Corn is a glorious thing. It has a long history as a dietary staple, and it’s a shape-shifter in the kitchen, versatile and agile in a wide array of preparations. Lately it has also become a bumpy yellow magnet for food politics, inspiring a double handful of books and movies. Let us take a moment to simply appreciate corn in all of its abundance and importance.
Done appreciating? Good! Now, let’s cut to the grind and get eating. Corn dough, aka masa, is the start of many wonderful meals—from tacos to tamales—and once I started grinding my own, I just couldn’t stop. I hope you soon share my obsession.
Warning: of all the recipes in this book, this one may very well be the most habit-forming, and it will surely make you steer clear of store-bought tortillas and tamales for all but emergencies. While true Latin American masa (the corn dough that is the start to so many staples) is made from hearty field corn and ground by hand in a stone metate, this version, which uses whole dried corn and a food processor, is a knock-out stand-in for the urban apartment kitchen. Masa freezes like a champ; just add a little extra water to your thawed dough before using. I highly suggest using organic whole corn, which, if you can’t find it at your local health food store, can be ordered online at TropicalTraditions.com or through Anson Mills. Note that whole-grain corn is not the same thing as popcorn. Also, calcium hydroxide, a toxic chemical that’s necessary to remove the indigestible outer hull of the corn, goes by many names, including “pickling lime,” “slaked lime,” and the trig and friendly “cal.” Buy it online if you can’t find it in the grocery store, health food store, or Latin American or Asian grocery. Use caution with this stuff, but don’t freak out about it; just wash your hands well after handling it. All of it is washed away long before the corn becomes food. Final cook’s note: If you can’t find whole dried corn, or if working with calcium hydroxide scares the bejeezus out of you, you can start with dried hominy and prepare it the same way without the lime. It’s good, but not as good as whole corn.
Makes about 2½ pounds (enough for about 32 tortillas or about 30 tamales)
TIME COMMITMENT About 15 hours
2 pounds (about 5½ cups) whole-grain dried corn kernels
1 tablespoon pickling lime (calcium hydroxide)
4 rounded teaspoons kosher salt
INSTRUCTIONS Wash the corn very well in a colander—do not skip this step. Pour the cleaned corn into a very large stockpot and cover with water by at least 4 inches (the corn will expand later). Remove and discard any floating bits of corn, stirring the corn a couple of times and removing any floaters that rise to the top.
Cover the pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, carefully sprinkle the pickling lime over the top and stir it in well; the corn will get bright and sunny. Once the lime is evenly distributed, cover the pot and let it boil for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, turn off the heat and let the corn sit for 12 hours or overnight, stirring once or twice.
The next morning, the corn will have expanded and the water will have turned cloudy. Pour the corn through a colander, discarding the liquid, and wash the corn vigorously under running water: pick up large handfuls and rub them together hard, as if you were trying to polish rocks. Be sure to clean all the corn very well: this step eliminates the outer husk and the pickling lime. This cleaning should take 10 to 15 minutes.
Now it’s time to grind. Scoop 1½ cups of prepared corn into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and blend for 30 seconds. With the machine running, drizzle in 2 tablespoons of water and a rounded teaspoon of kosher salt. Stop the machine, scrape down the sides, scoop in ½ cup of corn, and drizzle another tablespoon of water around the perimeter of the bowl. Whirl for 30 seconds. This will produce a masa that still has some chunky pieces of corn and whole corn in it. The texture of the masa will be slightly shaggy, but it will pinch together cohesively and be sort of sticky. If you prefer a totally smooth masa, simply grind together 2 cups of corn, 3 tablespoons of water, and 1 rounded teaspoon of salt for 1 minute. Working in batches, process all of the corn in the same manner, moving the corn dough to a large holding bowl covered with a damp kitchen towel as you work. An odd half-cup of corn can simply be added to the last batch.
Gently knead the dough together in the bowl to form a cohesive mass, then split the masa into 2 equal parts and form into balls. Your masa is now ready to be used or stored. Refrigerated, it will keep for up to 3 days.
HOW TO STORE IT Wrapped twice in plastic and then placed in an airtight container, it can be frozen for up to 3 months. To use, simply thaw at room temperature and knead in a couple of tablespoons of water before using, to get it to a pliant and dough-like consistency.
If you can make pancakes, you can make tortillas. While truly homemade tortillas require using corn you processed yourself, making your own from masa harina, which is dried masa that has been finely ground, is totally cinchy—akin to making pancakes from a mix. The most popular brand of masa harina is Maseca (widely available at Latin American grocery stores), but I encourage you to go with organic corn products such as Bob’s Red Mill, or whatever else is available at your local health food store.
TIME COMMITMENT less than 1 hour
Makes 12 tortillas
2 cups masa harina
1 cup water
¼ cup vegetable oil, plus more for the pan
2 teaspoons kosher salt
INSTRUCTIONS In a mixing bowl, stir together the masa harina, water, oil, and salt until a dough forms. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes.
Measure 2 tablespoons of the dough and roll it into a ball between your wet hands. Follow suit with the remainder of the dough; you will end up with about a dozen small balls. Meanwhile, heat a griddle (preferable), cast-iron pan, or heavy skillet over medium-high heat.
Working with 1 ball at a time, place it between 2 sheets of parchment paper (wax paper will stick) and flatten with a heavy skillet or saucepan: a twisting “steering wheel” motion works better than just pressing straight down. The dough will flatten into a pancake about 4½ inches in diameter and ⅛ inch thick. Lightly oil the hot pan.
Lift the tortilla in its paper from the work surface and carefully peel back the paper from one side; let the tortilla fall from the other sheet of paper into your hand. (If the delicate tortilla breaks here, don’t sweat it; just re-roll and try again.) Lay it in the pan and cook on one side until the top bubbles and spots of brown char appear on the bottom, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook the other side for 2 minutes more. Feel free to cook more than 1 tortilla at a time, but don’t crowd the pan. Oil the pan as needed between batches.
HOW TO STORE IT These are best eaten as soon as they’re cooked. They will last refrigerated for up to 5 days; before eating, warm either in a lightly oiled frying pan or by wrapping in wet paper towels and zapping for 10 seconds in the microwave. Tortillas can also be frozen for up to 6 months: wrap tightly in plastic wrap and store in an airtight container or zip-top bag.
Makes about 32 tortillas
2½ pounds homemade masa
Kosher salt (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS If you’re beginning with frozen masa, let it thaw either in the fridge for 24 hours or on the countertop for 8 hours. Unwrap it, move it to a bowl, and add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, to make the masa pliant and dough-like again.
Measure 2 tablespoons of the masa and roll it into a ball between your hands. Follow suit with the remainder of the dough; you will end up with about 32 small balls. Meanwhile, heat a griddle (preferably), cast-iron pan, or heavy skillet over medium-high heat.
Working with 1 ball at a time, place it between 2 sheets of parchment paper (wax paper will stick) and flatten with a heavy skillet or saucepan: a twisting “steering wheel” motion works better than just pressing straight down. The dough will flatten into a pancake about 4½ inches in diameter and ⅛ inch thick. Lightly oil the hot pan.
Lift the tortilla in its paper from the work surface and carefully peel back the paper from one side; let the tortilla fall from the other sheet of paper into your hand. (If the delicate tortilla breaks here, don’t sweat it; just re-roll and try again.) Lay it in the pan and cook on one side until the edges begin to curl up, about 4 minutes. If you like, sprinkle a little more salt on top of the tortilla once it’s in the pan. Flip and cook the other side for about 4 minutes more. Feel free to cook more than 1 tortilla at a time, but don’t crowd the pan. Oil the pan as needed between batches.
HOW TO STORE IT These are best eaten as soon as they’re cooked. They will last refrigerated up to 5 days; before eating, warm either in a lightly oiled frying pan or by wrapping in wet paper towels and zapping for 10 seconds in the microwave. Tortillas can also be frozen for up to 6 months: wrap tightly in plastic wrap and store in an airtight container or zip-top bag.
Americans fell in love with chips and salsa in the 1990s, and they’ve never left the table. Make them more comical at your own risk by serving the chips around the brim of a straw hat with a bowl of salsa (like the one in the sidebar) in the middle. If you’re making tostadas, top them with your favorite meat, beans, guacamole, cheese, ceviche, and so on. This is a stellar use for stale tortillas. Cook’s note: the leftover oil can be cooled, strained, and bottled for later use.
Makes 60 chips or 10 tostada shells
TIME COMMITMENT About 45 minutes
INSTRUCTIONS Pour the oil into a heavy 10-inch skillet (the oil should be about ½ inch deep). Heat over medium to medium-high heat until the oil shimmers, about 8 minutes.
To make chips, slice the tortillas into 6 wedges. (Leave the tortillas whole if you’re making tostadas.) Cover a large swath of countertop with clean brown paper bags, newspaper, kitchen towels, or paper towels for draining.
To make chips, add about 10 tortilla pieces to the pan, one at a time, being careful not to crowd them (or else they will stick to one another). Fry each batch for 2 minutes: they will begin to puff and curl slightly and their bubbling will cease. Flip the chips (ideally, with tongs; if not, use 2 utensils) and fry for an additional 1 to 2 minutes on the second side, depending on the thickness of your tortillas. Adjust the heat as necessary to keep the chips from burning. The finished chips should be golden and crisp throughout.
Remove the chips with tongs or a slotted spoon into a small sieve or wire basket held over the pan, and let them drain for a moment to leave behind as much oil as possible.
Transfer the chips to the paper in a single layer, not touching, to drain, and salt to taste. Let them cool for about 3 minutes—they will crisp up as they cool—and devour while still warm. Discard (or eat!) any chips that did not crisp up all the way through.
To make tostadas, fry the whole tortillas, one at a time, as above for about 2 minutes per side, until golden and crispy throughout, pressing down on them slightly from time to time as they fry. Drain well, letting excess oil drip into the pan from the fried tortilla, then transfer it to the paper-lined countertop.
HOW TO STORE IT Fully cooled chips can be stored in an airtight container or zip-top bag for up to 1 week.
Makes about 1½ cups
INSTRUCTIONS Need a little salsa with that? Combine the following in a bowl: 1½ cups chopped tomato (about 1 large tomato); 3 tablespoons chopped green onion, white and green parts; ¼ cup packed cilantro leaves; ½ teaspoon kosher salt; 1½ tablespoons fresh lime juice or white wine vinegar. Serve promptly.
Peeling back a fresh, hot tamale is like opening up a present on Christmas morning. There’s no point, IMHO, in making just a few: if you’re going to make tamales, then by all means grab multiple corn husks with mucho gusto and go. In addition to their innate deliciousness and crowd-pleasingness, they freeze into the best fast food ever. If you’ve got your own homemade masa on hand, all the better. If not, you can take a shortcut with store-bought masa harina. While tamale steamers will certainly do the job, placing a rack over a baking sheet steams more tamales in less time and does not require any special equipment. Oh, and dried corn husks are available in Latin American grocery stores or online.
Makes about 20 tamales (if using masa harina) or 30 tamales (if using fresh masa)
TIME COMMITMENT About 1 day
1 (1½-ounce) package dried corn husks
1 cup vegetable shortening or lard
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 or 2 teaspoons baking powder
3 cups masa harina, or 2½ pounds fresh masa
2 cups water (if using masa harina)
1¾ to 3 cups tamale filling
INSTRUCTIONS Put the corn husks in a large bowl, add water to cover the husks by at least 1 inch, and soak for 4 hours or overnight.
Make the tamale dough. Using an electric beater or a stand mixer, cream the shortening until it’s quite white and fluffy; about 5 minutes. Add the salt and baking powder to the shortening (use 1 teaspoon of baking powder if you’re using masa harina; use 2 teaspoons if you’re using fresh masa) and beat to combine thoroughly.
If you’re making tamales with masa harina, combine the masa harina in a bowl with 2 cups of water and stir well to form a coarse, crumbly dough.
Beat the masa harina dough, or the fresh masa, if you’re using that, into the shortening in 3 parts, scraping down the sides of the bowl between each addition.
Now, roll the tamales. If you made masa harina tamale dough, you’ll need 1¾ cups of filling, and you’ll be making about 20 tamales. If you’re using fresh masa, you’ll need 3 cups of filling, and you’ll be making about 30 tamales. You will have plenty of corn husks left over; compost the odd pieces and any other unused husks.
Lay a clean, dry kitchen towel on a work surface. Make certain that the corn husks for rolling have been soaking in water for at least 4 hours. Find 1 whole, untorn husk and pair it up with another whole, untorn husk, or piece together 3 or 4 smaller pieces of husk. Make sure the husks are free of grit and corn silk; run them under tap water if you need to. Lay the husks flat in an overlapping position on the towel: you want the working surface area to be about 3 inches across by 2 inches tall, and the husks should overlap by about 1 inch. Dry the tops of the husks gently with a kitchen towel.
With wet fingertips, scoop up about ¼ cup of tamale dough and pat it down in the center of the husks in a rectangular shape about the size of a playing card. Spoon 1 rounded tablespoonful of filling just north of the center of the dough.
Roll the half of the husk that’s closest to you toward the top, letting the dough cover the filling. Fold the left side and then the right side of the husk in toward the center, and then roll it one more time away from you, ensuring that the seam of the husk is on the bottom. If you’re making more than one kind of tamale, mark the outside of the husk with its contents using a marker. The tamale should be well folded with the husks tucked snugly in place; if not, use kitchen string, strips of corn husk, or unwaxed, unflavored dental floss to tie the husks in place.
To steam the tamales, preheat the oven to 350°F.
Place 2 rimmed baking sheets or large baking dishes near the oven. Pour enough water into each pan to cover the bottom and place an ovenproof wire rack on or in each pan. Place rolled tamales on each rack in a single layer, seam side down: it’s okay if they touch one another. Cover the racks very tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil, using multiple sheets if necessary to make a tight seal with the edges of the pans. If your rack is much larger than the pan, start by placing one or more extra-long sheets of foil underneath the dish (do this before you add the water to the dish) and bring the ends up over the tamale-filled racks, folding the foil to make a tight seal. Carefully place both trays of tamales in the oven and steam for 1 hour.
Be very careful when removing the foil from your tamales! It is very hot and steamy inside the foil, and the steam and hot water in the pans can burn you. Feel free to let the tamales sit in the steam tent for up to an hour before you’re ready to serve. Your tamales are ready to eat immediately—eat them hot.
HOW TO STORE IT Let the tamales cool at room temperature, then transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 1 week. Frozen airtight and wrapped individually in plastic, they will last for up to 6 months. To eat, either re-steam or heat refrigerated or frozen tamales in the microwave, still in the husk, plastic wrap removed, for 2 to 3 minutes, until hot.
Makes about 3 cups (enough to fill about 30 tamales)
2 tablespoons neutral vegetable oil
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
Kosher salt
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken, finely chopped
¼ cup raisins, finely chopped
¼ cup finely chopped black olives
3 tablespoons capers
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Juice of ½ lime
Black pepper
INSTRUCTIONS Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and sauté the onion with a pinch of salt until it starts to brown around the edges, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute more. Add the chicken and sauté until it’s cooked through, about 5 minutes. Turn down the heat to medium and add the raisins, olives, capers, and cinnamon. Stir well to combine and sauté for another 3 to 4 minutes, until heated thoroughly and fragrant. Turn off the heat and add the lime juice, plus salt and pepper to taste.
HOW TO STORE IT Refrigerated, this will keep for up to 1 week.
Makes about 3½ cups (enough to fill about 40 tamales)
1 cup dried pinto beans
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 bay leaves
1 cup chopped green onions (about 6 onions, tough green parts removed)
8 ounces Cheddar cheese, grated
Kosher salt and black pepper
INSTRUCTIONS Cover the beans in cool water by at least one inch. Let them soak overnight, or for at least 6 hours.
Drain the soaked beans completely and rinse them well in a colander. Put a large pot over medium heat, add the oil, and cook the onion until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for about 1 minute, until fragrant. Pour the beans into the pot and add the bay leaves and just enough water to cover the beans. Bring to a boil over high heat and immediately lower the heat to a slow simmer. Cover and cook for 50 to 60 minutes, or until tender, stirring occasionally. Drain the beans and discard the bay leaves. Transfer the beans to a bowl and toss with the green onions and cheese, adding salt and pepper to taste.
HOW TO STORE IT The filling can be kept refrigerated for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
