I totally get why traditionally women gather at 'Tamale parties' to make this stuff. It took me hours in the kitchen! But I have been asked many times over this year to make tamales and I've been saying 'someday.'
Well, someday was today.
It takes a while to make tamales so I made a whole mess o' them. It is a black bean filling that I cooked not with lard, but with 1/2 T of toasted sesame oil (hinting at a pork-flavor; idea from Bryanna Clark Brogan). I wrapped them in banana leaves and corn husks and served them with roasted tomatillo and chipotle salsa. I made Mexican rice - using brown rice.
Everything was absolutely fantastic!
Boy, that was a whole blog-full!
I wonder what next year's tamales will have in them...
Cost Breakdown:
masa: $1
shortening: $3
beans and rice: $2
tomato, tomatillo : $6
onion, garlic, chipotle: $1.50
corn husks and banana leaves: $4
Total to make 25 tamales and
2 days' worth of outstanding Mexican rice:
$17.50
