TAMALES COLOMBIANOS RECIPES

Steps:

• Prepare the marinade the night before you plan to make the tamales. Chop one bunch of green onions. Mince 2 garlic cloves. Combine, then add 1 teaspoon ground cumin and 1 packet of sazon. Rub mixture all over both chicken and ribs. Place meat in separate plastic baggies to marinate in the refrigerator overnight.
• Next make the “hogao,” a kind of sofrito. Combine chopped tomatoes, 1 bunch of chopped green onions, 2 cloves minced garlic, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1/2 packet of sazon, 1/6 cup of chopped cilantro, olive oil and salt to taste in a skillet and saute until everything is soft and tender, kind of like a mush. Cool and refrigerate until ready to assemble tamales.
• Now you can make the "pique" sauce. Combine 1 bunch chopped green onions, 3 cloves minced garlic, fresh lemon juice, remaining chopped cilantro, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, sugar, vinegar and salt to taste. Make this at least 2 hours before serving so flavors develop.
• Prepare masa harina according to package directions except use chicken broth in place of water and salt to taste. This mixture should have flavor unlike an arepa which is more bland (my husband says the masa is the best part). It should be fairly moist, but still stay together like a dough when pressed. If it is too wet you can still use it, it is just more messy.
• Now the hardest part is assembling them. Place about 1/4 cup of dough in the center of a banana leaf and spread it out. Put one rib and one chicken thigh piece on top. Place about 3 slices of the carrots, 6 potato sticks and 3 slices egg on top of the meat. Sprinkle with peas. Spoon 3 tablespoons of the "hogao" (sofrito) over all, then top with another 1/2 cup of spread out masa. This does not have to be uniform or even neat.
• Next pull up the sides of the banana leaf to form a packet. Tie with kitchen string, but do not let any of the filling seep out (I told you it was hard). If the leaves break just reinforce with extra banana leaves. Wrap packet in aluminum foil. Repeat 5 times.
• They are now ready to steam. Use a large Dutch oven with a steamer insert so the tamales do not touch the water in the bottom of the Dutch oven. These need to cook about 3 hours. You probably will have to replenish the water during the cooking process. Stack the tamales all the way to the top in the steamer pot and turn up the heat to high. If your pot does not hold all of them, just refrigerate or freeze the rest until you can steam them later. When you hear the water boiling furiously, turn the heat down to medium.
• Serve the tamales on a section of banana leaf. With the "pique" sauce on the side to be drizzled on bites of the tamale.

Steps:

• Cook the ribs in a pot with water with the bacon for about 20 minutes. In another pot, cook the chicken for 50 minutes. Once they're fully cooked, remove the meats from the pot.
• In a large saucepan, fry the garlic and onion, and season with the annatto seeds. Once the ingredients are well mixed, add the peas, rice, and corn flour.
• Sear the plantain leaves on the stove. This requires a high flame to pass over both sides of the leaves to release the flavor.
• Once the leaves are seared, join two of them and begin to fill. Grease them and add approximately 4 tablespoons of the dough, along with the carrots, boiled egg, pork and bacon. Spread well over the leaf. Cover with two more tablespoons of dough.
• When you're ready to close your tamal, take the corners and fold them in tightly. Fasten tightly using the twine, ensuring that they are securely wrapped.
• In a large and deep pot, heat the broth from the meat and chicken, and place the tamales within to boil. Ideally, you want the tamales to be completely submerged in the water (you can add more water if necessary).
• Cover the pot and let cook for 4 hours at low heat.
• When ready, take the wrapping off very carefully so as not to burn yourself with the steam. Serve hot.