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A Jolly Tamale Christmas
The official New Mexico question is “Red or Green?,” but we at
New Mexico Magazine say, why choose? It is Christmas, after all.
So we headed to the Santa Fe School of Cooking to bake, fold, and stew up traditional recipes just right for your own holiday fiesta. So from our table to yours, here’s to spicy foods and good moods!
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| From Top: Culinary Director Rocky Durham with Publisher Ethel Hess. Advertising Accounts Manager Denise Lente with Durham. Kitchen Manager Noe Cano and Art Director Fabian West. Photograpy by Lois Ellen Frank, www.redmesacuisine.com |
Duck Tamales
This take on traditional tamales uses duck, soy sauce, and fresh ginger for a pan-Asian flavor. Makes 24 tamales.
Masa
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups masa harina
2–2½ cups warm water (or as needed)
Cream together butter, baking powder, salt, and masa harina with electric mixer until texture is light and even. With beaters still turning, pour in warm water until texture is creamy and spreadable. To test, drop a teaspoon-sized ball of masa into a glass of water: The ball should float to the surface. Cover tightly and set aside at room temperature until needed.
Filling
1 bunch scallions, finely chopped
4 duck legs
¾ cup dark soy sauce
1½ cups brown sugar
2 small oranges, halved
3 tablespoons fresh gingerroot, chopped
1 stick canela (a.k.a. Mexican cinnamon)
2 pieces star anise
2 guajillo chiles
water as needed
Reserving ½ cup of chopped scallions, place remainder of scallions and all other ingredients in stockpot and add water until duck legs are just covered. Bring mixture to a simmer and cook until meat easily pulls away from bones (about 1½ hours). Remove legs from pot and reserve liquid. Pick meat and skin from bones and place in the work bowl of an electric mixer.
Return bones to liquid and simmer to reduce, until consistency is syrupy. Strain liquid to use later on cooked tamales. Add reserved scallions to meat and mix until it has the appearance of pulled pork, adding liquid to taste.
Tamales (bolitos style)
Soak cornhusks in warm water overnight, or immerse in boiling water for an hour. Drain.
Starting at edge of cornhusk, tear away a thin strip and set aside. Place 1–2 tablespoons of prepared masa in center of softened husk and spread into rectangle. Add several teaspoons of filling in center of masa. Fold one side of husk over filling, then fold opposite side over folded side. (The edges of the husk should barely overlap, to permit easy opening later.) Using the strip of husk, tie each end of tamale, near the filling, to seal.
To cook: Fill bottom of steamer with 2–3 inches of water. Drop a pebble in the bottom. Line steamer basket with extra cornhusks and place in steamer. Place tamales in flat layers on cornhusks and cover with a few more husks, to prevent drying out. Cover steamer, bring water to a boil, and cook tamales for 45–50 minutes, or until they feel firm and husks easily peel away from filling. Listen to the pot as it boils; you’ll hear the pebble bouncing in the pan as long as there’s still water to boil; if the noise stops, add more water. When tamales are cooked, let rest for several minutes before serving.
Note: Turn to our print edition for more holiday recipes, including Feast Day posole, green chile stew, tortillas, and bizcochitos.
Now You're Cooking: Try it yourself. Santa Fe School of Cooking has been offering classes year-round for more than 19 years on such diverse topics as Wines of New Mexico, Southwest Tapas, and Native American foods. Their Holiday Foods of New Mexico class takes place December 13. The school offers demonstration classes as well as customized hands-on experiences by appointment only. Register or shop their market for New Mexico ingredients at (505) 983-4511 or www.santafeschoolofcooking.com
