Tamales ~ Homemade Authentic Part 1 of 3

So I have been meaning to Blog this recipe for quite some time now. It is a little more lengthy than the usual recipes but oh so worth it. You can do them alone (I do) I suggest if you are doing this alone split it into a few day process if making a few hundred! (they freeze quite well) Or assemble a team to help. With Easter approaching soon this is a great addition to the festivities! I like to have a little stock in the freezer just for a nice weekend brunch or an easy freezer meal. Any way it goes I hope you all enjoy the recipe!

OK so where do we start? I will give you my own recipe and give you some tips on what works easiest for myself. I do this as a solo project and usually spread the work out to a 3 day process. I know its gonna get done right and there is no pressure. One of my #1 tips is planning I always know when I am going to make them so I have a little habit of freezing the leftover meat from roasts in freezer containers so on day 1 I remove all containers filled with my pre cooked roasts from the freezer and start defrosting as I start with my red sauce. I have been making these for a few years now and by freezing those roasts I save so much time and extra $ and end up with enough tamales to share with all my friends. If you are planning this as a next week meal obviously you will need to cook a roast and shred the meat. I use pork, beef, chicken, and then also do a cheese and chile with jalapeno.

So lets start with our sauce. This sauce can be frozen in a container for future use so I am giving you my big batch recipe!
1 Bag each of dried Ancho and Dried Pasillo Chiles (stemmed, seeded, and vein removed wear gloves while doing this)

2 Cloves of garlic

2 Tsps of Cumin
1 Large Onion

Place all your cleaned Chiles in a large pot. Pour a few cups of hot water over the top. Add in your g
Garlic, Cumin, Onion. Bring to boil then simmer for an hour or so. Let cool and strain. Leaving the juice to the side. Now you can use a Blender or Food Processor to make a paste fill with peppers and onions and a cup or so of liqued and blend together forming a nice semi thick paste. Repeat with all remaining Chiles. I simply add to one big bowl as I go. It should come out looking somewhat like this