I never knew much about tamales before I knew Adam. For as long as he can remember, Christmas Eve meant tamales. His mother does what I am sure her mother did when she was a child; she prepares the filling, soaks corn husks and then gathers all of her children round the dining room table to spend the next few hours making tamales, talking and laughing, often to Christmas music, which she still plays on her old vinyl record player. These tamales are not my Mother-in-Law’s, but how could they be, it is not Christmas Eve and it was only Adam, myself and Marmalade who were bundling up the little guys. Plus instead of using corn husks (her favorite) we use banana leaves. They are delicious, don’t get me wrong, but something tells me they would have tasted a bit better with everyone else there too. So maybe part of our recipe for this one is family. Trust us, you will want the help; filling, then folding tamale after tamale can get a bit tedious, but in the end it’s worth it. Recipe updated, originally posted December 2010. Since posting this in 2010, we have tweaked the recipe to be more clear. – Adam and Joanne Make-ahead: Both the batter and the finished tamales can be made ahead of time. Refrigerate, well covered then re-steam or use a microwave to heat before serving. The batter and tamales can also be frozen, just thaw overnight in the refrigerator before re-steaming. 2 1/4 cups hot water 10 ounces (1 1/3 cups) pork lard or vegetable shortening, slightly softened 2 teaspoons sea salt 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1 to 1 1/2 cups chicken broth 2 (1-pound) packages banana leaves, defrosted if frozen 4 Anaheim peppers 24 ounces Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded 2Transfer peppers to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap so they steam. After 15 minutes peel away the blistered skin from each pepper then remove the stems. Scrape away some or all of the seeds and white membrane inside the peppers depending on how spicy you want the tamales. Chop the peppers into small pieces ready for filling. 2In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the lard or shortening with the salt and baking powder until light in texture, about 1 minute. 3Continue beating as you add the masa mixture in three additions. Reduce the speed to medium-low and add 1 cup of the chicken broth. Continue beating for another minute or so, until a 1/2-teaspoon dollop of the batter floats in a cup of cold water (if it floats you can be sure the tamales will be tender and light). Beat in enough additional broth to give the mixture the consistency of soft, but not runny cake batter; it should hold its shape in a spoon. 4Taste the batter and season with additional salt if you think necessary. Refrigerate the batter for one hour, then use an electric mixer to beat enough additional broth to bring the mixture to the soft consistency it had before. 2Look for holes or rips then cut the leaves into 20 unbroken 12-inch segments. If necessary, steam the segments for 20 minutes to make them soft, pliable and glossy. 3Cut twenty 12-inch pieces of string or thin strips of banana leaf for securing the tamales when filled. 2Spoon 2 tablespoons of the cheese and sprinkle some roasted peppers over the left side of the rectangle of batter. 3Fold in the right third of the leaf so that the batter folds over the filling. Then do the same with the opposite sides making sure that the batter covers all of the filling. 4Fold in an uncovered third of the leaf, and then fold in all the sides, making a square packet. Loosely tie the packet with string or thin strip of banana leaf. 2Set the lid in place and steam over a constant medium heat for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. (Watch carefully that all the water doesn’t boil away, add more water if necessary). The tamales are done when the leaf peels away from the masa easily. 3Let tamales stand in the steamer off the heat for a few minutes to firm up.
