The last time I made tamales was about fifteen years ago, when a group of us got together with some talented and friendly Mexican moms. They very kindly helped us learn how to make these delicious treats. These women did most of the work ahead of time, so that all we gringos had to do was put the masa inside the corn husk, add some filling, and then wrap it up. Even with all of us working together, it took several hours to complete the task.
Making tamales on Christmas Eve is something of a tradition in parts of Texas, but I had too much to do that day and opted to make them on New Year’s Eve instead.
I decided to serve two fillings: one with pulled chicken and salsa Verde, the other with refried beans and vegan mozzarella cheese. The chicken was made in the slow cooker the day before, and the beans and cheese were mixed at the very last minute. The masa was prepared using vegetable oil instead of lard and was ready for when company arrived.
So on New Year’s Eve, we hosted our first tamalada, a tamale-making party. Both of my daughters-in-law did a terrific job of putting the tamales together, and they brought their Insta Pots so we could cook all of them at the same time. I was able to focus on cooking the yellow rice, so it wasn’t a terrible burden on any of us.
And the tamales turned out great! After we enjoyed dinner, all of us went outside and (safely) set off fireworks, which you will be pleased to know are legal where we live. I love to watch them, but this year my son helped me actually set one off. It was fun, am glad I did it, and I have no plans to do it again.
But I do think I will make tamales again, and probably won’t wait a whole year to do so.
Happy New Year!