Feliz Navidad Tamales

Last month I learned how to make tamales from an Ecuadorean woman in my ward. She has been cooking since she was five years old, and her enthusiasm for making food is infectious. She says that tamales are often made as a dish for a special occasion, such as Christmas, because they can be time consuming to make, therefore special.

This weekend I came home for Christmas and made tamales for my family. They are not hard to make, and so delicious and healthy! The filling can be modified to any taste--mine are not very spicy, for example, but yours could be full of chili peppers if you'd like.

Ingredients for the Tamale Filling:

4 tablespoons achiote oil (or you can dissolve achiote powder into hot oil, and its pretty much the same thing)
2 small onions or a bunch of scallions cut small
1 box or small bag of frozen peas and carrots
2 or 3 cooked and shredded chicken breasts (boiling them is quick & easy, or use leftover chicken)
2 or 3 hard-boiled eggs cut small
1 handful chopped fresh cilantro
2 minced garlic cloves
1 cup chicken broth
black olives sliced small (not quite a whole can)
salt and pepper to taste

The tamale filling can be made the night before. Heat the oil in a large skillet and saute the onions, garlic, cilantro, and olives until they are soft and hot but not yet beginning to brown. Add the chicken meat and stir well. Add the chicken stock, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a rapid simmer and add salt and pepper to taste. Add the peas and carrots and eggs, and mix well. Simmer for a few minutes then remove from heat and either set aside or refrigerate until later.

Ingredients for Tamale Masa:

3 cups masa harina (or any instant corn flour masa)
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cumin
1 cup softened butter
2 cups chicken broth or water
corn husks

Rinse off the corn husks and place them in a deep pan or pot. Pour boiling water over them and let them soak for about 15 minutes or until soft and pliable, while you make the masa dough. Mix the masa, baking powder, salt, and cumin together, then add the butter and broth and mix (best done with hands) until soft, pliable, and fully combined.

Prepare the Tamales:

Prepare a pot with a steamer in the bottom and a few inches of water (if you don't have a steamer you can use a foil pie pan with holes cut in the bottom and placed upside down in the bottom of the pan) and cover the steamer with a few of the soaked corn husks. Drain and pat dry the corn husks. Take one and spread it out, and place about 2 tablespoons of masa dough in the middle of it. Using the corn husk, roll the dough into a tamale shape and then put a large spoonful of the chicken filling on top of the dough. Fold one side of the corn husk over, then fold the bottom up, then fold the other side over, and then the top. Place the wrapped tamales in the steamer and when the pot is full cover them with a cotton dishtowel and a lid, and steam for 45 minutes. (You might need to add some more water after about 30 minutes.)

To eat the tamales, just unwrap carefully (the steam is hot!) on a plate, and enjoy!

The recipe makes about 25 tamales, and a good portion is 2 medium sized tamales per person.

(Sorry, I should have taken step-by-step pictures of the process and finished product, but I was so excited about making and eating them that I entirely forgot.)

Cheesecake or Pie?

Julianne's Apple Cinnamon Cheese Pie

I have made several cheesecakes now, and I find it interesting that they all have slightly different amounts of ingredients and different ways to cook it. I decided to make up my own recipe and see how it turns out. From the sounds of it, you can change a lot with a cheesecake, and it will still turn out good. This one is more of a cheesecake pie, hence the name "Cheese Pie".

Ingredients:

• 9 inch graham cracker crust
  

• 8 oz cream cheese
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup apple cider
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  

• 1 large apple or 2 small apples peeled and sliced thinly
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp lemon juice (leave out if you use granny smith apples)

Directions:

1. Prepare a graham cracker crust or use pre-made graham cracker crust. Preheat oven to 350 F.
   
2. Beat softened cream cheese until smooth (this is important if you like your cheesecake smooth). Add brown sugar and beat until smooth. Add heavy cream, sour cream, apple cider, and vanilla.
3. In medium saucepan, saute apples with butter cinnamon and lemon juice until softened (medium to medium-low heat).
4. Beat egg in separate bowl. Add to cream cheese mixture and mix until consistency is even. Poor half of mixture into pie pan. Add apples in one layer (two if necessary). Poor rest of mixture into bowl. Optional: I saved about 1/4 cup of the mixture and added 1/2 tsp cinnamon. I then added this in drops/ swirls over top and used knife to create a marble effect. You can just add the cinnamon ahead of time if you prefer.
5. Put pie pan in large pan filled with about 1 inch of water (optional). Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes. Turn off oven and leave in oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, and let pie cool to room temperature. (All of this helps prevent cracking.)
   
6. Refrigerate several hours or over night. Enjoy!

Fire-roasted Tomato Vegetable Soup

From November's Dining In (but also perfect for right now):

Allyson's Fire-Roasted Tomato Vegetable Soup

1 medium onion, chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

4 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped

5 garlic cloves

2 (14 1/2 oz.) cans diced fire roasted tomatoes

1 (14 1/2 oz.) can fire roasted tomatoes, crushed

3 c. vegetable broth

1 T. oregano

1 tsp. rosemary, crushed between your fingers

4 roasted garlic cloves

1 T. minced parsley or chopped basil

salt and pepper

1 tsp. sugar (if needed)

Preheat oven to 350. In a shallow roasting pan, combine the celery, carrots, and garlic, sprinkle with salt, and lightly drizzle with olive oil. Cover the pan with foil and roast 45 minutes to hour, until the celery is almost tender, stirring every 15 minutes to prevent burning. Set aside.

In a large saucepan, sauté the onion over medium heat, until translucent. Add the roasted vegetables, tomatoes, broth, oregano, and rosemary; bring to a simmer. Simmer on very low heat for 10 minutes.

Use a blender to puree the soup to preferred level of consistency, then transfer back to the liquid. Add the parsley and salt and pepper to taste, and simmer for about 10 more minutes to allow the flavors to blend. If it is too acidic, add a little sugar to taste. Serve with some chopped fresh basil and either a crusty baguette or rye chips.