Rosa’s Christmas Tamales -- The Recipe That Means She Is Still Here

The week after Rosa died. We drove to McAlester Wednesday for the funeral — me and Hannah and Kai and Luna, Terry and Danny in the same car because Danny can no longer travel without someone managing the oxygen. Lily drove separately. Caleb came too, which I was not certain he would be able to manage, but he came and he was present and that was enough.

Rosa's funeral was a Catholic Mass, the traditional one, in the small church she had attended since she moved to McAlester in 1962. The priest knew her. Several of the women in the pews knew her. Her sister flew in from El Paso — Rosa's last surviving sibling, eighty-two, small and fierce, wearing black with a hat. There were people there I had never met who had known Rosa for forty years, which is what happens when a person has lived their whole life in one place and been good to the people around them. The evidence of a life is in the pews.

I did not know what to bring to a reception I had never been to in a town I had only visited twice. I brought tamales. I made them the night before, Rosa's recipe, the same six dozen I make at Christmas. Terry had asked me not to — she said it was too much work and too soon. I made them anyway, not because I was ignoring her, but because the tamales are how I carry Rosa forward, and this was the first event where she would not be carrying herself, and someone had to.

Rosa's sister found me at the reception and asked whose tamales those were. I said I had made them from Rosa's recipe. She tasted one. She was quiet for a moment. She said, "She taught you this." I said yes. She said, in Spanish: "Then she is still here." I have thought about that every day since. She is still here. The recipe is still here. That is not nothing. That might be everything.

This is the recipe. Rosa’s recipe, the one I made the night before the funeral, the same six dozen I make every Christmas. I am sharing it here because her sister was right — if the recipe is still here, then Rosa is still here. These are not fast and they are not simple, but they are not supposed to be. You make them because the making is the point.

Rosa’s Christmas Tamales

Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes | Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes | Total Time: 3 hours | Servings: 24 tamales (about 6 dozen if tripled)

Ingredients

• For the filling:
• 2 pounds pork shoulder (bone-in)
• 1 yellow onion, quartered
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 6 dried guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
• 2 dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano (Mexican oregano if you have it)
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• Salt and pepper to taste
• For the masa:
• 4 cups masa harina
• 1 cup lard (or vegetable shortening)
• 2-1/2 cups warm pork broth (reserved from cooking the pork)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• For assembly:
• 1 package dried corn husks (about 24 large husks)

Instructions

1. Soak the corn husks. Place corn husks in a large bowl or pot of hot water. Weigh them down with a plate so they stay submerged. Soak for at least 1 hour until pliable.
2. Cook the pork. Place pork shoulder in a large pot with the onion, garlic, and salt. Cover with water by about 2 inches. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 1-1/2 to 2 hours until the pork shreds easily with a fork. Remove pork and reserve 2-1/2 cups of the broth. Shred the meat, discarding bone and excess fat.
3. Make the chile sauce. While the pork cooks, toast the guajillo and ancho chiles in a dry skillet over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes per side until fragrant. Place in a bowl, cover with boiling water, and soak 20 minutes. Transfer chiles to a blender with 3/4 cup of the soaking liquid, cumin, oregano, and vinegar. Blend until smooth. Strain through a fine mesh sieve. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Combine filling. Toss the shredded pork with enough chile sauce to coat generously — about 1 cup. Reserve remaining sauce for serving. Set filling aside.
5. Make the masa. Beat the lard with a stand mixer or by hand until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add masa harina, baking powder, and salt. Mix on low. Slowly pour in the warm broth, mixing until a soft dough forms. The masa is ready when a small ball of it floats in a cup of water. If it sinks, beat a little longer.
6. Assemble the tamales. Pat a corn husk dry. Spread about 2 tablespoons of masa in a thin, even layer over the wide end of the husk, leaving a 1-inch border on the sides and the narrow end uncovered. Place about 1-1/2 tablespoons of filling down the center. Fold one side of the husk over the filling, then the other side. Fold the narrow (empty) end up. Set seam-side down or tie with a thin strip of corn husk.
7. Steam the tamales. Place a steamer basket or rack in a large pot. Add water to just below the basket. Stand the tamales upright in the pot with open ends facing up, packing them snugly so they support each other. Cover with a layer of extra corn husks, then a damp kitchen towel, then the lid. Steam over medium heat for 1 to 1-1/2 hours, checking water level occasionally. Tamales are done when the masa pulls away cleanly from the husk.
8. Rest and serve. Let tamales rest 10 minutes after steaming — they firm up as they cool slightly. Serve with remaining chile sauce on the side.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 245 | Protein: 12g | Fat: 14g | Carbs: 18g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 310mg