Recipe courtesy of Richard Lambert, author and owner of Santa Barbara Tamales-To-Go (www.facebook.com/SantaBarbaraTamales/)
Makes about 30 tamales
The Tamales
7 lbs. chicken breast, bone-in
3 lg. green bell peppers, diced
Corn kernels cut from 3 ears of corn
1 qt. tomatillo salsa (see recipe below)
Salt to taste
2 ½ lbs. prepared masa
2 lb. block of sharp cheddar cheese
2 cans olives, large black pitted
30 sheets of 7" x 9" parchment paper and 60 ribbon ties
Preheat oven to 350°. Place chicken in large pot and braise in water for about one hour. Remove chicken and let sit until cool enough to handle. Shred meat and set aside.
Place corn kernels, diced green bell peppers, and shredded chicken in a large pan. Salt to taste while mixing it all together. Add one third of the tomatillo salsa at a time until you've blended it all together. Place filling in refrigerator until ready to assemble tamales.
Grate half the cheddar cheese, keeping the rest in the refrigerator. It is easier to work with cold cheese, so grate more when you need it. Place cheese in medium-size bowl. Place olives in second bowl, keeping some juice so olives stay moist.
Prep the masa in a mixer, using the paddle at a low speed for 3 to 4 minutes. This will bring the masa to a consistency that is more spreadable. I add a bit of water if the masa seems a little too clay-like. Place masa on a sheet pan covered with aluminum foil. If you don't use all of the masa, wrap the remaining in the foil and place in refrigerator for later use.
Position on a worktable, the masa, olives, cheese, filling, wrapper and ribbon ties. Spread 1 ½ ounces (3-4 tablespoons) masa onto the parchment paper sheet with a spreader tool. Keep the masa 1 ½” away from the right and left sides, and about 4" from the top (along the 9" edge). Bring the masa all the way to the lower edge (the one closest to you).
Place 3 to 3 ½ ounces of filling on the masa near the edge closest to you, sprinkle cheese over filling, and place two olives against the filling. Carefully roll tamale (going away from you) and tie each end of wrapper with a ribbon tie (about 1 ½” in from each end).
Please tamales in a steamer, covered with a a cloth (to help with the steaming process), and steam for 1 ½ to 2 hours. Test the doneness of the masa by peeling back the wrapper a little to see if the masa is cooked through. It's best to let the masa firm up a bit by letting the tamales rest 10 to 15 minutes before serving. The tamales will remain warm for an hour or more out of the steamer.
The Tomatillo Salsa
Makes 2 quarts
3 lbs. (22 to 25) tomatillos
3 serrano chiles (or two lg. ones)
5 poblano chilies
2 white onions, quartered
5 cloves garlic, unpeeled
3 t. cumin seed
2 t. Mexican oregano
2 t. coriander seed
2 T. lard
Salt to taste
Fire roast onions, garlic, and serrano chiles on a comal over a burner for 10 to 15 minutes, turning several times to char all sides. Fire roast tomatillos and poblano chilies under broiler, turning to make sure all sides are charred. Place poblanos in a plastic bag 15 minutes to steam, then peel away outer skin and remove seeds and stems. Do not wash poblanos because that will diminish their flavor.
Peel roasted garlic and place all fire roasted ingredients in a blender for 20 to 30 seconds, then set blender aside.
Toast cumin and coriander seeds for several minutes in a sauté pan. Combine with Mexican oregano and drive 8 to 10 seconds in a spice grinder.
Heat lard in a large skillet, add spice mixture and fry a few minutes. Add fire roasted ingredients from blender. The blended ingredients will “spit” when poured into oil, so be cautious. After a minute, lower heat to medium and simmer for about 5 minutes. If needed, add chicken broth while cooking to thin the salsa. Add salt to taste (I use about one tablespoon). You may refrigerate this salsa up to five days, or freeze for several months.
Note: some tomatillo salsa recipes also call for avocado. If you like the flavor, you might try adding avocado to the fire roasted ingredients before blending.