MAMA'S DECORATED CHRISTMAS COOKIES
1/2 lb. butter (use real butter)
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
2 tsp. vanilla
3 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. salt
DECORATIONS:
Colored sugars, chocolate chips,
tiny multi-colored candies, etc.
Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir into the butter mixture, blend well. Chill thoroughly. Roll out small portions of the dough at a time to slightly less than 1/8 inch thickness. Cut with Christmas cookie cutters. Place an inch apart on a lightly-greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees, 10 to 12 minutes or until delicately browned at the edges. Remove to rack to cool. Frost the cookies with the sugar glaze, using a knife for spreading. Before the glaze hardens, sprinkle with decorations as desired.
GLAZE:
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar, sifted
3 tbsp. light corn syrup
2 tbsp. milk
1/4 tsp. vanilla
Food coloring (optional)
Combine first 4 ingredients well. Separate portions of the frosting and tint with food coloring, if desired. Cover with a damp cloth until ready to use.
PUMPKIN GINGERBREAD
1 2/3 cups flour
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. soda
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cloves
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 cup cooked, mashed pumpkin (can be canned)
1/3 cup water
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
Sift dry ingredients and set aside. Cream butter and sugar well, using an electric mixer gives better results. Add eggs and beat. Add flour mixture, water, and pumpkin alternately by thirds. Fold in nuts. Pour into greased and floured 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees about 60 minutes, until top springs back and toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. Cool and serve with whipped cream. Makes a great gift and freezes well.
RITA'S AUTHENTIC TAMALES
THE NIGHT BEFORE:
6 lbs. pork shoulder, cut through bone
6 lbs. pork butt
4 tbsp. salt
2 whole garlic heads (remove excess skin)
Combine these ingredients in a large pot
with enough water to cover the meat. Bring it
to a boil and simmer all night (at least 7 hours)
with a very low flame/heat. The meat will be
falling off the bone tender. You could use a couple
of large crockpots instead.
CHILI PREPARATION:
Approximately 20 chili pasilla, dried (2 pkgs.)
Approximately 6 chili California, dried (1/2 pkg.)
The seeds and veins are very hot, so you must remove all of the seeds and as much of the vein as possible. Pull out the stem and tear the chili with your fingers to remove the seeds and veins. Wash the chilies well and put into a large pot with a lid. Cover the chiles with boiling water and cover; set overnight. ***You may want to use gloves while cleaning the chiles.
CORN HUSK PREPARATION:
Soak 2 packages of dried corn husks in a large container of very hot water.
THE NEXT MORNING:
Remove the pot of meat from the stove and allow the meat to cool in the broth. When it is cool, remove bones and save the garlic heads. Put the meat into a colander and save the broth for later use. Shred the meat with your hands and take the garlic heads and press the juice from the heads into the meat.
RED CHILI SAUCE FOR PICADILLO (MEAT):
Chiles you have soaking in pot
4 tbsp. cumin seed (grind in molcajete or coffee grinder)
2 tsp. whole oregano (crumble leaves)
1 cinnamon stick
1 medium onion, cut in quarters
1 whole garlic head, separated into cloves and peeled
Salt to taste
Heat a saucepan large enough to hold the meat and the sauce on low heat. Meanwhile, in a blender, add a handful of the soaked chiles with 1 1/2 cups of reserved broth and puree. Pour this into the heated saucepan and raise the heat. Continue this process to the final batch. In the final batch, add remaining ingredients and puree. Add the final batch to the saucepan, stirring continually. When the sauce boils, add the shredded meat and cook until the meat comes to a boil. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring constantly. If the meat needs more liquid, add small amounts of the reserved broth. Meat is now ready to remove from the stove to fill the tamales.
MASA DOUGH:
12 lbs. prepared masa (fresh corn prepared masa)
1/2 cup meat broth
2 tbsp. baking powder
1 tbsp. salt
1 cup lard, melted (do not substitute)
Using your hands, knead the dough until the masa expands and is very fluffy. This can take up to an hour and a half. Masa will float to the top when a small ball is dropped into a cup of cold water, that's when it's ready. More broth from meat can be added, a small amount at a time, if the masa seems too thick to spread easily. The masa should be used the same day it is bought. It should not be refrigerated. It's a good idea to have someone else pick up the masa. Fresh corn masa can be ordered ahead from many supermarkets during the holiday season or from a local specialty shop.
ASSEMBLY:
Shake the corn husks well to remove any excess water and pick the silk off. Pat them dry with a towel. Stand them in a large bowl. Smear a thin coat (1 heaping tablespoon) of masa over the broadest part of the husk. Spread 1 heaping tablespoon of filling down the middle of the masa. Fold the right side over the filling and then fold, or roll the left side over the previously folded side. Fold the pointed end (no masa is there) of the husk down over the tamale. The wide end remains open because it's not folded over by husk. The best way to do this step is by assembly line. One person on husks, one on masa, one on meat and perhaps one to fold and place in steamer.
STEAMING THE TAMALES:
The most convenient way to cook tamales is a conventional steamer. You can, of course, improvise, but improvisations are not usually as efficient because a lot of good steam escapes and the cooking is not as even. Fill the bottom of the steamer with broth from meat up to the level indicated and bring it to a boil. As the liquid in the bottom part comes to a boil, put a quarter into it, and put the top part of the steamer on.
Stack the tamales upright and for best results they should be packed firmly but not too tightly, because the husks swell out as the masa dough cooks. Cover the top of the steamer with heavy duty foil. Seal tightly so steam does not escape, and let the tamales cook for 2 hours over a medium flame. Keep the water bubbling, but not boiling violently. That is the reason for the quarter. You will be able to hear it dancing about and it will tell you if the water goes off the boil or is getting dangerously low. If the water is allowed to go off the boil, the tamales will be heavy.
To test the tamales for doneness (after 2 hours), remove one from the center and one from the side of the steamer. As you open the husks, the dough should come away easily from the husks and be completely smooth. To make doubly sure, open up the tamales and see if they are spongy and well cooked throughout. Once cooked, the tamales are very easy to handle.
Leftover, they are also good heated through very gently in their husks in an ungreased heavy frying pan or microwave. When they are heated in a frying pan, keep turning them so that they heat through evenly and the husk gets slightly browned but does not burn. They can be refrigerated and will keep well stored that way for about a week. It is best, however, to freeze them. To reheat, they can be wrapped in foil, put into a 350 degree oven still frozen and reheated for about 30 minutes. They can also be reheated in the microwave oven. The best result is to steam them again.
VEGETARIAN TAMALE CASSEROLE
FILLING:
1 tbsp. safflower or olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 cloves fresh garlic, pressed
1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste,
plus 2 1/2 cans of water
1 lb. ripe tomatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 green bell peppers, diced
1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen corn or
fresh corn from 2 large ears
1 (4 oz.) can sliced ripe olives, rinsed and drained
1 heaping tbsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tsp. raw honey
Vegetable salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Heat oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat, and saute onion and garlic. Add tomato paste with water, and stir well. When sauce becomes hot, add tomatoes, peppers, corn, olives, seasonings and honey, and simmer until vegetables are semi-tender. The filling should be slightly thick, but add more water if it becomes too dry. Pour mixture into a roasting pan or a large oven-proof dish.
TOPPING:
2/3 cup stone-ground yellow cornmeal
2 2/3 cups water
Pinch of sea salt
1/2 cup aged Cheddar cheese, grated
In a large saucepan, bring cornmeal, water and salt to a boil. Boil 5 minutes, then lower heat to a simmer, cover and cook slowly for 25 minutes until cornmeal becomes a thick mush. Stir this mixture often. Spoon cornmeal mush evenly over the tamale mixture, then sprinkle the top with grated cheese. Bake loosely covered with foil in a 350 degree oven for 50 minutes, or until the casserole is heated through. Uncover the last 10 minutes of baking to lightly brown the cheese.
HOPPIN' JOHN
2 cups dried blackeyed peas
1 medium sized ham hock
1 cup diced onion
1 cup sliced celery
1 bay leaf
1 can tomatoes (1 lb. size)
4 cups water
4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 cup uncooked rice
Soak peas overnight. Drain off water and cook with onion, celery, bay leaf, and water. Some like to cook the ham hock with the peas from the start, but I cook it separately in half the water, then chill it, remove the bone and fat from the liquid, and add the cut up ham bits and the ham juice to the peas. I use my crockpot, but a saucepan will do. Simmer the peas until they are tender, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Now add the tomatoes, salt and pepper. They can simmer along all afternoon, but add the rice 1/2 hour before you plan to serve your meal. More water can be added if needed. The ham hock has to be boned and minced at some time before you serve this dish, so if you don't cook it separately, allow time to do this, then add ham back to the peas. Serve hot with cornbread. "If you want good luck for the year ahead, avoid the fowl, eat pork instead." This Southern tradition came from the slaves, who taught us that eating "poor man's food on New Year's means you'll eat rich the rest of the year."
VEGETARIAN BLACKEYED PEAS
1 lb. blackeyed peas (3 cups)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 quarts water
1 tsp. salt
2 cups chopped carrot (2 medium)
1 large green pepper, chopped
3 to 4 bay leaves
2 sprigs parsley
1 to 2 tsp. bouquet garni
1 tbsp. olive oil
Cooked brown rice
Soak blackeyed peas as directed overnight. Drain and discard water. Combine blackeyed peas with all ingredients except salt and olive oil. Heat to boiling. Simmer, covered 30 to 45 minutes until tender, or cook in crockpot. Drain liquid, remove bay leaf and parsley sprigs. Add salt and olive oil. Place blackeyed peas in serving dish. Sprinkle with additional herbs if desired. Serve over brown rice.
