Hallacas Guajiras De Pollo Chicken Tamales Recipes

HALLACAS GUAJIRAS DE POLLO (CHICKEN TAMALES)

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, combine chicken, onion, garlic, chopped red and green peppers, green onions, cumin, sazon, salt and water; bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and cook until the chicken is very tender, about an hour (most of the water will have cooked out).
• Let cool a bit, then shred chicken, discarding bones and skin.
• Place chicken back in the sauce pan and add in the peas and carrots, green beans, capers, minced red bell pepper, and raisins.
• Meanwhile, prepare the alinos by placing all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and processing to form a paste; you will only use 1/2 cup of this, but the rest can be stored in the refrigerator for a week or frozen for longer storage (it is fantastic in rice, soups, or stews).
• Now place the masarepa in a large bowl; add water, salt, 1/2 cup of the alinos, and achiote oil.
• Mix with your hands until smooth.
• To assemble: On a clean work surface, place a banana leaf, then place another one perpendicular to sort of form a cross.
• Spread out about 5 tablespoons (not rounded) in the center and top with 3 tablespoons of the filling.
• Make a package by folding up the inner banana leaf, then the other; tie with kitchen string.
• Repeat with remaining masa and filling.
• Place water under the steamer basket, bring to a boil, reduce heat and steam, covered, until the masa is tender and cooked through, about 45 minutes.

HALLACAS

Steps:

• For the guiso: Heat 1/4 cup of the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat until hot. Add the onions and a large pinch salt. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions start to turn translucent and release their liquid, about 10 minutes. Add the diced bell peppers, adobo and bouillon cubes. Add another 1/4 cup oil if the bottom of the pot looks dry. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the bell peppers start to break down and the mixture resembles a dark red-orange soup, about 10 minutes. The heat should be low enough and there should be enough oil so that nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot. Add the leeks, scallions, 3 tablespoons salt and remaining 1/4 cup oil if necessary. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables break down, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and capers, stirring occasionally, until the mixture resembles a slaw tossed in a bright brick-red barbecue sauce and some oil, about 10 minutes.
• Once the vegetables have softened and become a homogenous mixture, add both wines, the mustard, Worcestershire and dissolved panela and stir together. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer. Taste and add more salt, if necessary.
• Add the pork and beef to the vegetables, stir to combine and bring to a very low simmer. Cook, covered, about 15 minutes. The beef and the pork will have released some juices, so stir to evenly combine everything and redistribute some of the meat from the bottom of the pot to the top. Cover and cook at a low simmer for another 30 minutes. I like to put my ear close to the lid every 5 to 10 minutes. If I hear aggressive bubbling inside I lower the heat so the meat doesn't get tough. Once the 30 minutes are up, taste a piece of beef. It should be tender and fall apart when bitten. If it is still a little tough, cook for 5 to 10 minutes more. If you are doing the process all in 1 day, transfer the guiso to a bowl so it cools faster. If you are spreading out the process over a couple of days, divide the guiso into smaller containers, let cool a bit, then cover and refrigerate overnight.
• For the chicken: Put the chicken in an Instant Pot® or pressure cooker (see Cook's Note). Add 7 cups water, the bouillon cubes, a large pinch salt and the reserved leek tops from the guiso. Follow the manufacturer's guide for locking the lid and preparing to cook. Set the meat setting to medium, turn off the Keep Warm button if you have one and let cook. (If there is no meat button or you are using a standard pressure cooker, pressure cook for 15 minutes.) After the cycle is complete, follow the manufacturer's guide for natural release and wait until the natural-release cycle is complete.
• Remove the chicken to a medium bowl and let cool slightly. Strain the liquid into a large saucepan and reserve 7 cups for the masa. Tear the chicken apart into 1/4-inch chunks and set aside for garnish.
• For the plantain leaves: While the guiso and chicken cool, carefully rinse the plantain leaves, then open them up like a book or pamphlet until you reach the center and are looking at one smooth leaf. The goal is to divide the leaves into three categories: mains, supporters and strips. Or as we call them: las primeras (the firsts), las segundas (the seconds) y las fajas (the strips).
• The mains are the leaves that will directly touch the masa and that you will use to fold the masa over itself. They must be strong and, therefore, can't have any holes. Sometimes you'll buy bags of leaves that will be whole and you'll be able to cut them to your desired size; this is the dream scenario. But, other times, the leaves will have many tears, so arranging them is a bit of a puzzle. Assuming the leaves are roughly the same length, cut each main leaf into a rectangle about 15 inches long; each supporter, about 13 inches long; finally, each strip, ideally 3 to 4 inches wide (just throw the leftover pieces here). You need at least 25 of each, but realistically you'll end up with just enough mains and lots of supporters.
• Sort the leaves into 3 stacks by size, then gently wipe each one dry with a cloth and remove any remaining dirt.
• At this point, my father, the plantain leaf king, wraps 2 cutting boards in plastic wrap: a large rectangular one that's bigger than the largest leaf rectangle; and another that's about a 10-inch round. These will act as a masa press (wrapping them in plastic wrap helps the dough release easily and prevents staining).
• You'll also need what we call a "muñequita" ("little doll"), which is a clean rag for greasing the plantain leaves. Take a rag (cheesecloth works here, too) and create a little ball at one end about 1 1/2-inches wide, then tie it off with kitchen twine, leaving some fabric to use as a handle.
• For the masa: Add 3 tablespoons salt to the saucepan with the chicken broth and heat over medium heat until slightly hot (the hotter the better, but not so hot you can't knead the dough when it's added to the masa), 2 to 5 minutes. It should taste like a salty chicken soup. This is what's going to season your masa! It needs to be flavorful.
• Meanwhile, heat the oil and 2 tablespoons of the annato in a small saucepan over medium heat until the oil turns a beautiful red-orange, about 2 minutes; keep an eye on the seeds so they don't get dark and burn. (The annatto oil stains forever so be careful and use gloves when working with the oil and the dough). Strain the annatto oil into the warm chicken broth and stir to combine. Return the seeds to the small saucepan and set aside.
• This next part is best done with two people: one to drizzle in the annatto broth and one to hold the bowl steady and knead the dough with gloved hands. If you are the drizzler, please know that your job is equally important. (I have been trying to get promoted to kneader for years now, so I can sympathize.) Working in sections, add about 1 cup of the broth to a corner of the cornmeal in a large bowl. Pause and let the kneader (don't forget those gloves!) incorporate the broth until worked into that section of the cornmeal. Taste a little bit of the dough. Is it flavorful? Or does the broth need another pinch or two salt? Let the kneader rotate the bowl; add another cup of the broth and repeat the drizzling and kneading process 2 more times, incorporating more broth into the dryer parts of the dough each time (for a total of about 4 cups broth), then combine and knead them together.
• Once there are no visible grains of cornmeal left, combine all the dough together evenly before adding more broth. My mother kneads it all into a large ball, then flattens it against the bottom of the bowl and pokes holes throughout so that when the broth is drizzled in it doesn't go straight to the edges. Once you have about 3 cups of broth left, transfer the dough to a large roasting pan and continue to knead there. Don't do this on a counter or a cutting board-it will stain. Repeat the process of working the dough together, poking some holes and adding about 1/2 cup of broth 5 more times. (You likely won't need to use that last 1/2 cup of broth but it's good to have.) After adding the fifth 1/2 cup, the dough should get wet enough that it starts to stick to the bottom of the pan a little bit, but once you continue to work it and the dough absorbs the liquid, nothing is left behind on your hands or on the pan. Grab a handful of dough, roll it into a ball and then flatten it. If there are cracks on the side, you need a little bit more liquid. If there are none, you are set. It should feel like a very malleable and soft Play-Doh.
• Weigh the dough and divide by 25 (or 24 if you've been snacking on the dough too much like some people in our household are known to do). Our sweet spot for each portion is between 105 and 112 grams (a little under 4 ounces). Do not go below 100 grams. Divide the dough into equal pieces and roll into balls. Take your time with the rolling; the rounder the balls, the rounder they will be when they are flattened. Cover with a wet dark kitchen towel to keep the dough from drying out.
• For the assembly: Add the shortening and remaining 2 tablespoons annatto seeds to the drained annatto seeds in the small saucepan. Heat over low heat until the shortening melts and turns a deep red color, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. If the shortening starts to solidify while wrapping the hallacas, melt over low heat until smooth again.
• Cut kitchen twine into 25 lengths, each about 52 inches long, and set up the following stations:
• Dough flattening: the plastic-wrapped cutting boards, annatto shortening, la muñequita, the "main" plantain leaves and a stack of plates.
• Filling: all of the garnishes including the guiso, bell pepper slivers, chicken, raisins, almonds, capers, olives, bacon, dried plums.
• Wrapping: "supporting" plantain leaves and strips.
• Tying: the twine.
• You've made it to assembling! This is my favorite part. At this point we grab our adult beverages of choice, settle into our stations and turn on gaitas (Venezuelan equivalent of Christmas carols). We also boil a pot of water because it is mandatory to taste hallacas when you are done assembling.
• Your first person will start by placing a "main" leaf, smooth-side up, on the larger wrapped cutting board. Hold the muñequita by the excess fabric and dip the little ball into the melted shortening, then generously grease a 9-inch round onto the center of the leaf. Place a masa ball in the center of the round and flatten with the smaller cutting board until an 8-inch round forms. Put your weight into it! Transfer the leaf with the disk of dough to a plate and pass it off to the filling station.
• The filler will add a little less than 1/2 cup guiso in a straight line on the masa that lines up with 2 of the opposing diagonal corners of the leaf, leaving an inch on either side of the round. Think of this as a burrito that you are going to fold up, so everything needs to be slightly rectangular and in the center with room to fold. Place 1 bell pepper slice on each of the long edges of the filling. Then take a four-finger pinch each (in this order) of chicken, raisins, almonds and capers and sprinkle over the guiso. Top with 2 pieces of the bacon and place 4 olive halves throughout. Top with 2 dried plums, one on each short edge. Pass the plate to the wrapper.
• The wrapper will grab a corner of the leaf that's perpendicular to the line of filling and fold it over and peel the masa off slightly to cover half of the filling lengthwise. Repeat on the other side so the masa overlaps with the first half and the 2 sides of the disk meet each other in the middle. You should have a rectangle of masa rounded off on the short sides, diagonally in the center of the plantain leaf. Using each short side of the leaf, bring in the corresponding short side of the masa to try and cover the edges of filling that are visible. Carefully peel off and pat down the short sides so that the dough sticks to itself and completes the rectangle. Ideally, the filling should be covered but it's not a big deal if it isn't.
• Next, wrap the dough in its "main" plantain leaf like you would a present: Fold over 1 corner of the leaf toward its diagonally opposing corner and create a "crease" at the bottom (this is why you went diagonal with the filling). Repeat on the other side to enclose the dough lengthwise, then fold over the 2 short sides to create something that resembles an open envelope with a triangular flap. Close the envelope by tucking that triangular flap underneath until you have a perfect rectangle. Transfer the rectangle, flap-side down, to the smooth side of a "supporting" leaf, placing the rectangle in the center on a diagonal. Wrap the rectangle, making sure that the edges in particular are well protected; then snip off any protruding triangular flap. The name of the game here is: Keep water from getting into the masa. Once you fold the final flap, stick a strip in the opening and wrap it crosswise around the middle of the rectangle to complete the seal. Pass the hallaca off to the tyer and return the plate to the first station.
• Tie the hallaca also like you would a present. We like 2 rows each of twine going lengthwise and crosswise, which creates a 3 x 3 grid of twine.
• Repeat the wrapping and tying and don't forget to toss your first couple of hallacas into the boiling water, which brings me to the cook!
• Cook the hallacas in rolling, boiling water until the smell of plantain leaves fills up your kitchen, at least 1 hour. Freeze any hallacas you don't cook in sealed plastic bags (we like to double up the bags) for up to 6 months. If you're cooking them from frozen, boil them in batches for 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes.
• Once the hallacas have cooked, remove them to the sink with tongs or a large slotted spoon and carefully open up the leaves. If the leaves were well greased, the hallacas will slide off easily. Be careful, since they will be very hot. Try to place the hallaca seam-side down on the plate, if possible, as the top is usually much prettier. Serve immediately.
• Stir to combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl. Use on chicken, beef, pork, rice or vegetables and grains. Makes about 2 tablespoons.

TAMALES DE POLLO (CHIPOTLE CHICKEN TAMALES)

Steps:

• Place the corn husks in a large bowl and add enough warm water to cover. Weigh down with a plate if needed and soak until softened, at least 1 hour and up to 3 hours.
• Meanwhile, whisk the harina de maíz nixtamalizado, salt and baking powder in a large bowl. Add the lard and rub into the dry ingredients with your fingers until thoroughly incorporated and the mixture is sandy. Add 2 1/2 cups broth, 1/2 cup at a time, and mix and knead in each addition with your hands until fully incorporated before adding the next. The dough should be soft and tacky but not sticky. If needed, continue adding broth 1/4 cup at a time, kneading well after each addition.
• To assemble a tamal, remove a husk from the water and pat dry. Use your fingers or a palette knife to spread a handful of masa (about 1/4 cup) in the center of the husk, covering about two-thirds of the husk with masa about 1/4-inch thick. Leave at least 3 inches clear at the pointed end and at least an inch on the other sides. Put 1 heaping spoonful of the chicken tinga filling lengthwise down the center of the masa. Wrap by bringing the right side of the dough over the filling and folding in half. Continue rolling tightly to the long end of the husk, then fold the pointed bottom end over the tamal towards the open top. Set aside folded ends down. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
• Prepare a large steamer by setting a steamer insert or rack above gently boiling water. Stack the tamales flat seam side down on the insert, leaving an empty space in the center. Cover with remaining husks, then the lid. Steam, replenishing the water as needed, until the tamales are firm and the masa comes away easily from the husk, about 45 to 55 minutes. Remove from the heat and keep warm in the steamer until ready to serve. Steamed and cooled tamales can be wrapped individually and frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and steam until heated through to serve.

HALLACAS

Steps:

• Combine beef, pork, water, and garlic in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook over medium heat for 45 minutes. Drain and chop coarsely. Add the chickpeas, mixing lightly.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the tomatoes, onions, peppers, chile, parsley, 2 tsp of salt, vinegar, sugar and the meat mixture. Cook over low heat for 15 minutes stirring occasionally.
• Add the capers, raisins, and olivs. Mix lightly, set aside.
• Mix the cornmeal with a little cold water. Add to the boiling water in a saucepan, stirring constantly. Add the butter and remaining salt. Cook over low heat for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the eggs, beating until a smooth dough is formed.
• Butter a 3-qt round or square baking dish. Line it with 2/3 of the cornmeal mixture and pour the meat mixture into it. Spread the remaining corn meal on top. Cover the dish with a piece of foil and tie it. Place in a pan of water. Bake at 350 deg. F for 1 hour.
• Venezuelan method: The dish is prepared in teh form of tamales. Banana leaves are used for warpping the hallacas, but foil or parchment paper will serve as a substitute. Cut 10in squares of either. Spread about 4 tbsp of the cornmeal dough in the center and press as thin as possible. Place 2 tbsp of the meat mixture on the dough and fold over, sealing the edges as well as possible. If the dough breaks, patch it wiht a little more dough. Fold the paper around the hallacas carefully and tie securely. If foil is used, it is not necessary to tie it. Boil in a large saucepan of salted water for 1.5 hours.

RED CHICKEN TAMALES (TAMALES ROJOS DE POLLO)

Steps:

• Place corn husks in a bowl, cover with boiling water, and soak for a few hours. Drain, place on a work surface, and cover with a clean, damp towel.
• Place chicken in a pot, season with salt, and cover with water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce heat, cover, and simmer until chicken is cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes. Drain chicken and shred with 2 forks.
• Heat a griddle over medium heat and toast ancho and mulato chiles until fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Place in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Soak until soft, about 25 minutes. Combine ancho and mulato chiles, garlic, cumin seeds, and about 1/2 cup of the soaking water in a blender; blend until a thick, smooth, mole-like sauce forms, adding more water if necessary.
• Heat 1 tablespoon lard in a saucepan over medium heat and add the sauce; cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Add shredded chicken and cook until flavors are combined and chicken is heated through, about 5 minutes.
• Place remaining lard in a large bowl; beat with an electric mixer until creamy. Add masa harina, chicken broth, baking powder, and 1 1/2 teaspoon salt, and beat until all ingredients are well combined. Test if the masa is ready by dropping a small ball of masa into a glass of cold water; if it floats, it's ready, if not, keep working the dough a little longer.
• Select 1 wide corn husk. Spread about 2 tablespoons masa mixture onto the the corn husk, filling it up to 2 inches from the bottom and 1/4 inch from the top. Add 1 tablespoon of the chicken filling in the center of the masa mixture. Fold sides of husk together, one over the other. Fold the bottom of the husk over the seam of the 2 folded sides. Repeat with remaining husks.
• Place a steamer insert into a saucepan and fill with water to just below the bottom of the steamer. Bring water to a boil. Add tamales with the open side up and cook until filling is heated through and separates from the husk, about 1 hour. Let tamales rest for 15 minutes before serving.

MEXICAN CHICKEN TAMALES/ TAMALES DE POLLO

Steps:

• 1. If you are planning to make these tamales it is a good idea a month or two in advance to start collecting all the skin from the chicken that you purchase and freeze in baggies. The flavor from the the fat of the rendered chicken skin is amazing ask any Jewish delicatessen. Delicious...When you have a sizeable amount about a pound or two take out defrost put into a large fry pan and slowely fry on medium until all of the fat has rendered out. Save the fat in a jar and store in a cool dry place until ready to use prefably in the fridge. The little cracklins or fried up chicken skin are super delish. If you are lucky enough to live in New York City you can find the chicken fat in jars ready to cook with. On to the chicken. Put the giblets, and chicken parts into a very large soup pot add the water, onion, spice cloves, (2 only) bay leaf, cilantro, garlic and salt bring to a gentle boil. When boiling reduce heat and cook for 2 hours until chicken if falling of the bone. Shut off heat and let cool this should be done the day before. When cool enough to handle remove chicken from bone discard skin and bones and livers. Shredd chicken and dice giblets store in a large container and set aside in the refrigerator. When the chicken broth is cool enough to handle strain and store in the fridge as well there should be enough for at least 6 to 8 cups. If you are going to be short you can add store bought broth such as college Inn or Swanson. Note: If you are planning to make your tamales today then clean and remove all the corn silk from the corn husks now and put into a deep pot with very hot water to soak. weight them down with a heavy object so the will be under water. Leave saoking until ready fore use. About forty to fifty large corn husks should be enough soaking. If you will be making the tamales tomorrow then do this step firt before anything else. soaking the husks first & leave in the water until ready for use.
• 2. The Sauce, rinse and dry tomatoes. Take a large cookie sheet spray pam or spread a little canola oil on the cookie sheet. Rub tomatoes with a little canola oil and put under the broiler. I know I did not mention this in the ingredients but sometimes I take one medium seeded jalapeno and char with the tomatoes just for a little kick (only one)You can also char your 3 large poblano peppers at this time with the tomatoes. Sometimes depending on the weather i will char everything out on my grill. Turning until I have an even char on all the veggies. when done seperate the tomatoes from the poblanos cover the poblanos and let them sweat for a while like 30 minutes. Take your tomatoes skin and all and put into a blender with the garlic and the spices and jalapeno if using, and blend until you have a nice semi smooth sauce. Now into a deep fry pan or deep pot heat your chicken fat and add your sliced onions saute until translucent about 4 minutes. Next add the blended sauce and saute on medium high heat until somewhat reduced. Season again after tasting the sauce salt and pepper and add your shredded chicken. I like to add a little more cumin powder, and garlic powder to this just a sprinkle for added flavor even though i do not have the extra spice sprinkle in the above ingredients recipe. Thats just the way I cook. After the 30 minutes have passed take out the sweated poblanos carefully remove the chared skin and slice open remove the seeds and the core. Slice each poblano into 8 strips and set aside. To make the removal of the charred skin a little easier use a paper towel and wipe the skin away ferom the pepper. Do not rinse under water. you will wash away the delicious grilled flavor of the pepper. Save for the assemble of the tamales.
• 3. Mixing the Masa. If you have a heavy duty electric mixer such as an artisan mixer by Kitchen Aide use your dough hook. First beat the lard or chicken fat fora about 4 or 5 minutes it is good to beat enough air into the fat.(It makes for a fluffier tamale) The lard will turn an off white when this happens begin to add the masa or maseca alternately with very warm cupfulls of the strained chicken broth do this until your masa is of a thick creamy consistency like a thick creamy polenta. The masa or Maseca corn mixture should be tasted to see if it has enough salt. Set aside you are now eady to assemble your tamales.
• 4. Making the tamales. Remove your husks from the soaking water and towel blot dry. Cover with dish towels so they do not dry out. Take a butter knife and spread a fairly good tablespoon and a half of masa on a corn husk. spread to the bottom half of the husk leaving the the top half that looks like a triangle clean. Spread as if spreading a little less than a 1/4 inch of masa on the corn husk. Do not spread all the way to the ends leave a little space on each side. Next take a nice size heaping tablespoon of warm chicken sauce with chicken and lay down the middle of the or center of the husk be generous putting enough chicken and sauce in the tamale. Now take one slice of you prepaired poblano stips and lay across the chicken. Fold one side of the husk over the other so that the masea is completely coverd then take the top part (the pointed end and fold back down behind the back of the tamale. This will secure the tamale and less chance of it opening. lay seam down until you have done all of them this way. Stack the tamales in a tamle steamer or a pot fitted with an inverted bowl on the botton and a multi preforated pie tin or circular preforated screen to stack your tamales on. I remeber my grandmother improvising and setting a large mug in the middle of the screen and stacking the tamales open end always standing up and leaning a little to a slant against the mug and positioning all her tamales in a cicular position around the mug. She always made sure the water was very hot water almost boiling in the bottom of the pot or steamer. Remember these tamales never touch the water they steam and never get emersed in water. Steam for about an hour and 15 minutes Test to see if the tamales are done if the dough seperates easy from the husk the tamles are done. Freeze in bags of 6 or 12. They freeze well. To re heat frozen tamales steam again in a steamer for 15 to 20 minutes or heat in the microwave. Enjoy.
• 5. PS I have no photo of these at this time. I have not made since last year. When I make I will upload a picture of them. They look almost exactly as the pork tamales i have posted only these are made with chicken and the sauce is not as dark as the pork tamales. ood luck everyone. Enjoy.