Have you ever rolled tamales?  It is lots of fun with a group, at least one or more person to help out with this time consuming process.  I grew up with a Mother who's favorite food was tamales.  How that happened was that she was cared for by native Texas nannies in Corpus Christi, TX where her family was living and they shared them with her at a very early age and she kept that yearning. 

As a child, we always rolled tamales on the first cold Sunday in October or November when the family could get together.  As little kids, we were relegated to do the tying. Mother and her Mother prepared the filling and the masa, usually for only one kind--Red Chile Beef Tamales.  The reason for this timing is that Tamales are a favorite holiday food.

Actually you can make tamales out of several different fillings and usually the same masa, except for Green Corn Tamales, a favorite in southern Arizona.  

Tamales are most probably one of the earliest foods that cave men and women developed.  And there are several ways they are made.  The concept is always the same.  A more flavorful and often scarce food was made into the filling, preserved with chiles and then enfolded with a food stuff they had more of--some variety of corn and then wrapped in a "throw away"--the husk.  

This concoction, due to the chiles preservation qualities, allowed them to save them for several days.  To eat, they probably tossed them into the coals of a camp fire to cook the mass before eating.

Tamales are much easier to make, preserve and prepare for eating now.  They are often served with a sauce, depending on the type of tamale.

I am teaching a fun class in tamale rolling this coming Monday at 11 AM where we will be making my Mother's favorite, Red Chile Beef, plus Green Chile Chicken and Dessert Tamales.  We'll have some Guacamole to start with and Perfect Margaritas to accompany our Tamale Feast.  We still have a few openings and we would love for you to join us.

Our next classes are the week long class, October 14 - 18 and a new, special Fall Fiesta class on Thursday October 24 at 5 PM.  The next weekend class is November 15 - 17.  We also have two techniques classes in November.  Bread Baking on November 7 and Perfect Pies on November 19.

Here's a recipe for a tamale pie, reminiscent of tamales--

TEXAS STYLE TAMALE PIE

This typically Texas-style casserole dish is a favorite for entertaining because it can be made well ahead of time—two to three days—and then baked just before serving time. It combines the spicy, savory flavors of Southwestern cooking and highlights three popular Tex-Mex ingredients: chili, corn and cheese. You can vary the ingredients to suit your taste and to use what you have on hand. The ingredients can be varied to suit your taste and what you have on hand. Add a green salad such as a Spinach Mango Salad with Lemony Mustard Dressing, recipe found on page 112 for those of you who have my Chili Madness cookbook, 2^nd edition and perhaps the Garlic Sticks, recipe page 146 and you have a very tasty meal.

Yield: Serves 4

1 cup white, yellow, or blue corn meal

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon butter

2 cups chili, preferably beef

1/2 cup whole kernel corn

1 tomato, stemmed and diced

1 medium onion, chopped

1/4 cup thinly sliced pimiento stuffed green olives

1/2 cup grated Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheese combination, or to taste

1. Place 3 cups of water and the salt in a large saucepan over high heat. In a medium bowl, combine 3 cups of water with the cornmeal. When the salted water boils, gradually pour in the cornmeal, stirring constantly. Cook, stirring often, until thick, about 30 minutes over low heat. Meanwhile, butter a 3-quart casserole.

2. While the cooked cornmeal is still warm, spread it over the bottom and sides of the casserole, smoothing it out to a thickness of about 1/2 inch. If baking immediately, preheat the oven to 350 F or if delaying the baking, preheat before baking.

3. Spread the chili over the cornmeal on the bottom of the pan, then add the remaining ingredients in layers, ending with the cheese. Bake until the crust is crispy, and lightly browned, about 30 to 45 minutes.

Reprinted with permission from Chili Madness, 2^nd edition.