THE HOT TAMALE MAN

Over 50 years ago, long before the American Culinary Revolution, vendors still walked through residential areas in my hometown pushing carts selling ice cream. There were little tinkling bells on their carts to announce their presence. Now, as a child, I was hardly denied a reasonable amount of ice cream, (especially homemade). However, I suppose that my parents did not want me begging for ice cream ever single day when the man went by our house with his cart.

So, they invented a subterfuge that must have worked for a number of years, at least until the other kids clued me into reality. My folks told me that the man with the cart was the “Hot Tamale Man” and assured me that I wouldn’t care for hot tamales. Remembering the “Hot Tamale Man” with senior members of my family can still bring us all a chuckle.

Now, as fate would have it, when I actually discovered real tamales I liked them very much. Clearly, so did the early inhabitants of Mexico, who were enjoying a whole range of tamales long before the Spaniards arrived.

There is still an enormous variety of tamales available all over the different regions of Mexico, as well as an enormous variety prepared in regions across America. Some of these are reflections of traditional Mexican cooking and some are created according to the whims of the individual cooks. My tamale story involves a little of both tradition and whim.

A few months ago, our friends with the American Wine Society requested that we do a program matching wine with Southwestern cuisine. I had really wanted to do this for some time and here was the chance. We celebrated our “fiesta” at the beautiful home of society members Bob and Judy Kryter.

It was not a particular region of Mexico that inspired me nor a specific adaptation from the Southwestern border states, although I was certainly influenced by my work and travels. “Comida Nueva” is a definition probably closer to the mark, but when asked about the definition of “Southwestern cuisine”, my answer was, “whatever we want it to be”… I really wasn’t trying to be smart-alecky, but I was trying to make a point – that being the fact that a whole new wave of culinary excitement has swept the US in the last few decades. New American, Regional American, and Fusion Cuisine – it can have several names but we are basically talking about classic cooking techniques paired with regional foodstuffs.

This is the major theme (some might say obsession) in my career. In the early 80s, I wrote in the preface for our book, A TEXAS FAMILY’S COOKBOOK -“Americans have become much more sophisticated in their native cookery. This grafting of classic techniques onto good home cooking is a major milestone in our national culinary history. …explore the New American Cooking; refining familiar dishes with classic preparation techniques and an increased awareness of health and nutrition. Perhaps this “new” cooking is simply a deeper appreciation of our potential of producing a cuisine truly global in scope and authority.”

Over 25 years later in his 2007 book, WHITE HOUSE CHEF, Chef Walter Scheib, indicates that his staff was directed toward “…making the White House a showcase for what our farmers and other culinary purveyors were creating, and also for the style being forged by modern American chefs who wove indigenous American ingredients and international elements and styles together into an exciting, ever-changing cuisine that defied easy description- and was garnering a great deal of attention from coast to coast and around the world.”

Now, my fun little dinner hardly aspires to the lofty heights of White House cuisine, but I think Chef Scheib’s observation is well taken. The recipes used were our own creations and adaptations with the exception of the Mole Poblano, which is taken from Diana Kennedy’s authoritative classic, THE CUISINES OF MEXICO. If you have the slightest interest in the cuisine and culture of Mexico, this is a cookbook that must be in your library.

Here is our menu and a list of the wines we enjoyed.

Quaffing Wine: White Wine Spritzer with lime

Antojitos (Appetizers)
Black Bean Pate
Ceviche with
Red Snapper, Scallops and Shrimp
Guacamole with Oranges
Pickled Garlic (from Low Country Produce-TRY THIS!)
Salsa de Aji Amarillo*
Blue Corn Tostados

Served with
‘06 Columbia Crest “Vineyard 10” - WA. State
’04 Albert Seltz Gewurztraminer - Alsace

Platillo fuerte (Main Course)
Open Faced Turkey Tamales with Mole Sauce
Squash simmered with Cream
Mexican Rice

Served with
‘07 Crios de Susana Balbo Malbec – Argentina
’07 Ferrari-Carano Fume Blanc – Sonoma Co.

Postre (Dessert)
Texas Pecan Tart with Blue Bell Vanilla Ice Cream
Drizzled with
Leaning Oaks Cabernet Chocolate Sauce

Served with
NV Domaine Chandon Brut Classic – Napa Valley

So as not to be just guessing about these pairings, we prepared a “Chef’s Table” a few weeks earlier. Margaritas and beer usually tend to be the beverages of choice with this kind of cuisine. However, matching the spicy flavors with the nuances of wine was fun and educational. All in all, the combinations worked well, and with us serving two very different wines with both the appetizers and the main course, I think everyone found something they liked.

Without question, for me, the standout combination was the food friendly Malbec with the tamales… and to get back to the tamale story… In the midst of testing the tamale recipe several times, I became aware of a local cooking contest in progress, sponsored by our newspaper The Knoxville News Sentinel, a grocery store chain, and a local TV and radio station among others.

The contest was a part of a much larger event known as the Women Today Expo. The event featured a number of celebrity appearances including ABC’s Robin Roberts. The Expo also included a Cooking School segment featuring local chef and “Hell’s Kitchen” star, Carol Scott. Former White House Chef Walter Scheib and TV cake baking Master Warren Brown wowed the crowd with demos and signed copies of their respective cookbooks.

Rounding out the culinary production were the three winners of the recipe contest.
There were 3 categories including “Eat Light, Eat Cheap and Eat Sweet”- Cheryl Hodge won the “Eat Sweet’ with her Applesauce Spice Pudding Cake, Mary Gushen’s Ultimate Inexpensive Chicken Enchiladas took “Eat Cheap” and my own Open Faced Turkey Tamales won the “Eat Light” competition.

I think my wife, Gail and I made those tamales about 5 times in the course of a few weeks, including the demo at the Women Today Expo itself. Gail and I also offered a short tamale presentation at the wine society dinner, assisted by our good friend and noted Food Stylist, Linda Ullian Schmid, to whom we are much indebted.

Although, I have never though of myself as “The Hot Tamale Man”, I guess now I have some claim on the title. Surely, my parents would have been highly amused.

We offer a big “Muchas Gracias” to Bob and Judy Kryter and to the members of The American Wine Society. We also must thank Mary Constantine, Erin Slocum and the rest of the News Sentinel staff. Kudos and appreciation also go to Chris Kahn and her remarkable team of volunteers that worked so hard to make the Women Today Expo a reality.

*Aji Amarillo (Capsicum baccatum) is arguably the most popular hot pepper in Peru. It is a particularly beautiful pepper with a bright shiny yellow-orange skin. It is considered to be a medium hot pepper but that also depends on your personal taste. The flavor is fruity and aromatic and altogether delicious!
Although, this is not an ingredient common to our local markets, we are fortunate to be able to have access to it by way of our generous friends, J Owen Peterson and his wife, Thea Barrios Peterson. Thea is originally from Peru and still has many family members in that country. Owen is a noted professional photographer www.customphotographicservices.com and amateur grower of Aji peppers. In an upcoming blog, he has promised to share both photos and family recipes with us. We enjoyed serving the bright sauce Owen made using these peppers with our Southwestern dinner. THANKS!

Open-faced turkey tamales

Filling:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large white onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 pounds ground turkey
2 cloves garlic, minced and mashed
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon thyme
1 pickled jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
One (8-ounce) can tomato sauce

Dough:
2 quarts chicken or turkey stock
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 cups Masa Harina
32 dried corn husks soaked in warm water
1 cup (per pan) of chicken or turkey stock for steaming

Saute onion and green pepper in oil until soft. Stir in turkey, garlic, cumin, salt, oregano, thyme and jalapeno pepper. Cook until turkey is done, about 6-8 minutes. Pour in tomato sauce, cook another 5 minutes and set aside to cool. Make dough by bringing the stock, salt and cumin to a boil in a large stockpot. Very gradually whisk in Masa Harina to stock so that it doesn’t lump. Reduce heat to simmer. Cook 15 to 20 minutes until it is quite thick, stirring frequently. Let cool at least 10 minutes. Pat corn husks dry and spread 3 tablespoons of the dough about 1/4 inch thick over the middle of the each husk. Top with scant 1/4 cup turkey filling. Gather together each end of the tamale and tie with a strip of corn husk. Leave the middle open with the filling showing.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange tamales in one layer on bottom of baking pans (will need more than one.) Bring stock to a boil and, in each dish, pour 1 cup stock around the tamales. Cover with a lightly oiled piece of aluminum foil and place in oven. Cook for approximately 45 minutes. Serve plain or with Ranchero or Mole sauce. Yield: 24-30 tamales, depending upon how generously filled.