Santander Tamales
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Fuentes: Sinic (página web) y Carlos Enrique “Toto” Sánchez Ramos
Number of servings
6
Difficulty
Medium
Ingredients
500
gr chicken breast
500
gr pork shoulder
250
gr bacon
2
cup(s) cold hogao (tomato and onion sauce)
500
gr yellow corn
8
clove(s) garlic, finely chopped or ground
1/2
cup(s) fried and ground pork rinds
1/2
cup(s) pork lard or oil
1
cup(s) chickpeas, soaked overnight
2
piece(s) large white or red onions, cut into pieces
2
piece(s) green onion stalks, finely chopped
1
tsp cumin
1
piece(s) parsley sprig, chopped
1
piece(s) red bell pepper, cut into strips
1/4
cup(s) seedless raisins
1/4
cup(s) capers
pinch salt, pepper, and cumin to taste
achiote or food coloring
10-15 plantain leaves, toasted and cut into squares
agave fiber string
Directions
- The day before, cook the yellow corn, let it cool, grind it, and strain it with water. Leave it in fresh water overnight.
- Also the day before, prepare the meats; cut them into small pieces and leave them marinating in the 2 cups of cold hogao with salt, pepper, and cumin to taste.
- The next day, carefully pour off the water and collect the corn dough, which is mixed with garlic, cumin, ground pork rinds, salt, achiote or food coloring, and pork lard. Cook it, stirring continuously so it doesn't stick, until it reaches the right consistency. Traditionally, to know if the dough is ready, remove it from heat and insert a wet finger into it: when removed it should be clean. If ready, cover it with a damp cloth or plantain leaves and set aside.
- Separately, cook the chickpeas in a pressure cooker with green onion and salt for 45 minutes or until they soften.
- Then arrange 10 plantain leaves on a table. Form balls with the dough and place one on each plantain leaf (some dough should be reserved to close the tamales). Flatten these balls with the help of another plantain leaf to form somewhat hollowed arepas in the center, and fill them with portions of cooked chickpeas, white onion, parsley, red bell pepper, bacon, pork shoulder, chicken, raisins, and capers.
- Cover them with more dough, wrap them with plantain leaves, giving the tamales their rectangular shape with your hands, and tie them with agave fiber strings.
- In a large pot, make a bed by placing plantain leaves and stalks until they occupy ¼ of the pot. Add water and arrange the tamales on the bed so they don't have contact with the water. Cook them covered over medium heat for 4 hours, adding water around the edges when needed.