Tamales

Ingredients

Tamale Filling:

2 Pounds Pork Loin

1 Large Onion, Halved

1 Clove Garlic

4 Dried California Chile Pods

2 Cups Water

1 ½ Teaspoons Salt

Tamale Dough:

2 Cups Masa Harina

1 (10.5 Ounce) Can Beef Broth

1 Teaspoon Baking Powder

½ Teaspoon Salt

⅔ Cup Lard

1 (8 Ounce) Package Dried Corn Husks

1 Cup Sour Cream

Directions

Step 1 Place pork into a Dutch oven with onion and garlic, and add water to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer until the meat is cooked through, about 2 hours.

Step 2 Use rubber gloves to remove stems and seeds from the chile pods. Place chiles in a saucepan with 2 cups of water. Simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes, then remove from heat to cool. Transfer the chiles and water to a blender and blend until smooth. Strain the mixture, stir in salt, and set aside. Shred the cooked meat and mix in one cup of the chile sauce.

Step 3 Soak the corn husks in a bowl of warm water. In a large bowl, beat the lard with a tablespoon of the broth until fluffy. Combine the masa harina, baking powder and salt; stir into the lard mixture, adding more broth as necessary to form a spongy dough.

Step 4 Spread the dough out over the corn husks to 1/4 to 1/2 inch thickness. Place one tablespoon of the meat filling into the center. Fold the sides of the husks in toward the center and place in a steamer. Steam for 1 hour.

Step 5 Remove tamales from husks and drizzle remaining chile sauce over. Top with sour cream. For a creamy sauce, mix sour cream into the chile sauce.