Tamales

Ingredients

• Take two quarts yellow, dried corn
• one-half teacupful lime
• two cups of dripping
• three dozen red chiles
• almost a head of garlic
• one onion
• a cup of raisins
• a cup of olives
• a teaspoonful of sugar
• a little salt and pepper

Method

1. 1

   Boil in water mixed with lime until well cooked.

2. 2

   Wash thoroughly and grind on the 'metate' three times, until it becomes very fine.

3. 3

   Boil a piece of beef until tender, water being seasoned with salt.

4. 4

   Remove and let cool; then cut in small pieces.

5. 5

   Mix with corn (which has been rolled on the 'metate') enough of the water in which the beef was boiled to make it soft, and add two cups of dripping.

6. 6

   Season with a little salt and knead thoroughly.

7. 7

   After this take three dozen red chiles, remove seeds, then roast in a moderate oven for a few seconds.

8. 8

   Remove from oven and place in tepid water, then grind on the 'metate' several times, together with almost a head of garlic.

9. 9

   Strain carefully.

10. 10

    In a stewpan place some dripping, and when hot drop in one onion, cut fine, and a spoonful of flour.

11. 11

    Let it cook a little while, and then drop in the chile.

12. 12

    Let it come to a boil, then add the cut meat, a cup of raisins, a cup of olives, a teaspoonful of sugar, a little salt and pepper, and let it boil again.

13. 13

    Then remove from the fire.

14. 14

    Soak dry corn leaves in cold water; when well soaked shake them well and apply a thin layer of the corn dough on the half of each leaf, then put a spoonful of the stew on the prepared leaf and cover with prepared leaves and tie the ends with strings made of the same leaf.

15. 15

    When tamales are finished, place them in a large pot with a little boiling water, and boil them one hour.

16. 16

    Any other meat can be used if desired.

Nutrition per serving

As published

This recipe was extracted from Manual for army cooks (1896) by United States. War Dept. Subsistence Dept., page 86. The excerpt below is the record exactly as published.

Take two quarts yellow, dried corn and boil in water mixed with one-half teacupful lime. Let it boil until w ell cooked . Wash thoroughly and gr i nd on the "metate" three times, until it becomes very fine. Boil a j^iece of beef until tender, water being seasoned with salt. Remove and let cool ; then cut in small pieces. Mix with corn (which has been rolled on the "metate") enough of the water in which the beef was boiled to make it soft, and add two cups of dripping. Season with a little salt and knead thoroughly. After this take three dozen red chiles, remove seeds, then roast in a moderate oven for a few seconds. Remove from oven and place in tepid water, then grind on the "metate" several times, together with almost a head of garlic. Strain carefully. In a stewpan place some dripping, and when hot drop in one onion, cut fine, and a spoonful of flour. Let it cook a little while, and then drop in the chile. Let it come to a boil, then add the cut meat, a cup of raisins, a cup of olives, a teaspoonful of sugar, a little salt and pepper, and let it boil again. Then remove from the fire. Soak dry corn leaves in cold water ; when well soaked shake them well and apply a thin layer of the corn dough on the half of each 190 MANUAL FOR ARMY COOKS. leaf, then put a spoonful of the stew on the pre- pared leaf and cover with prepared leaves and tie the ends with strings made of the same leaf. When tamales

Cook this with the app: pantry check, scaling, and the assistant.