falling apart.

After it's cooked,

shred it and add red chile.

Found in the freezer section of your local grocery store.

Add garlic salt to taste.

Don't make the mixture runny.

Runny is not good.

You'll need Hojas. (corn husks)

Cleaned and soaked in water.

Masa.

You'll need masa.

You can buy this already prepared at your local grocery store, as well.

Take a husk and spread one tablespoon of masa at the widest inside end.

Add some of the chile mixture.

Roll the tamale,

 folding the bottom end up.

Wrap it with a pretty bow, 

if you're so inclined.

Stand the tamales up in a pressure cooker on a bed of aluminum foil.

Add water,

making sure none of the tamales are in the water. 

Cook at a steady pressure for about 15 minutes

or 

30 minutes,

 if you have medium tamales.

Remove from cooker and let cool.

Then,

 eat and enjoy.

Or,

 if you have the willpower,

place them in plastic freezer bags and freeze for later.

Serve with beans

or

with an egg for breakfast.

Or an egg for dinner.

Go ahead, break the rules,

and 

enjoy a Latin tradition.