I cooked the meat yesterday. Slightly freezerburned boneless chicken
thighs, slow cooked in their own juice with a little garlic and onions
until they fell apart. Shredded the meat and mixed in chile paste made
from pasilla and dundicutt peppers and more garlic. Next time I'll use
ancho instead of pasilla, the pasilla are not as good. (Dundicutt is a
round hot dried pepper from India; it has a lot better flavor than cayenne.)

The corn husks are soaking in hot water.

The goose fat doesn't hold as much air when you whip it as lard does
(it's too soft) so I cheated and added a little baking powder to the
masa. Probably not enough BP to do any good; 1/2 tsp to 2 cups of masa
harina and about 1.5 cups of "chicken picante" bouillon.

The corn husks are huge, so I may end up with about 8 to 10 extra-large
tamales instead of the 18 or 20 normal ones that I planned.

If it's a disaster, the dog loves the masa, and the chicken peccadillo
is pretty good for making tacos.

It starts in about 2 hours. (got stuff to do first).

Bob

zxcvbob > wrote:

> Next time I'll use
> ancho instead of pasilla, the pasilla are not as good.

I agree. In California they call the fresh and dried poblano a
pasilla pepper. It took a while for "poblano" and "ancho" to sink
in when I moved to Texas. So when I did find actual pasilla
peppers, I was genuinely unimpressed.

> The goose fat doesn't hold as much air when you whip it as lard does
> (it's too soft) so I cheated and added a little baking powder to the
> masa.

I use BP even with lard. And Minor's chicken base mixed with the
water. And even some chile powder and granulated onion sometimes.

> The corn husks are huge, so I may end up with about 8 to 10 extra-large
> tamales instead of the 18 or 20 normal ones that I planned.

if they're that wide, they can be ripped in half.

> It starts in about 2 hours. (got stuff to do first).

Corn husks really only need to soak for 5-15 minutes, FWIW. Extra
soaking and they rip easier.

-sw

Sqwertz wrote:
> zxcvbob > wrote:
>
>> Next time I'll use
>> ancho instead of pasilla, the pasilla are not as good.
>
> I agree. In California they call the fresh and dried poblano a
> pasilla pepper. It took a while for "poblano" and "ancho" to sink
> in when I moved to Texas. So when I did find actual pasilla
> peppers, I was genuinely unimpressed.
>
>> The goose fat doesn't hold as much air when you whip it as lard does
>> (it's too soft) so I cheated and added a little baking powder to the
>> masa.
>
> I use BP even with lard. And Minor's chicken base mixed with the
> water. And even some chile powder and granulated onion sometimes.
>
>> The corn husks are huge, so I may end up with about 8 to 10 extra-large
>> tamales instead of the 18 or 20 normal ones that I planned.
>
> if they're that wide, they can be ripped in half.
>
>> It starts in about 2 hours. (got stuff to do first).
>
> Corn husks really only need to soak for 5-15 minutes, FWIW. Extra
> soaking and they rip easier.
>
> -sw


A dozen large tamales have been in the steamer for about 30 minutes now.
It's about time to go check the water level, because the pot I'm using
for a steamer is really a pasta cooker and there's not much room for
water below the bottom of the rack. If I make a big batch, I'll have to
get out the big steamer.

I couldn't get the big ends to stay folded, so I left them open and just
folded the small ends and stood them with the open ends up.

They are starting to smell good, but I know they are not done yet.

Bob

In article >,
zxcvbob > wrote:

> I cooked the meat yesterday. Slightly freezerburned boneless chicken
> thighs, slow cooked in their own juice with a little garlic and onions
> until they fell apart. Shredded the meat and mixed in chile paste made
> from pasilla and dundicutt peppers and more garlic. Next time I'll use
> ancho instead of pasilla, the pasilla are not as good. (Dundicutt is a
> round hot dried pepper from India; it has a lot better flavor than cayenne.)
>
> The corn husks are soaking in hot water.
>
> The goose fat doesn't hold as much air when you whip it as lard does
> (it's too soft) so I cheated and added a little baking powder to the
> masa. Probably not enough BP to do any good; 1/2 tsp to 2 cups of masa
> harina and about 1.5 cups of "chicken picante" bouillon.
>
> The corn husks are huge, so I may end up with about 8 to 10 extra-large
> tamales instead of the 18 or 20 normal ones that I planned.
>
> If it's a disaster, the dog loves the masa, and the chicken peccadillo
> is pretty good for making tacos.
>
> It starts in about 2 hours. (got stuff to do first).
>
> Bob

Have fun and good luck! :-)
--
Peace! Om

"Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive." -- Dalai Lama

In article >,
zxcvbob > wrote:

> Sqwertz wrote:
> > zxcvbob > wrote:
> >
> >> Next time I'll use
> >> ancho instead of pasilla, the pasilla are not as good.
> >
> > I agree. In California they call the fresh and dried poblano a
> > pasilla pepper. It took a while for "poblano" and "ancho" to sink
> > in when I moved to Texas. So when I did find actual pasilla
> > peppers, I was genuinely unimpressed.
> >
> >> The goose fat doesn't hold as much air when you whip it as lard does
> >> (it's too soft) so I cheated and added a little baking powder to the
> >> masa.
> >
> > I use BP even with lard. And Minor's chicken base mixed with the
> > water. And even some chile powder and granulated onion sometimes.
> >
> >> The corn husks are huge, so I may end up with about 8 to 10 extra-large
> >> tamales instead of the 18 or 20 normal ones that I planned.
> >
> > if they're that wide, they can be ripped in half.
> >
> >> It starts in about 2 hours. (got stuff to do first).
> >
> > Corn husks really only need to soak for 5-15 minutes, FWIW. Extra
> > soaking and they rip easier.
> >
> > -sw
>
>
> A dozen large tamales have been in the steamer for about 30 minutes now.
> It's about time to go check the water level, because the pot I'm using
> for a steamer is really a pasta cooker and there's not much room for
> water below the bottom of the rack. If I make a big batch, I'll have to
> get out the big steamer.
>
> I couldn't get the big ends to stay folded, so I left them open and just
> folded the small ends and stood them with the open ends up.
>
> They are starting to smell good, but I know they are not done yet.
>
> Bob

You can tie the ends down with a strip of corn husk.
--
Peace! Om

"Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive." -- Dalai Lama

zxcvbob wrote:
>
> Sqwertz wrote:
> > zxcvbob > wrote:
> >
> >> Next time I'll use
> >> ancho instead of pasilla, the pasilla are not as good.
> >
> > I agree. In California they call the fresh and dried poblano a
> > pasilla pepper. It took a while for "poblano" and "ancho" to sink
> > in when I moved to Texas. So when I did find actual pasilla
> > peppers, I was genuinely unimpressed.
> >
> >> The goose fat doesn't hold as much air when you whip it as lard does
> >> (it's too soft) so I cheated and added a little baking powder to the
> >> masa.

Not really a cheat as such. Have seen enough recipes that call for
baking powder.


> >
> > I use BP even with lard. And Minor's chicken base mixed with the
> > water. And even some chile powder and granulated onion sometimes.
> >
> >> The corn husks are huge, so I may end up with about 8 to 10 extra-large
> >> tamales instead of the 18 or 20 normal ones that I planned.
> >
> > if they're that wide, they can be ripped in half.
> >
> >> It starts in about 2 hours. (got stuff to do first).
> >
> > Corn husks really only need to soak for 5-15 minutes, FWIW. Extra
> > soaking and they rip easier.
> >
> > -sw

That could depend on the husks (hojas). The ones we get here need about
at least 30 minutes to soak properly. Ripping has never been an issue,
unless the tamale was overfilled.
>
> A dozen large tamales have been in the steamer for about 30 minutes now.
> It's about time to go check the water level, because the pot I'm using
> for a steamer is really a pasta cooker and there's not much room for
> water below the bottom of the rack. If I make a big batch, I'll have to
> get out the big steamer.
>
> I couldn't get the big ends to stay folded, so I left them open and just
> folded the small ends and stood them with the open ends up.
>
> They are starting to smell good, but I know they are not done yet.
>
> Bob

Open-ended is perfectly 'valid'. Might try not filling them so full to
the top of the husk. Did you tie the tamales, with strips torn from
'bad' husks? Kitchen string works too.

Hello, I was reading these posts about tamales, one of my favorite
foods, and I saw you made mention of Miner's Chicken Base.

I got excited, as have been looking for it... I used to buy it at
Costco here in San Jose, but no more... and I miss it.

Please tell me where you purchase it?

Thank you,

~~~Dee Dee

zxcvbob wrote:
> Sqwertz wrote:
>> zxcvbob > wrote:
>>
>>> Next time I'll use ancho instead of pasilla, the pasilla are not as
>>> good.
>>
>> I agree. In California they call the fresh and dried poblano a
>> pasilla pepper. It took a while for "poblano" and "ancho" to sink
>> in when I moved to Texas. So when I did find actual pasilla
>> peppers, I was genuinely unimpressed.
>>
>>> The goose fat doesn't hold as much air when you whip it as lard does
>>> (it's too soft) so I cheated and added a little baking powder to the
>>> masa.
>>
>> I use BP even with lard. And Minor's chicken base mixed with the
>> water. And even some chile powder and granulated onion sometimes.
>>
>>> The corn husks are huge, so I may end up with about 8 to 10
>>> extra-large tamales instead of the 18 or 20 normal ones that I planned.
>>
>> if they're that wide, they can be ripped in half.
>>
>>> It starts in about 2 hours. (got stuff to do first).
>>
>> Corn husks really only need to soak for 5-15 minutes, FWIW. Extra
>> soaking and they rip easier.
>>
>> -sw
>
>
> A dozen large tamales have been in the steamer for about 30 minutes now.
> It's about time to go check the water level, because the pot I'm using
> for a steamer is really a pasta cooker and there's not much room for
> water below the bottom of the rack. If I make a big batch, I'll have to
> get out the big steamer.
>
> I couldn't get the big ends to stay folded, so I left them open and just
> folded the small ends and stood them with the open ends up.
>
> They are starting to smell good, but I know they are not done yet.
>
> Bob



They turned out pretty good, but I overfilled a couple of the smaller
husks and those burst at the seam (I ate them last night, so all that's
left are the pretty ones.)

Next time I need to add more salt to the masa, and a little more fat in
the masa unless I use a greasier filling.

The flavor is nice but rather mild, even though the filling by itself is
kind of hot. So next time I'll make the filling fiery hot. (when did
they change the spelling of "fiery"?).

I think I'm ready to make 100 of 'em on New Years Day now. And next
year, 500. :-)

Bob

In article >,
zxcvbob > wrote:

> They turned out pretty good, but I overfilled a couple of the smaller
> husks and those burst at the seam (I ate them last night, so all that's
> left are the pretty ones.)
>
> Next time I need to add more salt to the masa, and a little more fat in
> the masa unless I use a greasier filling.
>
> The flavor is nice but rather mild, even though the filling by itself is
> kind of hot. So next time I'll make the filling fiery hot. (when did
> they change the spelling of "fiery"?).
>
> I think I'm ready to make 100 of 'em on New Years Day now. And next
> year, 500. :-)
>
> Bob

Thou art ambitious. <g>
Seriously, do like the Mexicans around here do and make a party out of
it!

Serve drinks.
--
Peace! Om

"Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive." -- Dalai Lama

On Mon, 15 Dec 2008 08:51:55 -0600, zxcvbob >
wrote:
>They turned out pretty good, but I overfilled a couple of the smaller
>husks and those burst at the seam (I ate them last night, so all that's
>left are the pretty ones.)
>
>Next time I need to add more salt to the masa, and a little more fat in
>the masa unless I use a greasier filling.
>
>The flavor is nice but rather mild, even though the filling by itself is
>kind of hot. So next time I'll make the filling fiery hot. (when did
>they change the spelling of "fiery"?).
>
>I think I'm ready to make 100 of 'em on New Years Day now. And next
>year, 500. :-)
>
Go get 'em tiger.

I know what you mean about tamale filling getting milder inside the
masa. The green chile pork I put in my last batch had a decent glow
on its own, but got pretty tame after steaming in masa.
--

modom

"Omelet" > wrote in message
news
> In article >,
> zxcvbob > wrote:
>
>> I cooked the meat yesterday. Slightly freezerburned boneless chicken
>> thighs, slow cooked in their own juice with a little garlic and onions
>> until they fell apart. Shredded the meat and mixed in chile paste made
>> from pasilla and dundicutt peppers and more garlic. Next time I'll use
>> ancho instead of pasilla, the pasilla are not as good. (Dundicutt is a
>> round hot dried pepper from India; it has a lot better flavor than
>> cayenne.)
>>
>> The corn husks are soaking in hot water.
>>
>> The goose fat doesn't hold as much air when you whip it as lard does
>> (it's too soft) so I cheated and added a little baking powder to the
>> masa. Probably not enough BP to do any good; 1/2 tsp to 2 cups of masa
>> harina and about 1.5 cups of "chicken picante" bouillon.
>>
>> The corn husks are huge, so I may end up with about 8 to 10 extra-large
>> tamales instead of the 18 or 20 normal ones that I planned.
>>
>> If it's a disaster, the dog loves the masa, and the chicken peccadillo
>> is pretty good for making tacos.
>>


Any Chicken that is without peccadillos may cast the first stone.





>> It starts in about 2 hours. (got stuff to do first).
>>
>> Bob
>
> Have fun and good luck! :-)
> --
> Peace! Om
>
> "Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity
> cannot survive." -- Dalai Lama

Mike wrote:
>> zxcvbob > wrote:
>>
>>> I cooked the meat yesterday. Slightly freezerburned boneless chicken
>>> thighs, slow cooked in their own juice with a little garlic and onions
>>> until they fell apart. Shredded the meat and mixed in chile paste made
>>> from pasilla and dundicutt peppers and more garlic. Next time I'll use
>>> ancho instead of pasilla, the pasilla are not as good. (Dundicutt is a
>>> round hot dried pepper from India; it has a lot better flavor than
>>> cayenne.)
>>>
[snip]
>>>
>>> If it's a disaster, the dog loves the masa, and the chicken peccadillo
>>> is pretty good for making tacos.
>>>
>
>
> Any Chicken that is without peccadillos may cast the first stone.
>
>



Thank you. I was beginning to think *nobody* got the joke. (I didn't
say it was funny, just a joke ;-) picadillo <--> peccadillo.

Bob