Turkey Mole Tamales

And you thought I was just about politics...

Ha! 

If you didn't know, Sadie's Gathering was more "a dab of this and a dash of that", prior to this election.  And although there'll still be politics, my aim is to return to the Dab-n-Dash time.

It's that time of year again, so I thought I'd share one of the items I look forward to every year.  These are awesome.  Some will go in the freezer and be enjoyed at a later date.  Great for a quick meal, or a snack.  Also, with a little work they make a great party appetizer.  Just steam, cut up into bite size, then drizzle a little salsa and cheese on and voila!  Everyone loves tamales! 

Also if you didn't know I've working on a cookbook.  It will include the recipes here, as well as others.   I'll keep you posted.

For now...

Turkey Mole Tamales

You'll need:
Corn husks -Ahead of time; soak 50 husks in hot water for 2+ hours.  You can do this in a large pot, or in your kitchen sink.

4 cups of Masa 
Mix and knead masa with 1 tablespoon of salt
Add to this 2/3 cup melted lard or bacon fat.  It's okay, you won't be eating it all at once.
Then add 2-3 cups of stock; adding and mixing by hand a 1/2 cup at a time.  I had turkey on hand, but chicken stock would be fine.  The consistency you are aiming for is for the masa to stick together when you grip it in your hand.  Cover with a wet towel until ready to use.

For the filling:
3 cups of shredded turkey
1 cup of Queso Fresco
1cup of Salsa Verde
1/2 -3/4 cup of prepared mole

Process in a food processor, just a few pulses till ingredients are mixed and resemble a chunky paste.

To assemble:

Flatten out a husk on work service (cutting board).  At times you'll need to use 2.  
Spoon out 2 1/2 Tbls of masa mixture onto husk; flatten into a rectangle about 2x3x 1/4 thick.   
Top with about 1 tablespoon of turkey mole mixture.
To roll up: fold up what will be the bottom; then with the side closest to you, carefully roll until masa forms a tube completely covering turkey mix and husk covers all.  Fold down top.  Place in steaming pan on end.

Steam for an 1 hour.  Enjoy plain or top with sauce and cheese.  Can be stored in freezer for 3 months in freezer bags.  To re-steam,  just take from freezer and steam for 20 minutes.  

Hope you enjoy them as much as we have.