OpenFace Tamales
Did you know that tamales are a Christmas tradition in many countries? Assembling a mass of tamales for easy holiday dining is usually a family affair. From Argentina to the American southwest, this holiday tradition gets everyone involved in the kitchen.. I like to serve this variation of tamales because it has all the flavors of tamales without all the extra dough. This recipe is for four individual tamales servings
Ingredients:
One half breast per person
2/3 C chopped fresh peppers (use a bell or combo of Anaheim and 1 jalapeno) You can substitute canned chili’s with medium heat
3/4 C sliced thin onion
cheese of your choice (jack, cheddar or quesa fresca – a white mexican cheese)
**chili powder
**chicken base or bullion
**garlic cloves
**cumin - check the mexican spices – they sell soft packages of spices for much less than the regular spice aisle
**butter, flour
**Eliminate these if you are buying canned enchilada sauce equal to two cups**
Cabbage and any “topping options”
Masa for tamales – labeled commonly as instant corn masa mix, available in the latin/mexican area of your grocery store.
The layers of the open face tamales consist of:
A bed of masa, about 1/2″ think
Layer of cooked onions and peppers
Large chunks of shredded chicken mixed with the “rojo” or red chili sauce
1 C Shredded Cheese
Toppers of:
shredded cabbage
cilantro sprigs (*optional)
avocado slices or guacamole (*optional)
sour cream (*optional)
olive slices – green or black (*optional)
Have your chicken breast defrosted and de-boned. In a 2qt (or larger) pot with a tight fitting lid – Bring water to a roiling boil, add a Tbsp of chicken base or bullion. When boiling hard drop in your chicken breast halves and cover tightly. As soon as it comes back to a boil (*which should be less than a minute or two) – turn off the heat and let sit undisturbed for 30 minutes. This is a great way to “poach” chicken for dishes where you want the meat precooked or shredded. Eventually pull each breast out and shred the meat – two forks will do this if you do not want to use your hands. *Shortcut, do this while you are making dinner the night before and store the chicken ready to shred for use tomorrow.
Prepare the Masa – check the package for directions – its easy to make, for four open face in I use 1.5 C of masa with 1+1/3 C of chicken broth and 1/3 C of vegetable shortening. Usually the package will call for lard, but crisco works quite nicely – set aside.5
If you are using fresh peppers, slice finely and brown quickly over high heat with the sliced onion -set aside. If you use canned chilis, just brown the onions.
Make the Rojo sauce – *Shortcut – you can substitute canned red enchilada sauce – the real red chili sauce is worth the small effort to make it!
Chop 1/2 onion, fine
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tbsp butter (oleo)
1 tbsp flour
2 tbsp chili powder
dash cumin
2 C chicken stock
To make the sauce:
In a sauce pan, cook the onion in the oleo, then add the garlic – cook 1 more minute. Add the flour, chili powder and cumin. This forms a rue – allow this to cook for a couple of minutes (this takes the flour taste out). Add 2C of stock slowly & stir until sauce is smooth. Let this come to a simmer, thin with additional broth or water if it gets too thick.
****This is an awesome, all around red chili sauce for tamales, enchiladas, eggs, over rice or beans. ***
To assemble the open face tamales; spread a1/2″ layer of masa in your baking containers. Top the masa with the layer of cooked onions and peppers, spread evenly. Mix 1 Cup of chili sauce with the shredded chicken and spread on top of the onion and pepper layer in a thick chunky layer. Top this with shredded cheese – Bake for 25 minutes in oven at 325. For individual servings; top with some of the shredded cabbage, and any other toppings you opted for. Serve the additional rojo tableside.
Served with beans, and my chopped guacamole salad – this is a hearty and savory meal.
January 3, 2010
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Tags: red chili sauce, rojo, tamales В· Posted in: Mains or Entrees, Sauces
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