Pork Tinga Tamale Pie Food

PORK TAMALE PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly grease a 2-quart baking dish.
• Combine tomatoes, onion, pepper, garlic, chili powder, oregano, cumin, and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper in a bowl; transfer to prepared sih. Rub pork with sugar, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper; place on top of tomato mixture.
• Bake, uncovered, until pork is fork tender, 3 1/2 to 4 hours. Shred pork into bite-size pieces with two forks; stir back into dish with sauce.
• Make Cheddar-Cilantro Cornbread Crust: Combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Stir in cheese, cilantro, buttermilk, egg, and butter in a bowl; add to cornmeal mixture and stir just until dry ingredients are moistened.
• Increase oven temperature to 425 degrees F. Spread Cheddar-Cilantro Cornbread Crust over pork mixture, leaving a 1-inch border all around. Bake until golden brown and crust is set. 18 to 20 minutes.
• Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

TíA CHITA'S TRADITIONAL MEXICAN PORK TAMALES

Steps:

• There are a few steps to making tamales and it is usually an all-day affair.
• Cooking the meat: Chop the pork butt into 3-inch cubes; reserve the bone.
• Add the oil to a large pot or Dutch oven and place over medium-high heat (we use a Dutch oven because it seems to cook faster). Add the pork butt to the pot. Sear the sides slightly until just golden, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Add the peppercorns, bay leaves, onion, 3 cloves of the garlic and 1 tablespoon salt. Add 2 to 4 cups of water, or enough to cover the pork butt, then add the reserved bone. Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and bring it to a boil. Cook on medium heat until very tender, about 2 hours.
• Preparing the corn husks: Separate the corn husks and take off all the little hairs and dust from them. Allow them to soak in hot water while the pork is cooking (or soak overnight).
• Carefully remove the pork from the broth with tongs to a plate or cutting board. Pour the leftover broth through a colander into a large bowl so that all the onion and other ingredients stay behind. Set the strained broth aside for later (about 4 cups).
• Shred the meat with 2 forks into small bite-size pieces. (You want it small enough that you aren't getting large pieces or chunks into the tamal.) Transfer to a medium saucepan.
• Preparing the chile: Cut the stems from the ancho chiles, open them and remove all the seeds and veins. Put them in a 3-quart saucepan, cover with water and add 1 teaspoon salt. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Once the water is boiling, remove from the heat, set aside, cover and let steam for 5 minutes.
• To a blender, add the softened chiles, ground cumin and 1/4 teaspoon salt and blend. Press in the remaining clove of garlic and slowly add 2/3 cup of the reserved pork broth. Continue to blend until smooth. Pour through a fine-mesh strainer into a medium bowl. Reserve 1/4 cup of the chile mixture for the masa, then pour the remaining red chile sauce over the shredded pork and mix together to combine. Keep warm over low heat.
• Preparing the masa: Melt the lard in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Pour the melted lard into a large bowl. Add the masa harina to the bowl of lard, then add the baking powder, 3/4 teaspoon salt, reserved 1/4 cup of the red chile sauce and 1/2 cup of the reserved pork broth. Knead well. Add more pork broth as needed until the dough is moistened and fluffy.
• Assembling the tamales: Drain the husks and pat them dry with a clean towel. Spread the kneaded masa onto the smooth side of the corn husks with a spoon in the center of the husks (2 to 3 tablespoons of masa per husk). Add the meat to the center of the masa, 1 to 2 tablespoons per husk. Fold over the husks in half vertically so that the masa wraps around the filling completely. Fold the pointy side up at the end to hold the tamale in place.
• Cooking the tamales: Arrange the tamales open-side up around the inside of a steamer basket that fits into a large (10-quart) pot, packing the tamales together. If there's extra space in the steamer basket, place a mason jar or small heatproof ceramic bowl upside down in the center, arranging the tamales around it. Arrange a layer of husks around the sides of the steamer basket and up over the top of the tamales and cover with a damp kitchen towel. Fill the large pot with 1 to 2 inches of water. (Note: You can put a penny at the bottom of the pot so you can hear it rolling when you need more water.) Bring the water to a rolling simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce to medium low, set the steamer basket inside of the pot and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Allow the tamales to steam for 1 to 2 hours or until the masa pulls away from the husks. Let sit to cool down for 5 to 10 minutes. Use tongs to remove the tamales afterwards and set on a jelly roll pan to cool down.

PORK TINGA TAMALE PIE

Steps:

• The filling: position oven rack to the middle position; preheat oven to 450°.
• Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a 12-inch ovenproof skillet over med-high heat until smoking.
• Add in the pork in a single layer and cook without stirring until browned on one side, about 1 minute.
• Stir and continue to cook for 1 minute longer; transfer the pork to a bowl; set aside.
• Add the remaining 2 teaspoons oil and chorizo to the skillet; cook over medium heat, stirring often, until lightly browned, about 2 minutes.
• Stir in the carrots, onion, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are softened, 8-10 minutes.
• Stir in the garlic and chipotles; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
• Stir in the tomatoes, broth, and sugar; bring to a simmer.
• Decrease heat to med-low and cook until the liquid has thickened slightly and the mixture measures about 5 cups, about 10 minutes.
• Off the heat, season with salt and pepper to taste; stir in the cooked pork and oregano; set aside while preparing the topping.
• The corn bread topping: whisk the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a big bowl.
• In another bowl, whisk the buttermilk and egg together; stir the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture until uniform, then stir in the butter until just combined.
• Smooth the filling into an even layer in the skillet.
• Dollop the cornbread topping evenly over the filling, then spread it into an even layer, covering the filling completely.
• Bake the pie until the topping is golden and has baked through completely in the center, 15-20 minutes.
• Let the pie cool for 10 minutes before serving.

PORK TAMALES

Steps:

• Make the filling: Put the pork in a deep saucepan and cover with cold water (about 6 cups). Add 2 teaspoons salt, the onion, thyme, oregano, bay leaves and peppercorns; cover and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook until the pork is tender, 1 hour, 30 minutes to 2 hours. Transfer the pork to a plate and shred. Strain and reserve the cooking liquid; keep warm.
• Meanwhile, soak the corn husks in a bowl of hot water, using a plate to keep them submerged, until pliable, 1 hour.
• Combine the pork, cumin, 1/3 cup chili powder, the garlic, flour, sugar, vegetable oil and 1 cup of the reserved cooking liquid in a large skillet. Bring to a simmer over medium heat; cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid is absorbed, about 25 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the dough: Mix the masa harina, lard, 2 teaspoons salt, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon chili powder and 2 2/3 cups of the reserved cooking liquid in a bowl until combined.
• Drain the husks and pat dry. Starting 1/2 inch from the wide end, spread about 3 tablespoons of the dough down a husk, leaving a 1-inch border on the sides. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the pork filling down the center of the dough, then fold in the sides of the husk, wrapping the dough around the filling. Fold up the narrow end of the husk. Repeat with the remaining husks, dough and filling.
• Set a steamer basket in a large pot filled with 1 to 2 inches of water. Arrange the tamales standing up in the steamer, folded-side down. Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat, cover and steam until the dough is firm, 45 to 50 minutes. Remove from the steamer and let cool slightly before unwrapping.

TAMALE PIE

Steps:

• Make the filling: Roast the poblanos directly over the flame of a gas burner or under the broiler, turning with tongs, until charred all over, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, cover with a plate and set aside until cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes. Scrape off the charred skin with a paring knife, then chop, discarding the stems and seeds; set aside.
• Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the ground pork, chorizo and 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt and cook, stirring and breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 8 minutes; transfer to a bowl.
• Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in the pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the chili powder, chipotle powder, cinnamon and cloves and cook, stirring, until the spices are toasted, 1 minute. Return the meat to the pot and add the tomatoes, corn, Worcestershire sauce and the roasted poblanos. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium low and simmer 10 minutes; season with kosher salt and stir in the cilantro. Pour the mixture into a 3-quart baking dish.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Make the topping: Whisk the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt in a bowl. Whisk the melted butter, buttermilk and eggs in another bowl. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until incorporated; stir in the cheese.
• Dollop the cornbread mixture over the filling and smooth into an even layer with the back of a spoon. Bake until the filling is bubbling and the topping is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

SPICY PORK TAMALE PIE WITH PICKLED JALAPEñOS

Steps:

• Prepare the chili: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. In a 12-inch cast-iron skillet, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Add the pork and season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium-high heat, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until the just starting to brown but not cooked through, about 5 minutes.
• Add the onions, poblanos, jalapeños, garlic and a pinch each of salt and pepper to the skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are just softened and the pork is cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the chili powder and cumin and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the enchilada sauce and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Simmer, over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 5 to 7 minutes; stir in the corn kernels.
• Meanwhile, prepare the cornbread: In a medium bowl, whisk the masa harina with the flour, baking powder, salt and pepper. In another medium bowl, beat the eggs with the milk and chicken broth. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and beat vigorously until the batter is fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Fold in 1/2 cup of the cheese.
• With the chili off the heat, spoon the cornbread batter on top and gently spread it in an even layer. Scatter the pickled jalapeños over the batter, then sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese on top. Bake the tamale pie until bubbling and the cornbread is risen, 25 to 30 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Serve topped with hot sauce and sour cream.

TRADITIONAL TAMALES (PORK)

Steps:

• In a 5 qt Dutch oven, bring pork, water, onion, garlic and 1 1/2 salt to boil.
• Simmer covered, about 2 1/2 hours or until meat is very tender.
• Remove meat from broth and allow both meat and broth to cool. (Chilling the broth will allow you to easily remove the fat if you desire to do so).
• Shred the meat using 2 forks, discarding fat.
• Strain the broth and reserve 6 cups.
• In a large sauce pan, heat the red chili sauce and add meat; simmer, covered for 10 minutes.
• To make masa beat shortening on medium speed in a large bowl for 1 minute.
• In a separate bowl, stir together masa harina, baking powder and 2 teaspoons salt.
• Alternately add masa harina mixture and broth to shortening, beating well after each addition. (Add just enough broth to make a thick, creamy paste).
• In the mean time, soak corn husks in warm water for at least 20 minutes; rinse to remove any corn silk and drain well.
• To assemble each tamale, spread 2 tablespoons of the masa mixture on the center of the corn husk (each husk should be 8 inches long and 6 inches wide at the top. If husks are small, overlap 2 small ones to form one. If it is large, tear a strip from the side).
• Place about 1 tablespoon meat and sauce mixture in the middle of the masa.
• Fold in sides of husk and fold up the bottom.
• Place a mound of extra husks or a foil ball in the center of a steamer basket placed in a Dutch oven.
• Lean the tamales in the basket, open side up.
• Add water to Dutch oven just below the basket.
• Bring water to boil and reduce heat.
• Cover and steam 40 minutes, adding water when necessary.
• To freeze these for future meals, leave them in the husks and place them in freezer bags. To reheat, thaw and wrap in a wet paper towel and reheat in the microwave for 2 minutes for one or two or re-steam them just until hot.