When I was a young woman I moved from my Aunts home in San Jose California to a small cabin in the Los Gatos foothils. on a road named after the man who invented the Steson hat. The cabin was on the propety that used to belong to the Stetson, and had some how passed to the owner of a local gasoline station in Los Gatos, I have long forgotten the names of my land lords but never about the old Victorian that they owned.
Amonst all the things in the home I found an old book called Mrs. Curtises household discoveries and cook book. It is full of a plethora of information on how to take care of a home, albeit one in the 1900's however I have discovered that some household tips are timeless. So I am going to share my favorite tips and recipies from this wonderful book. You can access it online if you want to read all 1,000 plus pages. There are no copy rights so I am free to share all I want.
I also will share recipies from my family and childhood here in Mexico. Enjoy
Today we are approching Christmas so I decided to share a story about the first time I made Tamales. Its an excerpt from my memoir Not from here Not from there.
CHRISTMAS 1966
Christmas in La Paz is like Christmas in July. It is usually sunny, warm and there's definitely no snow on the ground. The closest snow is in the Sierra De La Laguna, and you have to use a pack mule to get there. And that is now. In 1966, one had to walk. Only the very adventurous hiked there, it took all of a day, through hot dry desert scrub, and eventually a pine forest. It was an untouched, pristine beauty. Eventually, the hippies found the place.
I haven't been there...ever—but I've heard stories. My brother Rafa, my first real boyfriend Packo, and several other friends from the secundaria Morelos visited in the 1970's.The class of 1968 hikes up there on annual excursions. They are a fun adventurous group. Unfortunately for me, I can’t walk from here to the corner without experiencing severe pain, so it looks like I will never have the pleasure of seeing La Sierra De La Laguna.
So, no snow in La Paz and no Christmas trees, except artificial ones.
Today fresh trees are shipped in from Oregon down the trans-peninsular highway. Mexican traditions are slowly blending in with those from El Norte. Trees are replacing nacimientos. Santa is replacing the three wise men and the niño Dios.
In the 60's a live tree was for the wealthy, or for those who had children raised in the States who begged and begged until the parents made great sacrifices gave in and bought a tree.This
was the case with us as I refuse to have an artificial tree, and for
once, my mother agrees with me. If we are going to celebrate and use
a tree, then it must be one that has a smell. After-all, the point of
the tree is symbolic. And I the reader of mysteries, legends, and
fables, have read the legend of the Christmas tree.
We even had a Lionel train set – brought all the way from San Jose, California with us – to set up under the tree, just like the ole’ days.
It is my favorite time of the year – and even if it doesn’t look like Christmas outside, it does inside.
Everyone else has a Nacimiento – crèches – nativity scenes. José, María and baby Jesús. Except baby Jesus doesn't get to go to bed until Christmas Eve. Cows, burros, camels, along with the Three Wise Men are off somewhere on their way to La Paz, and they won't make it until January the 6th. That's when everyone actually receives their presents, as Christmas Eve is Jesus' birthday, not ours. It is my favorite time of the year – and even if it doesn’t look like Christmas outside, it does inside.
In the USA we celebrated Christmas day, and the Mexicans celebrate Christmas Eve – eventually we ended up doing both.
Grandma Conchita is coming for Christmas, and since she is Mexican, and we are in Mexico, we will celebrate Christmas this year her way; and that means tamales!
So I learn how to make tamales.
Tamales de Puerco, estilo norteño – Grandma Conchita style from Monterey, Mexico
One teenage girl
One day
Strong arms
One large bowl, a large pot, lard, corn-husks, a griddle, frying pan, a blender
1-kilo de Carne de Puerco/ 2 pounds of pork shoulder
1 cebolla –1 onion
Water to cover
3 or 4 chile anchos
Cut the meat into chunks, cook until tender with the garlic and onion, salt to taste.
Set aside until cool, shred pork, reserve broth.
Toast the chilies on the griddle, do not burn. When cool remove seeds and veins.
Blend with broth until and add ½ tsp of powdered cumin. (Blender)
Melt a small amount of lard into the frying pan, and then add chili, the meat then broth.
Cook for 5 minutes, medium flame until it reduces a bit. Add salt to taste. Set aside.
Meanwhile, make your dough:
½ pounds of lard
Sea salt 1 tsp
1-2 cloves garlic
5 pimientas – peppercorns
1 pound prepared tamale flour or freshly prepared nixtamal- which now in the USA can be found nearly anywhere.
2 ½ cups warm chicken broth
A small bowl of cold water
And now for the strong arms
Beat and beat and beat that lard, until your arms are so tired and your eyes are so heavy you´re ready to fall down and die, but your grandmother won’t let you stop until the lard floats to the top of the cold water – as that is what it’s for – to test to see if it has been beaten long enough – and it seems it will never, ever be done.
Finally, it's done! It is fluffy, it’s so fluffy it looks like whipped cream. Yuk! It most certainly doesn’t taste like it. Add the prepared tamal flour or the fresh nixtamal. Test for salt, beat until incorporated, beat, and beat, and beat again. Test with the cold water, if it floats to the top, you're ready for four more hours of fun. Unless of course, you have 15 children, and if you do, you better triple the recipe. Or just invite a couple of girlfriends over, and they can help you because otherwise you´re gonna be up all night making tamales – like I had to. I don’t remember what Grandma Conchita was doing all this time, but by now I am beyond tired.
One teenage girl
One day
Strong arms
One large bowl, a large pot, lard, corn-husks, a griddle, frying pan, a blender
1-kilo de Carne de Puerco/ 2 pounds of pork shoulder
1 cebolla –1 onion
Water to cover
3 or 4 chile anchos
Cut the meat into chunks, cook until tender with the garlic and onion, salt to taste.
Set aside until cool, shred pork, reserve broth.
Toast the chilies on the griddle, do not burn. When cool remove seeds and veins.
Blend with broth until and add ½ tsp of powdered cumin. (Blender)
Melt a small amount of lard into the frying pan, and then add chili, the meat then broth.
Cook for 5 minutes, medium flame until it reduces a bit. Add salt to taste. Set aside.
Meanwhile, make your dough:
½ pounds of lard
Sea salt 1 tsp
1-2 cloves garlic
5 pimientas – peppercorns
1 pound prepared tamale flour or freshly prepared nixtamal- which now in the USA can be found nearly anywhere.
2 ½ cups warm chicken broth
A small bowl of cold water
And now for the strong arms
Beat and beat and beat that lard, until your arms are so tired and your eyes are so heavy you´re ready to fall down and die, but your grandmother won’t let you stop until the lard floats to the top of the cold water – as that is what it’s for – to test to see if it has been beaten long enough – and it seems it will never, ever be done.
Finally, it's done! It is fluffy, it’s so fluffy it looks like whipped cream. Yuk! It most certainly doesn’t taste like it. Add the prepared tamal flour or the fresh nixtamal. Test for salt, beat until incorporated, beat, and beat, and beat again. Test with the cold water, if it floats to the top, you're ready for four more hours of fun. Unless of course, you have 15 children, and if you do, you better triple the recipe. Or just invite a couple of girlfriends over, and they can help you because otherwise you´re gonna be up all night making tamales – like I had to. I don’t remember what Grandma Conchita was doing all this time, but by now I am beyond tired.
Now you’re ready to actually make the things.
Soak the corn husks in water, use something heavy to keep them from floating to the top of the bowl, shake the water off, and then spread around a tablespoon of the dough onto the husk. Smooth it outward, put a little of the meat with plenty of sauce and fold the husk as you would an ordinary tamale.
That is fold one side over the other and then the little tail up. They are small, mostly meat, scant dough, about an inch and a half wide. Stack them into a steamer, be sure to put a penny in the bottom; I’ll tell you later what that’s for. Around and around they go, when it will stop nobody knows. Before you start stacking, line the steamer with corn husks – don’t forget the penny. Oops –centavo. Then cover the tamales with a layer of corn husks and steam for around 2 hours.
P.S The penny is there to prevent them from burning, if you no longer hear the penny jumping around add water. Test for to see if they are done.
Serve Christmas Eve with champurrado – go to bed.
I now know how to make tamales. I still use the same recipe. And I no longer whip lard by hand.
In La Paz, we make southern tamales, though; we use potatoes, olives, and prunes and add it to the meat. They're big and fat and slightly sweet. Grandma Conchita would have a heart attack, as they are NOT tamales! Not in her recipe book!
Soak the corn husks in water, use something heavy to keep them from floating to the top of the bowl, shake the water off, and then spread around a tablespoon of the dough onto the husk. Smooth it outward, put a little of the meat with plenty of sauce and fold the husk as you would an ordinary tamale.
That is fold one side over the other and then the little tail up. They are small, mostly meat, scant dough, about an inch and a half wide. Stack them into a steamer, be sure to put a penny in the bottom; I’ll tell you later what that’s for. Around and around they go, when it will stop nobody knows. Before you start stacking, line the steamer with corn husks – don’t forget the penny. Oops –centavo. Then cover the tamales with a layer of corn husks and steam for around 2 hours.
P.S The penny is there to prevent them from burning, if you no longer hear the penny jumping around add water. Test for to see if they are done.
Serve Christmas Eve with champurrado – go to bed.
I now know how to make tamales. I still use the same recipe. And I no longer whip lard by hand.
In La Paz, we make southern tamales, though; we use potatoes, olives, and prunes and add it to the meat. They're big and fat and slightly sweet. Grandma Conchita would have a heart attack, as they are NOT tamales! Not in her recipe book!
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