Tamales by Alice Guadalupe Tapp | First Taste

Tamales (Fast And Delicious Mexican Meals) | Alice Guadalupe Tapp

Pages: 131

Genre(s): Cookbook

Published: January 1st 2014 | Ten Speed Press

Format: Hardcover

Source: Random House 

Mexican Night

Everybody knows that I loveeeeee to eat. We're always throwing down in my house, and we especially like to do what we call " Theme Nights ", where we'll cook food according to whatever theme is chosen. Mexican night has been something we've been doing for years, and for some apparent reason, Tamales always seem to weasel it's way on the menu. So it made total sense to try out and review some of the recipes from this cookbook I received from Crown Publishing (Random House Imprint). 

Favorite Recipes

So far, I've only been able to try two of the many recipes in this book. I received this a little before the holidays, so I've pretty much been stuffing myself with holiday inspired food ya know. Oh and with Christmas right around the corner, I probably won't make more of the dishes until after the new year.

Okay don't kill me. I didn't take pictures of the dishes I made -_- . Don't worry, next time I'll be better prepared lol. Anywho, the first recipe is my personal favorite. My mother is a big fan or tamales, which is why they're a re-occurring dish in our home. I however, am not huge fan of the corn husks that most tamales are made with, so I really enjoyed the sirloin beef tamales. I just whipped it up quickly, and poured them over a bed of polenta. Mmm, mmm, tasty. 

Sirloin Beef Tamales

1 Pound Beef Sirloin

3 Tablespoon Olive Oil

Pinch of Salt

Pinch of Pepper

1 Small to medium onion, chopped

2 large cloves garlic, chopped

2 cups plus 6 tablespoons

Pasilla Chile Sauce 

Or- 1 (28 ounce) can Las Palmas Red Chile Sauce 

3 cups Fresh Masa 

Cut the sirloin into 1-inch pieces. Heat the olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add the sirloin, salt, and pepper, and saute until barely brown, or approximately 5 minutes, then add the onion garlic and cook 5 minutes more, until the onion is translucent. Add 2 cups of the red chile sauce and cook, stirring, for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool. 

Add the remaining 6 tablespoons chile sauce to the masa and mix thoroughly until well incorporated. Assemble the tamales (see pages 5-6), using 1/4 cup masa and 1/4 cup filling for each tamale. Transfer to a steamer and steam for 50 minutes. 

Makes 12 Tamales

Here's a recipe for a easy to make salsa. If you're a sauce and condiment lover like myself, you'll use this quite alot in your mexican or-not-so-mexican dishes. 

Super Easy Salsa

1 (11.5-ounce) can V8 juice, chilled

1/2 minced fresh jalapeno, seeded if desired

1/4 cup minced or chopped cilantro

1/4 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon fresh lime or lemon or vinegar

Salt, as needed

Mix everything together and taste, adding salt a pinch at a time if needed. Serve with chips or use as a sauce. Refrigerate between uses.

This next recipe is sooo freaking good! We've made it three times already, and plan to make them again for new years!

Banana Nutella Tamales

1/4 Cup unsalted butter

1/4 Cup sugar

2 Teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 Teaspoon ground cinnamon

6 Large bananas, cut into 1/2 inch slices

3 cups Sweet Masa

1 (13-ounce) Jar Nutella

Melt the butter in a large saucepan, then add the sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon. Add the bananas and cook, stirring for about 3 minutes, until the bananas are glazed. Set aside to cool.

Assemble the tamales, using 1/4 cup masa, 1/3 cup bananas, and 1 generous tablespoon of Nutella for each tamale. Don't spread the Nutella over the bananas, just scoop it on top. Transfer to a steamer and steam for 50 minutes. 

I'm far from a Husk-Wrapping pro, but thanks to these illustrations I'm well on my way!