Skip to main content

Kitchen Challenge Accepted: Honduran Nacatamales


When I saw that Love & Olive Oil was hosting a Tamales Kitchen Challenge this month, I was very excited. I needed an excuse to make nacatamales again. However, the instructions came with a caveat: "...but they do need to be traditionally wrapped in corn-husks…."

Hmmm...Honduran nacatamales are traditionally steamed in banana leaves instead of corn husks.

Not wanting to break the rules of the challenge, I sent Lindsay and Taylor a message. The answer: "They're wrapped and steamed in the same way right? If so, definitely ok!" Fantastic. Here we go.

So, while R went to his mandolin lesson, the Enthusiastic Kitchen Elf and I went to the Asian market for banana leaves and the Mexican market for Salvadorean cream (it's like a thin sour cream). Our nacatamales aren't completely traditional because I cook the meat before stuffing them and I also skipped the lard.

This recipe made approximately 24 nacatamales. When you're working with kitchen elves, things are not as precise as they could be...so some were smaller and some were larger, but it was roughly 2 dozen when we were all finished.

Ingredients
For the masa
  • 6 C masa harina
  • 1/2 C butter, softened
  • 1/2 C olive oil
  • 1/4 C vinegar
  • 4 C organic beef broth

For the filling
  • 1 lb 96/4 organic grass-fed ground beef
  • splash of olive oil
  • 4 banana peppers, seeded and diced
  • 1 T minced garlic
  • 1 C fresh tomato sauce
  • 1 T ground paprika
  • 1 T ground cumin
  • freshly ground salt
  • freshly ground pepper
  • 1/2 C chopped herbs (D gave me oregano, marjoram, parsley, chives, and mint from his garden)
  • 1 C shredded cheese (I used a mixture of mozzarella, provolone, and cheddar)
You will also need 1 package of banana leaves, rinsed and dried.

Procedure
For the masa: Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl and stir till it comes together into a ball. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.


For the filling: In a large flat-bottom pan, soften the garlic and banana peppers in a splash of olive oil. Add in the meat. And cook through. Pour in the tomato sauce. Season with paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper.

Fold the meat mixture into the masa - with the herbs and the cheese - to form the filling.



To assemble: Lay a banana leaf on a cutting board and spoon 1 C of the filling into the center.


Fold the edges of the banana leaf over the stuffing and roll the banana leaf to form a packet.



Place the nacatamales in a large pot, suspended over water. I don't have a steamer basket, so I use an upside-down bowl with a plate on top. Bring the water to a boil, then cover the pot tightly and steam for 60-70 minutes.




The Enthusiastic Kitchen Elf was so proud of his nacatamales. 


Each diner opens the banana leaf of his or her own nacatamal before eating. D used the Salvadorean cream and fresh salsa to make "art on a plate."


This was a fun Kitchen Challenge! Can't wait to see what they have in store for us for September. We're definitely in.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Meyer Lemon Custard-Filled Matcha Turtles #BreadBakers

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely bread by following our  Pinterest board  right here. Links are also updated after each event on the  Bread Bakers home page .  We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. This month Stacy of Food Lust People Love  is hosting and she wrote: "Your bread can be large, as in one big animal, or small - animal-shaped rolls. Use your imagination! Points for flavor and shape!" If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send an email with your blog URL to Stacy at foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com. Here's the animal-shaped bread basket from the #BreadBakers... Beef and Sweet Onion Dim Sum Pandas from Karen's Kitchen Stories Bird Bread Rolls from Ambrosia Easter Bunny Buns from Cook with Renu Ham and Cheese Elephant Rolls from Food Lust People Love Hedgehog Bread from Making Mir

Connecticut Lobster Rolls, Canned Lobster Bisque, and a 2019 Henry Fessy 'Maître Bonhome' Viré-Clessé #Winophiles

This month the French Winophiles group is looking at affordable wines from Burgundy.  Host Cindy of Grape Experiences wrote: "Burgundy, or Bourgogne, is known for its wines of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir... as well as Aligote, Gamay, Sauvignon, César, Pinot Beurot, Sacy, Melon in lesser quantities. Many of the well-known wines are quite expensive, but there are plenty of values to be found." Read her invitation here. And there won't be a Twitter chat for this event, so you will have to dive into the articles themselves to read about our pairings and findings. Here's the line-up... Wendy Klik from A Day in the Life on the Farm enjoys Domaine Chevillon Chezeaux Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Nuits, 2018 Paired with a Maple Pecan Chicken . Camilla Mann from Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares her love of Connecticut Lobster Rolls, Canned Lobster Bisque, and a 2019 Henry Fessy 'Maître Bonhome' Viré-Clessé. Jeff Burrows of FoodWineClick! explains why we should Look t

Quick Pickled Red Onions and Radishes

If you've been reading my blog for even a short amount of time, you probably know how much I love to pickle things. I was just telling a friend you can pickle - with vinegar - or you can ferment - with salt - for similar delicious effect. The latter has digestive benefits and I love to do that, but when I need that pop of sour flavor quickly, I whip up quick pickles that are ready in as little as a day or two. I've Pickled Blueberries , Pickled Asparagus , Pickled Cranberries , Pickled Pumpkin , and even Pickled Chard Stems ! This I did last night for an upcoming recipe challenge that requires I include radishes. Ummmm...of course I'm pickling them! Ingredients  makes 1 quart jar radishes, trimmed and sliced organic red onions, peeled and thinly sliced (I used a mandolin slicer) 3/4 C vinegar (I used white distilled vinegar) 3/4 C water 3 T organic granulated sugar 1 T salt (I used some grey sea salt) 6 to 8 grinds of black pepper Proce