Tamale making....an essay on life

Food is the very essence of life. We need it to nurish our bodies. Without proper nutrients our bodies weaken and become ill. We connect over the traditions of food. We hold certain meals as memories dear to our hearts. A certain smell can transport us to another time and place just with a minute whiff that will trigger past remembrances. Food is not only necessary to our daily lives, but for some of us it is soul-satisfying for who we are as individuals.

Tamale making is a methodical process that is not only a rhythm of hands to ingredients, but also a replication of tradition. While the ingredients can differ from recipe to family, one missed step of the process and you have essentially failed the food. The preparation of the ingredients - mixing the masa with your hands until you have the perfect consistancy; shredding or slicing the cheese; roasting and cleaning the green chiles, then slicing them - all becomes second nature as your mind goes to a quiet place of peacefulness. No words are necessary during the process. No second-guessing. No direction. The steps nurture and calm the soul during application of masa to husk, and stuffing and rolling to create that bundle. The actions become automatic and the tamale pile grows until the masa runs out and you begin the next step.

The scents of cooking masa and the hint of spicy chiles fill the air as they steam. Smell is a remembrance of the last time you made them and the pleasure of eating them. Your soul begins to tingle with satisfaction of a job well-done, along with hunger-pangs of impatience to unwrap and taste the first one. Don't peek. Don't second guess. They are ready when they are ready. Some things are worth being patient for. It makes us savor them and cherish them that much more.

The excitement when the timer goes off, and you peel away the husk, and the masa has now gone from batter-form to solid containing the luscious treat inside the tamale pocket. The flavors explode on your tongue - salty and spicy masa, mellow warm cheese and tangy heat from the chile. Job well done. Nothing else is needed.

Carnitas!!

Ever have one of those serious to-die-for cravings that won't go away?? Your taste buds just aren't satisfied until you've given in and scarfed your way through whatever it is that's making you drool??

It was carnitas for me all last week. Normally, I go and buy them....but I just had to make them myself this time. I looooove roasted pork. Well let's be honest here....I love pork. Bacon, ribs, pulled, loin, chop, roasted, que'd.... Whatever! If it's pig, I'm so there.

Here's what I did....

Roasting pan lined with foil, thinly sliced navel oranges & red onion, oregano, garlic salt and cola. Cola? Are ya crazy Susan? Nope!! Trust me. Fabulous!!! I'm lucky that my local Walmart carries pre-cut pork carnitas...so all you have to do is open the package and put it in the pan. Pork butt (the shoulder cut) works the same, just make sure to cut it down into smaller pieces to fit in your roasting pan. Cover pan with foil tightly!! Slow roast (350 for the first hour, then down to 275 after) for a good 3-4 hours. Turn off oven and let sit in cooling oven for about 40 minutes to an hour. Take out and shred the meat. Spoon some of the juices from the roasting pan over the shredded meat, just to keep it moist.

To serve it....

Frying pan over medium heat, oil and butter combo. Shredded pork in pan. Fry crispy. I used some of my roasted salsa in with it once it was crispy. Here's the finished product...













I'm still eating it!!!! Maybe I'll freeze the rest and use it for tamale filling!!! The creative ideas are spinning....

Comfort Food

The weather is turning and Fall is approaching.  Here in Tucson, it's hard to recognize the change of seasons sometimes ~ warm temps blend into scorching hot back into warm and then slam into cold winter rains.  We don't really have the separate seasons other parts of the country do.

But we are past Labor Day....school is definitely in session all over the city....and morning walks are cooler!  Makes me want comfort food of chili and soups....and last night.....

CURRY!



Chicken thighs, potatoes, carrots and sweet onions all blanketed in luscious warm curry with a dab of sour cream.  Instant comfort in a bowl!!

Pickles Going On!

Found some mini cucumbers at the Farmer's Market recently, and decided they would be perfect for pickles!! One recipe search later (to get the basics down), and I was on my way...



Sliced up...I was eating as many as I was putting in the bowl!


Fresh dill, thinly sliced onions and smashed garlic will be in each jar.



Waiting for brine.


Out of the hot water bath and now wait the WHOLE two weeks to fully develop their flavor.

Here's the recipe I used....

2 1/2 pounds freshly picked vegetable of similar size, washed and vine-end trimmed
2 cups distilled white vinegar
2 cups water
1/4 cup canning salt (Kosher salt or sea salt)
3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced in half
1 bunch dill weed divided into 3
3 tiny red chile peppers or 1/4 tsp of red pepper flakes in each jar

Directions:

•Sterilize 3 pint jars with rings and lids. Keep warm. Cut vegetables to 1/2 inch shorter than the jar.

•Drop a chile and a garlic into each jar. Arrange cut vegetables in jar with cut ends toward the top, packing beans in fairly tight so they won’t float up to the lid.

•Tuck dill weed into the center of the beans.

•In a large stainless steel saucepan, combine vinegar, water and salt. Bring to a boil and stir until salt is dissolved

•Pour boiling brine over vegetables up to 1/4-inch from top of jar. Wipe the lip of the jar and seal with lid and ring.

•Let rest in a draft-free area. Vegetables will ferment in the refrigerator in about 2 weeks.

•For longer storage, place hot jars into a boiling water bath with 1 inch of water covering the tops. Simmer for 10 minutes. Remove to a draft-free area and once cooled check that lids have properly sealed. If the lids do not spring back when pressed they are sealed. Refrigerate any jars that have not sealed.

•Store sealed jars in cool, dark pantry for 1 year or longer.

*recipe courtesy of Paula Deen.

The Uncle Sauce

The challenge: I receive a message that I needed to create a BBQ sauce for my Uncle Mike. He lives in Michigan and my son is named after him (as am I)....so it was a pretty big request as I love and miss him dearly. A phone call later (trying to get an idea of flavors) and all I had were more questions. What the heck is Sweet Baby Ray's???!! I'd never heard of it, and its a commercially packaged sauce. Foreign to me!!! One bottle later (thanks mucho Becca for the hook up) and I had an idea of how I wanted to obliterate the taste from my Uncle's pallet.
First the ingredients:

Renderings from smoked bacon, sweet onions, desert mesquite honey, Newcastle beer (yay baby!!), 4 kinds of dried chiles, Worchestershire sauce and ketchup.

Making the magic happen:

Nothing smells better than onions sautéing in bacon fat. Nothing. I dare you to argue the point with me.

Close up of the dried chiles.

Making the flavors bloom. This is my favorite stage of cooking. As soon as the heat hits the dried spices and herbs, pungent smells explode in your kitchen. You have an instant reassurance that you are doing things right with this step!

Adding the Newcastle! The beer's dark amber goodness added another sultry layer of flavor, enhancing the honey with almost a delicate floral undertone. I knew this was a perfect pairing to go with the honey I chose.

Honey, honey, honey!

Then the ketchup. Stir and simmer. Low and slow and it's like wrapping this sauce in a fuzzy blanket until everything is warm and snuggled together. That's exactly what the flavors did: tangy, smoky, sweet and definitely Sassy.

Into the water bath to can and get ready for the trip to Michigan.

Here's my portion! I'm already thawing the chicken so I can dig into this heavenly flavor. I know it lives up to the challenge that I was given.

The finished chicken cooked up with The Uncle Sauce!!
Thanks Uncle Mike for the challenge!! Hope you can taste the love in the sauce I created for you!!

The Perfect Salsa

So this summer, I've totally gotten into canning. We canned grape jelly as kids, but I haven't really done any true hot water bath canning since then. And like so much else with cooking, the process of preserving and canning summer fruits and vegetables is truly addictive!

The best part? I've perfected my salsa recipe! After many different concoctions and many different opinions and suggestions over the years, this last batch became the winning batch!

Roasted tomatoes and chiles along with smoked peppers with fresh peppers, onions and lime mixed all together to create....Sassy Salsa!

Here's my Salsa Verde....

Fabulous too!!

Ode To Summer

Who knew that a simple flat of peaches could inspire a sauce that explodes with flavor in your mouth?!!!

The flavor notes:

Roasted Vidalia onions, roasted peaches, smokey chipotle chile powder, cider vinegar, brown sugar, ketchup and to wash it down...a splash of cola!!

The ingredients going together:




Roasting the peaches and onions only intensified their natural sweetness.



Vinegar and spice stage with the brown sugar caramelizing everything.


Adding the ketchup and slow simmering allows all those heavenly flavors mingle together.

12 oz. jars for $6.00. This is second in the limited edition flavors. Due to the summer availability of peaches and Vidalia onions - you'd better grab some while I have it!