Restaurant Recipes
Aunt Chilada's Yucatan-Style Pork Tamales
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean pork
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 onion, cut in half
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 6 ancho chiles, seeds and membranes removed
- 8 guajillos chiles, seeds and membranes removed
- 2 tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
- 4 black peppercorns
- 2 whole cloves
- 1 pound masa
- 5 tablespoons lard
- 1 large banana leaf
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, cover the pork with water and add 1 garlic clove, 1 onion quarter and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer until pork is tender, 45 to 60 minutes.
- Shred meat, reserving the stock.
- Toast the chiles and place in a bowl, cover with warm water and soak for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, roast the tomatoes, peel and puree in a blender.
- Roast the other onion quarter, 2 cloves garlic, marjoram, peppercorns and cloves.
- Drain the chiles and transfer to a blender.
- Add the roasted onion, garlic, marjoram, peppercorns, cloves and 1 cup of the reserved stock, then puree until smooth.
- Melt 1 tablespoon lard in a skillet and sauté the chile puree for 5 minutes.
- Add the pureed tomatoes and saute for another 5 minutes; add the pork, stir and cover. Lower the heat and cook for 10 minutes.
- Hold banana leaf directly over the heat for 5 seconds.
- Cut into 5-inch squares.
- Knead masa with 2 tablespoons lard for 5 minutes.
- Grease one side of the banana leaf. Place a 3 inch square of masa on the lard and top with 1 1/2 tablespoons of pork mixture. Fold opposite edges of leaf towards the center and do the same with other edges to form a closed rectangle. Use strips of leaf to tie and secure.
- To cook, steam for about 20 minutes.
Attribution
Chef Jessie Gonzales, Aunt Chilada's - Phoenix, Arizona