European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 3, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                By Sharon Hudgins  h is the month  comes in like a lion and noes out like a limb. Ii Tan be a Gray month cold and Rainy with the Snow mostly melted and mud in 1hf Spring. March is the Lime of year when you need to do something different even daring to gel out of the doldrums. It s tin1 season when i like Loiry new recipe find exp Rutm no with exotic foods. Recently one of my most successful  Ordinary recipe tests has been for Sweet tamales. Tamales originated centuries Tigo in Mexico and the kinds South of there. In areas where Corn is grown in abundance. The procedure for making them is i he same Lel Miles fruits nuts spices in almost any  you can think of is placed in the Center of the dough the Husk or other wrapper n folded incl tied so that the dough encloses the filling and the wrapper holds the whole tamale together. Several tamales Are then stacked in a Steamer and steamed for one id two hours then they  be removed from their wrappers and  fresh and hoi the very Best Way. They also ran be left in their wrappers and refrigerated or Frozen until needed. Tamales Are made ii Ihn Osl any size from miniature ones to three foot monsters. Shapes can vary uhf from cylinders to spheres la pyramids. But the Lamars Insl of us arc.1 familiar with ire three to Tchur inches lung about an Inch and a Hall wide and an Inch thick. In Mexico the color of the tamil dough can Ranse from while in yellow to red Blu purple even Black depending on the color of the Corn kernels used most tamales eaten in Northern Mexico and the southwestern part of the United states arc Matte from yellow or White Corn sometimes ground Rice is used in place of Corn dough resulting in tamales similar to the wrapped and steamed foods prepared in Southeast Asia. Occasionally additional ingredients Are mixed into the tamale dough ground Chiles chopped greens Small Beans nuts spices sugar you can fill tamales with just about any ingredient that comes in mind chopped meats and fish chopped vegetables Beans cheese nuts spices garlic herbs sauces whatever. Unusual Lamale fillings from Mexico include Small unpeeled shrimp iguana meat and eggs Crisp Fried pork rinds pineapple blackberries pumpkin seeds and even Small edible Flowers. Sycel tamales usually served for breakfast or snacks contain fillings made from raisins nuts sugar candied fruits Arm and spices such As cinnamon cloves and Nutmeg n Mexico tamales Are made at Home fur special occasions. Because they take a fair amount of Lime and Effort to prepare they Are not everyday food. But although making tamales is an All Day Job once you be read through the lengthy recipe and cooked a Batch for yourself you la realize the process is fairly uncomplicated. Because tamales freeze so Well i makes sense to prepare a Large Batch of them some to Eal fresh and the remainder to keep in the Freezer. Sweet tamales for mme information on tamales including several interesting recipes for them i recommend Diana Kennedy s excellent Cookbook the cur saws of Mexico Harper & Row publishers 1972moles about ingredient Masa Harlan the flour made from Lye treated Corn that has been dried and ground can be purchased at Many military commissaries. You can substitute instant grits dry not cooked that have first been ground in a spice grinder or blender. Do not substitute Cornmeal or British Corn flour cornstarch. Dried Corn husks can be purchased from mexican food Supply stores among them Ashleys inc., 6590 Montana ave., i paso Texas 79925 Casadas farms . Box 12bn, san uan Pueblo . 87566 and Valde farms . Box 75, la Jara Colo. 81140, to make your own dry fresh Corn husks in the Sun or on a cookie Sheet in an oven set on very Low heal. Trim the ends off each dried Husk to make a fist rectangular wrapper for each tamale. If Corn husks arc not available use rectangles of Kitchen Parchment paper or aluminium foil for the wrappers tamales wrapped in Parchment paper or foil will no be Juite As Light in texture As those wrapped in Corn husks. I have found that Parchment paper is the belter substitute the Lamalva will be lighter than those wrapped in foil. Sweet tamales 35 to 40 dried Corn husks filling 2 Tablespoons bulk a i cup dark Brown sugar firmly packed v4 cup chopped toasted Pine nuts or pecans 2 Tablespoons chopped raisins it Teaspoon ground cinnamon tamale dough i cup solid vegetable shortening v j cup dark Brown sugar firmly packed l i cups Masa Harina i Teaspoon sail i Teaspoon baking powder 6 Tablespoons cold Waler try confectioners sugar and or shredded Coconut As an optional Garnish. Of 20 six Inch set Rares of Parchment paper or aluminium foil at Vejil three hours he orc you begin to nuke the tamales place the dried Corn husks in a urge bowl and pour enough boiling water Over them to cover them completely. Let them soak for at least three hours. Use 35 to 40 Corn husks for 20 tamales to allow for breakage of some of the husks to make strings for lying the husks and to line the Steamer when you Are ready to make the la mates remove the Corn Huski from the water shake them off Well pal them dry with a cloth Towel or paper towels and stack them m a colander until needed. If using Patch Unitta or foil Cut it into 20 pieces each six inches Square. Foil needs no string to keep to together for Parchment you la need 2d pieces of Cotton Iwine each 12 inches Long m to the filling by creaming together Well the Butler and Brown sugar to a Medlem site bowl. Stir in the nuts raisins and cinnamon. Set aside. Make the tamale dough by beating together the shortening and Brown sugar unlit the mixture is Light and Fluffy. Add the Masa , sail ind baking powder. Work the mixture loge Lher with a Fork or pastry Cutter until All the ingredients Are Well combined. Add the cold Waler and beat on High Speed with an electric mixer until the entire mixture is Light and Fluffy. To Aii Emble the Timaru take one of the soaked Corn husks and a ii Flat on a plate. Spread a Well rounded Tablespoon of the tamale dough on the Center of the Husk and smooth ii with your fingers to form a rectangle three inches Long by two and a half inches wide. Cut a piece of foil his size o use As a guide leave a Border of about two inches on each Long Side of the Husk and two to three inches on the Short ends uncovered. These arc the parts of the Husk will be folded Over the tamale dough. Pul a Teaspoon of the filling in the Center of the dough spreading it by hand into a strip three inches Long Down the Center of the dough rectangle. Pick up one of the Long sides of the Corn Husk and fold it toward the Center of the dough to that he dough foods Over the filling. Lei the com Husk fall Back Flat onto the plate. Repeat this process with the other Long Side of the Husk. Wilh your fingertips press the seam of dough together Over the filling. The Tamate should now look like a Short fal Cigar with the Tilting in the Center lying on the open Corn Husk.  sides of the Corn Husk to the Middle so that it covers the Lamale. Fold the other Tong Side the same Way so thai the Long sides overlap considerably in the Middle. Then fold both Shyrl ends Over to meet in the Center of the , on the same Side o the Lamale where the Long skins of the Husk overlap. Tear another Husk lengthwise1 into several thin strips and use these to tie a band around the tamale wrapper to keep it together. You will now have a Little Corn Husk packet enclosing the dough which surrounds the filling. Repeat this process until at the ingredients have been used. You should have 20 tamales. If using aluminium foil  paper follow the same procedure. Fold Over the Short ends of the foil Iwick Seal the packet. Parchment paper wrappers must be lied Loicl her with string to steam the Linuxes fill a Steamer with boiling water to just Bytow the Bottom of the Steamer rack. Put a non Copper Coin in the Waler line the Bottom and sides of the Steamer with Corn husks or wide strips of Parchment paper. Slack the tamales vertically on the Steamer rack. Place a folded Kitchen Towel Over the top of he Steamer completely covering it. This prevents condensation from dropping Back onto the tamales and making them soggy. Be sure hat the Lowel does t hang Over the outside Edge of the Steamer where ii can catch tire cover the Steamer tightly with its lid. Bring the water to a Boll Over High heal then reduce the heat