Page 30 - summer book

She had placed the chopped meat in separate
bowls, retaining the combined broth in a large
pot.,flavoring it with onion and garlic. She blends
some of it with dried chili California, a long red chili
similar to the guajillo chili, which she also uses.
This savory stock is then added to the masa for
color and flavor. She also adds Manteca (com-
monly known as vegetable lard) to the masa for
consistency and a unique sabor.
Mixing the masa in the traditional way with bare
hands, Maurillia engages her entire body to avoid
stressing her back. Making tamales is hard work
and not for the faint of heart! Her Oaxacan tradition
calls for a small bit of potato in each tamale. She
peels and slices eight Russet potatoes with the
efficiency of a seasoned chef, owing to decades
of honing her skills in this time-honored craft. She
then cuts the potatoes into long strips and partially
cooks them in a shallow pan with just enough of
the broth-chili mix to pull the starch out. With all
the ingredients prepared, she starts putting the
finished product together, smearing some of the
masa on a flattened corn husk that has been cut in
half. She adds a spoonful of either pork or chicken
braised in the red sauce and a potato slice, then
wraps it like a papoose. She adds another dollop
of masa over the top and “double dips,” or covers
the top of the tamale with an upside-down corn
husk papoose.
We left Maurillia just as she started filling the corn
husks. I imagine she wakes up early to steam
them the next morning, as they are always fresh
and warm for her swap meet cus-
tomers. “You must be tired when
you’re done,” I asked. “Yes, but I
enjoy doing it,” she told us. Before
we left, she offered me her phone
number in case we ever want-
ed to order vegetarian tamales,
which she makes with queso and
spinach. You can pre-order them a
week in advance at the swap meet
& she will have them for you. Enjoy!