Mod Mex: Cooking Vibrant Fiesta Flavors at Home

Pork Tamales in Salsa Verde

Tamales are steamed dumplings made with coarsely ground corn flour. The flour is blended with either chicken stock or warm water, and lard or other fat, to make dough, or masa (see page 8), and generally wrapped in corn husks or banana leaves. The tamales are filled and then steamed over water. Although quite simple, these pork tamales, made with tender pork with salsa verde spooned on top, are vastly superior to commercial varieties. They may be kept in the refrigerator for up to 1 week and even reheated in a microwave oven for lunch.

Salsa Verde

10 tomatillos, husked
1 medium yellow onion, quartered
6 cloves garlic
2 jalapeño or serrano chiles
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds boneless pork shoulder, trimmed and cut into 2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 cups chicken broth
¼ cup corn flour for tortillas

Tamale dough (masa)

2 cups corn flour for tamales
2 cups warm water or chicken stock
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
6 tablespoons lard (see Glossary) or vegetable shortening
6 tablespoons unsalted butter

12 dry corn husks, soaked in warm water for 10 to 15 minutes until soft and pliable

Roasted Chile Rajas (page 22), or strips of roasted pepper, for garnish

Makes 12 tamales

Make the salsa verde: In a medium-large saucepan, bring about 12 cups of water to a boil. Add the tomatillos, onion, garlic, and chiles and simmer for 5 minutes, and then drain. Transfer the mixture to the jar of an electric blender along with the cilantro and lime juice, and purée until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Return the mixture to a saucepan, simmer gently for 15 minutes more, taste to adjust the seasonings, and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 300°F.

Season the meat on all sides with salt and pepper. Heat a medium-size pot or roasting pan over high heat until hot. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil and the pork and sear until the meat is golden brown on all sides, about 2 minutes per side, turning often.

Pour in the prepared salsa verde and the chicken broth, cover the pan with a lid or aluminum foil, and bake for about 1 ½ hours, or until the meat is very tender. With a slotted spoon, remove the pork from the liquid, let it cool, and then tear it into small shreds. Reserve the liquid.

Strain the cooking liquid into a clean pot, return it to the stove over medium heat, and bring to a simmer. In a small bowl, stir the ¼ cup of corn flour together with the remaining ¼ cup of water until smooth. Starting with about half of the flour-water mixture, gradually whisk it into the sauce, adding more until a smooth, creamy texture is achieved, stirring continuously, and slowly simmer for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a skillet over high heat. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil, return the meat to the pan, and brown it lightly, and then stir in 1 cup of the thickened salsa verde to moisten the mixture. Season to taste and reserve for the tamale preparation.

Make the tamale dough: While the pork is cooking, combine the corn flour, water or stock, baking powder, salt, and lard or shortening in the bowl of a stand mixer fixed with the paddle attachment. Mix at medium speed for about 3 minutes, until the tamale masa mixture becomes light and fluffy. Or turn out on a board with a little extra corn flour and knead until smooth.

For each corn husk, spread about ¼ cup of masa into the center, and spoon about 3 tablespoons of pork into the center. Fold the corn husk according to the photos.

In a medium-size pot, bring about 2 cups of water to a simmer. Put the tamales in the water, standing each on end with the folded side down, cover, and cook for 1 hour.

Turn off the heat, and let the tamales rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Serve warm with plenty of warm thickened salsa verde and garnish with Roasted Chile Rajas or strips of roasted red pepper.

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Contact: Tammie Barker, (800) 851-8923, ext. 6921, tbarker@amuniversal.com

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Mod Mex: Cooking Vibrant Fiesta Flavors at Home

Authors: Scott Linquist and Joanna Pruess
ISBN: 978-0-7407-6865-1
Format: Hardcover: 7 ½ x 11, 224 pages
Price: $24.95 ($29.95 Canada)