Sweet Pineapple Tamales Food

SWEET PINEAPPLE TAMALES

Steps:

• Place corn husks in a bowl, cover with boiling water, and soak for 30 to 60 minutes. Drain, place on a work surface, and cover with a clean, damp towel.
• While corn husks are soaking, combine masa dough, baking soda, and water in a bowl. Knead until dough has a smooth and even consistency, adding more water, 1 teaspoon at a time, as needed. Take care not to add too much water.
• Beat butter, vegetable shortening, and sugar together in a second bowl with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Slowly add masa dough and knead until mixture has a uniform consistency. Mix in chopped pineapple.
• Spread about 1 tablespoon masa mixture onto a corn husk. Fold the bottom of the husk over the filling, then fold sides of husk together, one over the other. Finally fold the top of the husk into the tamale, making a little package. Repeat with remaining husks.
• Place a steamer insert into a saucepan and fill with water to just below the bottom of the steamer. Bring water to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low. Add tamales with the open side up and cook covered until filling is heated through and separates from the husk, about 1 hour.

SWEET TAMALES WITH PINEAPPLE AND COCONUT

Steps:

• Place corn husks in a bowl, cover with boiling water, and soak for about 3 hours. Drain, place on a work surface, and cover with a clean, damp towel.
• Combine pineapple, water, and sugar in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until pineapple is very soft, 7 to 10 minutes. Drain.
• Mix masa dough with butter and baking powder in a bowl until well combined. Add cooked pineapple, coconut, and raisins; knead into a smooth dough.
• Select 1 wide corn husk or 2 small ones. Spread about 1 tablespoons masa mixture onto the corn husk, filling it up to 2 inches from the bottom and 1/4 inch from the top. Fold sides of husk together, one over the other. Fold the bottom of the husk over the seam of the 2 folded sides. Repeat with remaining husks.
• Place a steamer insert into a saucepan and fill with water to just below the bottom of the steamer. Bring water to a boil. Add tamales with the open side up and cook until filling is heated through and separates from the husk, about 45 minutes. Let tamales stand for 15 minutes before serving.

SWEET TAMALES (TAMALES DULCES)

Steps:

• Place butter and sugar in a medium size bowl and, with the help of a mixer, beat for a couple of minutes until it has a creamy texture. About 2 minutes.
• In a larger bowl, mix Masa Harina, baking Powder and raisins. Stir well and then add the warm water little by little.
• While mixing the dry ingredients with the water, add the drops of red food coloring. Mix well to have a uniform color.
• Once you've incorporated the food coloring into the dough, it will look slightly pink. Now add the butter and sugar mixture.
• Beat the dough with your hands or a wooden spoon, as the dough is somehow too heavy to work with your mixer unless you have a Heavy Duty Stand Mixer like Kitchen Aid. The dough will be ready when it looks fluffy and creamy, like a very soft ice cream. If your dough seems too dry, add a little more water. The consistency has to be very soft.
• Drain the corn husks from the soaking water. Place about 1/3 cup of the dough over the corn husk and wrap the tamal. If you're also making savory tamales, you can tie the sweet tamales in order to differentiate them from the savory ones. Keep assembling the rest of the tamales.
• Place the tamales standing up in your steam pot (Tamalera), add about an inch of hot water, cover with corn husks, aluminum foil or a plastic bag, and then cover with the pot lid. Cook for 1 to 1 1/4 hour at medium heat. Add more hot water if needed to avoid burning the tamales.

TERIYAKI AND PINEAPPLE CHICKEN

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken until no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, 7 to 10 minutes.
• Place the green bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, red bell pepper, mushrooms, onion, teriyaki sauce, pineapple chunks with the juice, garlic powder, and crushed red pepper into the wok, and turn the heat to medium. Bring to a simmer, stir in the flour, and continue simmering 15 minutes until thickened.

SWEET TAMALES

Steps:

• If using corn husks, soak in warm water for a 1/2 hour until pliable and then drain. If using banana leaves, Defrost the banana leaves overnight in the refrigerator if frozen, and cut off any hard sections or sections with holes. Cut the leaves into unbroken 12 inch pieces. If the leaves are pliable, proceed with the recipe. If not steam the banana leaves in the top of a double boiler until soft and pliable, 20 to 30 minutes. Set aside until ready to assemble the tamales.
• In a small saucepan gently heat the rum. Place the raisins in a small bowl and cover with the warm rum. Let the raisins soak and absorb the rum while you prepare the masa.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer beat the vegetable shortening until very light, about 1 minute. Add the sugar and half of the masa and beat until combined. Mix the milk and coconut milk and add alternately with the remaining masa in several batches to the mixture until the mixture is the consistency of medium-thick cake batter. Add baking powder, salt, and cinnamon, and beat for 30 more seconds. Add the melted butter and beat to incorporate, being careful not to overmix.
• Spoon about 3 tablespoons of the masa batter into the center of a banana leaf. Place about 2 teaspoons of the plumped raisins in the center. Fold 1 side over the batter and then the other to enclose the filling. Bring the bottom and the top over the filling to create a package. Tie the tamale with a piece of string, and repeat with the remaining masa batter and filling.
• If using corn husks spoon about 2 tablespoons masa down the center of the husk and then about a tsp of raisins. Fold both sides over the masa and then fold up the bottom. (Please refer to the photos for guidance).
• Line an insert steamer with a layer of unused banana leaves. Lay the tamales in the lined steamer, and steam over simmering water until the tamales are cooked through and release easily from the banana leaf wrappers about 1 1/2 hours.

PINEAPPLE TAMALES

Steps:

• Soak cornhusks: Submerge in hot water, weighted down with a plate, until pliable, about 30 minutes. You'll have extra, but that's good; invariably some rip or are too ridged to fold properly.
• Put pineapple and juice, brown sugar, cinnamon sticks, and 2 cups water in a medium saucepan. Bring just to a boil over medium heat, covered; then reduce heat and simmer uncovered 15 minutes to meld flavors. Drain pineapple, reserving syrup; discard cinnamon. You should have about 3 1/2 cups syrup.
• Meanwhile, using a mixer with the whisk attachment, whip lard in a large bowl on low speed, then increase to high, until it's as fluffy as frosting, about 5 minutes.
• In a bowl, sift baking powder into masa harina and whisk in salt. Spoon 2 cups masa mixture into lard and beat on low speed until fully incorporated (scrape beater and bowl at least once), then beat in 2 more cups masa mixture. With mixer still on low, drizzle in 3 1/2 cups warm syrup so it doesn't splatter, and beat 5 minutes to hydrate masa mixture.
• Add pineapple chunks to bowl and beat to break up chunks a little. Dough should be like very soft cookie dough but not sticky. Test dough by rolling a small ball of it over the back of your hand; if it sticks, beat in more masa mixture, 1 tbsp. at a time, until dough is no longer sticky.
• Cover dough with a damp towel and let rest for at least 10 minutes and up to 1 hour, or chill up to 2 days.
• Prepare cornhusks and steamers: Drain cornhusks and pat dry with a kitchen towel. If you won't be using them immediately, chill them in resealable plastic bags for up to 2 days.
• Put 4 upturned ramekins in a 10- to 12-qt. stockpot equipped with a tight-fitting lid and set a steamer basket on top (or use a tamalera; see shopping list, below). Pour in water to a depth of at least 1 1/2 inches but below the steamer basket level. Repeat with a second stockpot. (Or use 1 pot, but cook half the tamales at a time.)
• Carefully tear 4 husks into long, narrow strips to yield about 36 strips (to tie the tamales closed, optional; these differentiate the sweet tamales from the savory ones).
• Fill tamales: Set a cornhusk on a work surface, smoother side up (or hold it in your hand), and dollop 2 to 2 1/2 tbsp. dough onto wide (top) half of husk. Smear with back of a spoon (or pat out with your fingers) until about 1/4 in. thick, leaving about a 1-in. border at the top and sides. Bring sides of husk to meet over filling, then fold both sides over filling in same direction. Turn tamale seam side up, then fold narrow (bottom) end under tamale. Tie with a strip of husk around middle, like a belt. Repeat with remaining cornhusks and dough.
• Steam tamales: As you work, set tamales upright (open ends up) in steamer baskets of pots, packing them loosely. Or, if you don't have enough room on your work surface, put them in baking pans or some other container with sides, arranging them upright; then transfer them to pots on stove.
• Cover pots with foil (or a thin kitchen towel) and lids, which must fit tightly to keep the steam in. Bring pots to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-high to maintain a steady boil. Steam tamales vigorously until easily separated from husks but still somewhat soft (open one to check), 1 to 1 1/2 hours, adding hot water to pot every 20 minutes or so. Remove pot from heat, remove lid and foil, and let tamales cool in pot 20 minutes, uncovered, to firm up.
• Tamalada Shopping List
• Before everyone comes over to make tamales with you, make sure you have the following ingredients, along with whatever else you'll need for the fillings you've chosen.
• Dried cornhusks: Find bags of husks at Latino markets, well-stocked grocery stores, and online at mexgrocer.com. Choose husks that look fresh and smell sweet.
• Lard: Widely available, hydrogenated lard will work in these recipes. But for tamales with the best flavor and lightest texture (and no trans fats), get fresh lard from a butcher shop or Latino market. Or make your own; it's easy.
• Masa harina: Masa harina is fresh corn dough dried and ground into flour; to use, mix with lard or butter, baking powder, and broth or other liquid. Brands vary in texture; Maseca was used in these recipes, since it's easy to find. Or, choose fresh masa, which you can use as is; look for the label "para tamales" at a Latino market. You'll need 4 lbs. for 3 dozen tamales.
• Tamalera: This large pot has a tall steamer insert that allows for plenty of hot water (a 20-qt. tamalera will hold 3 dozen tamales). Find one at Latino markets or mexgrocer.com. Or, use 2 (12 qt.) stockpots with regular steamer baskets set on upturned ramekins (custard cups), or 1 pot, cooking in 2 batches.
• *Piloncillo, sold as hard cones, is available at Latino markets and mexgrocer.com.