Masa Dumplings Food

SHRIMP WITH CHOCHOYOTES IN SMOKY, HERBY BROTH

Steps:

• Melt 3 Tbsp. butter in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium. When butter starts to bubble, add shrimp and stir to coat; season with salt. Cook, tossing, until shrimp are bright pink and beginning to curl, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate.
• Combine onion, garlic, jalapeño, and corn in same pot and cook, stirring often, until onion is softened and translucent, about 4 minutes. Stir in paprika, then 1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 2¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt and pour in 6 cups water. Increase heat to high and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer gently while you prepare the chochoyotes. It's okay if the broth reduces slightly.
• If using fresh masa, combine with remaining 1½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 tsp. Morton kosher salt in a large bowl. Coarsely grate remaining 3 Tbsp. butter on the large holes of a box grater directly into bowl (or cut into small pieces and add). Using your hands, knead dough until salt and butter are well incorporated, about 4 minutes.
• If using masa harina, combine with 1¼ cups plus 1 Tbsp. water in a large bowl. Knead until water is absorbed with no loose bits of dry flour remaining and dough has a stiff cookie-dough-like consistency. Sprinkle remaining 1½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 tsp. Morton kosher salt over dough. Coarsely grate remaining 3 Tbsp. butter on the large holes of a box grater directly into bowl (or cut into small pieces and add). Using your hands, knead dough until salt and butter are well incorporated, 6-8 minutes.
• Turn dough out onto a surface and portion into about 20 pieces (about 1½ Tbsp. each); roll into balls. Cover balls with plastic wrap or a barely damp kitchen towel and, working one at a time, hold a ball in a cupped hand and press in the center with your thumb or index finger of your other hand to make an indent about two thirds deep. Dumpling should look a little like a belly button. If edges start to crack, moisten hands, reroll, and try again.
• Add dumplings to broth and simmer very gently (or they might fall apart) until all of the dumplings have floated to the surface, 5-7 minutes, then continue to cook until firm and cooked through, 1-2 minutes more. (Masa harina dumplings may require an extra minute.) Stir in shrimp, lime juice, and three quarters of parsley, cilantro, and mint.
• To serve, ladle into shallow bowls and top with remaining herbs.

LAMB CHILI WITH MASA HARINA DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Make chili:
• Simmer dried chiles in 2 cups water, covered, in a 2-quart heavy saucepan until very soft, about 20 minutes. Reserve 3/4 cup cooking liquid, then drain in a colander. Stem chiles (do not remove seeds), then purée in a blender with reserved cooking liquid until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids). Force purée through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Reserve purée.
• Pat lamb dry, then sprinkle with pepper and 1 teaspoon salt. Heat 2 tablespoons lard in a 6-quart wide heavy pot or a 3-inch-deep straight-sided skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown lamb in 4 batches (without crowding), turning occasionally, about 5 minutes per batch. Transfer to a bowl.
• Add remaining tablespoon lard to pot, then cook onion, garlic, bay leaves, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add cumin and oregano and cook, stirring frequently, 1 minute. Stir in reserved chile purée and chipotles and simmer, stirring frequently and scraping up brown bits from bottom of pot, 5 minutes. Add lamb along with any juices accumulated in bowl and remaining 3 cups water, then bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until lamb is tender, about 2 1/2 hours.
• Make dumplings:
• Stir together masa harina, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Blend in lard pieces with a pastry blender or your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add buttermilk, stirring just until dough is moistened (do not overmix).
• Skim fat off chili and discard bay leaves, then drop 8 or 9 heaping tablespoons of dough onto simmering chili, about 2 inches apart. Reduce heat to low and gently simmer, covered, until tops of dumplings are dry to the touch, 15 to 20 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro.