Andrew Rea is the founder of Binging with Babish, a popular YouTube channel with more than five million subscribers, and has just released a cookbook of the same name.
Binging with Babish features 100 recipes inspired by popular films and television shows.
Andrew helps us celebrate Halloween with a tamale recipe inspired by Pixar's Coco, and other iconic dishes from the big and small-screen - including Cornish Game Hens with Pomegranate Sauce from Frasier and the Big Kahuna Burger from Pulp Fiction!
Tamales Recipe (serves 12+)
Ingredients:
- 20 dried corn husks (available at Mexican markets)
- 6 guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
- 6 pasilla chiles, stemmed and seeded
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 tomatillos, quartered
- Juice of 1/2 orange
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 poblano peppers, halved lengthwise, deveined and seeded
- 4 ounces Oaxaca cheese, pulled apart into 3-inch-long strips
- 20 ounces masa harina (about 4 and 1/4 cups)
- 3 cups hot (not boiling) water
- 14 ounces lard or shortening (about 13/4 cups)
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 cup chicken stock, warmed
- Tomatillo Salsa for serving
Place the corn husks in a clean bucket or large bowl. Cover with water and top with a heavy plate to keep them submerged. Soak for at least 3 hours or up to overnight.
Meanwhile, make the pork filling: Place the dried chiles in a large saucepan with 2 cups water, cover, and bring to a boil over high heat. Remove from the heat and soak for 10 minutes, until softened. Transfer the chiles and their soaking liquid to a blender. Add the garlic, tomatillos, orange juice, lime juice, oregano, cumin, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and the black pepper. Puree until very smooth and let the spice paste cool completely, about 30 minutes.
Combine the spice paste and pork in a large resealable plastic bag, seal, and massage to completely coat the pork with the spice paste. Refrigerate for 3 hours or up to overnight.
When ready to cook the pork, preheat the oven to 275°F.
Transfer the pork and spice paste to a 9 x 13-inch baking dish, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and bake for 3 hours, until the pork is very tender. Transfer the pork to a platter; switch the oven to broil. Shred the pork using two forks and moisten it with some of the braising liquid. Let cool.
Meanwhile, make the poblano filling: Place an oven rack in the highest position. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Place the poblanos skin-side up on the lined baking sheet. Broil for 4 to 5 minutes, until the poblanos are blackened all over rotating halfway through the cooking time. Remove from the oven. Wrap the poblanos in foil and set aside for 10 minutes to let them steam and soften. Unwrap and, wearing nitrile gloves, rub the blackened skins off the poblanos. Discard the skins and slice the poblanos into 1-inch-wide strips. Transfer to a plate, add the Oaxaca cheese, and season both with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt.
Make the tamales: In a large bowl, combine the masa harina and hot water. Mix with a wooden spoon until combined, cover with plastic wrap, and let rest for 15 minutes.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the lard on medium-high speed for 2 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Add the baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Mix on low speed until combined. With the machine running on the lowest speed, add the soaked masa harina one handful at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl frequently. With the machine running on medium speed, slowly stream in the stock until well combined. Cover and refrigerate the tamale dough for 1 to 12 hours.
Drain corn husks and pat dry with kitchen towels. Sort out any broken or damaged husks and pull them apart into 1/4-inch-wide strips. On the inside of each whole husk, evenly spread about 1/4 cup of the tamale dough, leaving a 2-inch border on each side except the top. Fill half the husks with 2 tablespoons of the pork each; fill the remaining husks with 2 or 3 strips each of the poblanos and Oaxaca cheese each. Fold in the long sides of each husk, Overlapping them to enclose the filling. Fold the tapered end of the husk up, leaving the wide end open. Using a torn strip of husk, tie up each tamale to secure the tapered end. Arrange the tamales in a large steamer basket, open-end up, and set the basket in a large pot with 2 inches of simmering water in it. Cover and steam over medium-low heat for 45 minutes.
Remove from the heat and transfer the tamales to a serving platter. Let rest for 15 to 30 minutes, then unwrap and serve with salsa.
Event Info:
Andrew Rea in Conversation with Sawyer Jacobs, Thursday Oct. 31, 7:00 PM, Seattle Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave, Seattle, WA 98101