Love, Travel, and Tamales
BY MICHELE ROGER
Ah love, amor! There’s nothing more beautiful than a couple in love and nothing more delicious than watching them proclaim that love to one another as they tie the knot. That is to say, nothing more delicious unless you’re talking tamales, specifically Eliza- beth’s tamales, enchiladas, and posole.
Elizabeth’s brother Diego is marrying his beautiful bride in Mexico. Countless guests are invited, and the celebration food is going to be epic! I love the traditional food of Mexico and have always been curious how some of my favorite dishes are made. Elizabeth and her mom invited me to join them in an entire day devoted to cooking the family recipes.
Tamales
While I’ve watched cooking shows and read cook books, nothing prepared me for the work intensive process of truly, mouthwatering tamales. Elizabeth and her mother boil potatoes and rice. While they cook, we all help to separate the dried corn husks. Once we have a mountain piled up on a plate, they go into water to soak.
When the rice and potatoes are cooked and cooled, they’re mashed and added to a mixture of maize, water, and chicken concentrate. Over and over, the two women knead the mixture, testing the texture, adding water, tasting. They let it rest. They knead more and add corn oil. Meanwhile… continue reading in the Fall 2018 issue of SEARCH.