CUBAN TAMALES

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Cuban Tamales image

A fusion of African, Caribbean, and Spanish cuisine all wrapped up in a corn husk. This recipe is from my grandmother Mima and my mom who both spent long hours in the backyard in Cuba making these magical potions. A flavorful tamal masa with pork and chorizo stuffing is wrapped in a corn husk and slowly cooked in a pot of simmering water.

Provided by mirelys

Categories     World Cuisine Recipes     Latin American     Caribbean

Time 6h40m

Yield 14

Number Of Ingredients 22

¼ cup olive oil, divided
1 ½ pounds boneless country-style pork ribs, cut into small pieces
1 cup dry white wine, divided
2 cups water
10 cloves garlic, minced, divided
2 tablespoons tomato paste, divided
2 cubes beef bouillon (such as Knorr®)
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 links Spanish chorizo sausage (such as Goya®), thinly sliced
1 yellow onion, diced
1 small green bell pepper, chopped
½ cup pimento-stuffed green olives
4 cups frozen corn, thawed
1 ½ cups masa harina
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 (8 ounce) package dried corn husks, soaked in warm water
kitchen twine, cut into 12-inch lengths

Steps:

  • Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook and stir pork in hot oil until lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes.
  • Pour 1/2 cup white wine into saucepan and bring to a boil while scraping the browned bits of food off of the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.
  • Stir 2 cups water, 5 cloves garlic, 1 tablespoon tomato paste, 1 beef bouillon cube, bay leaves, cumin, oregano, and black pepper to pork mixture. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to low, partially cover the saucepan with a lid, and simmer until pork is very tender, 1 to 2 hours. Transfer pork to a bowl and reserve cooking liquid.
  • Heat remaining olive oil in a deep pot over medium-high heat. Cook and stir chorizo and cooked pork in hot oil until lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes.
  • Stir onion, green pepper, and remaining minced garlic into chorizo mixture; saute until vegetables soften and onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add remaining white wine, olives, 1 tablespoon tomato paste, and remaining bouillon cube; cook, stirring frequently, until flavors combine, about 5 minutes more.
  • Pulse corn and 1 1/2 cups reserved pork broth together in a blender or food processor until mixture has a thick and chunky consistency. Stir corn mixture into pork-chorizo mixture.
  • Reduce heat to medium and stir masa harina, sugar, vinegar, and salt into pork mixture; cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture has a hearty cornmeal porridge-consistency. Season with salt and remove from heat.
  • Make a pocket out of one corn husk and fill 3/4 full with pork mixture, leaving a top flap. Wrap another husk around the filled pocket. Fold top flap over the pocket. Tie twine length- and width-wise around the tamale several times so that packet is secure, but has room for filling to expand during cooking. Repeat with remaining husks and filling.
  • Fill a pot with 2-inches of water; bring to a simmer. Place tamales upright in simmering water, cover the pot, and cook, adding water as necessary, until filling is hot and set, about 40 minutes. Cool tamales until completely set, at least 3 hours.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 284.3 calories, Carbohydrate 24 g, Cholesterol 33.2 mg, Fat 15.4 g, Fiber 3.3 g, Protein 11.4 g, SaturatedFat 4.4 g, Sodium 603.9 mg, Sugar 4.4 g

Keegan McGuire
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These tamales are so moist and flavorful. I couldn't stop eating them!


Qiyyama Okiyah
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I've never made tamales before, but this recipe made it so easy. They turned out great!


Jun Katalbas
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These tamales are a great way to use up leftover meat. I used some leftover chicken and they were delicious.


Recenting Sohel
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I love the flavor of these tamales. They're so unique and delicious.


Imraan Imraan
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These tamales are the best I've ever had. I will definitely be making them again.


Saud Mahessar
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I'm so glad I found this recipe. These tamales are amazing!


Sibtain Olakh
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These tamales are so delicious, I could eat them every day!


Laljeet Magar
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I've made these tamales several times and they always turn out great. They're a family favorite.


Ashley Nicholson
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These tamales are a great way to celebrate a special occasion. I made them for my birthday and they were a hit.


Tim Tim
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I love that this recipe uses masa harina. It makes the tamales so much easier to make.


kacey murphy
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These tamales are a great make-ahead meal. I made them ahead of time and then reheated them when I was ready to eat.


Sylvester Mcintosh
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I made these tamales for my family and they loved them. They said they were the best tamales they've ever had.


Caitie Lavigne
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These tamales are so moist and flavorful. I couldn't stop eating them!


Rahman Kamboh
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I love the flavor of these tamales. The combination of the spices and the meat is perfect.


Johnpaul Lubowa
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These tamales are a great way to use up leftover meat. I used some leftover pork and they were delicious.


Vianette Mares
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I've never made tamales before, but this recipe made it so easy. They turned out great!


Rofhiwa Nepile
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These tamales are so easy to make, and they're so delicious! I will definitely be making them again.


K Elsa
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I made these tamales for a party and they were a huge hit! Everyone loved them.


Raja Dani
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This was a great recipe! I followed the instructions exactly and the tamales turned out perfectly. They were moist and flavorful, and the filling was delicious.