Hello masa-friends,
Happy Thursday! I hope you are getting your Holiday plans in order and not getting too stressed. We are offering masa for Tamales this Tuesday. Make some tamales with your leftover turkey (turkey con mole poblano is my favorite tamal filling).
Tamales are absurdly fascinating, and I have spent endless night reading about tamales and their infinite preparations. There are over 200 documented variations of tamales (plus an infinite variety of fillings). So many factors: moisture of the masa, texture of the masa, adding fat, adding vegetables, nixtamalizing with ash or cal, liquid and/or fat options, banana leaves/corn husks, steam/bake/boil/char, how/where you place the filling, how you roll/tie them.
Pre-Colombian tamales never included pork fat since pork was introduced by the Spanish and any fat was hard to come by. Many forms were made with masa nixtamalized with ash, then cooked underground, buried in coals, the steam of the leaves and soil cooked them through.
And then there are the fillings, so many filling. Endless options. I recommend a simple black bean paste for the squash masa. Turkey in mole, pork colorado, or pork en salsa verde for the lard masa. And rajas con queso for the vegetable masa. The two vegan masas should be wrapped in corn husks, and I recommend banana leaves for the porky masa.
Cook for about 1.25 - 2 hours in a steamer. Let rest for about 15-20 minutes.
San Francisco: 11/23 Pop-Up at Tahona Mercado
Thanks to Emily at Tahona Mercado, we are offering a limited menu of masa and masa preparada for tamales on Tuesday 11/22 from 5-7pm.
You are the first to find out! One of the perks of subscribing to this newsletter, is that I get to tell you about things a bit early. You’ll notice that we are offering three types of masa for tamales, 2 of which are vegan:
MENU
Masa, 2 lbs - Santa Rosalia Azul y Bolita Amarillo
Masa Preparada Para Tamales, 3 lbs - Santa Rosalia Azul with Fatted Calf Pork Lard
Masa Preparada Para Tamales, 3 lbs - Bolita Amarillo with Vegetable Stock and Coconut Oil
Masa Preparada Para Tamales, 3 lbs - Conico Cremoso with Kabocha Squash and Seka Hills Olive Oil
Tortillas - Dozen pack of assorted varietals
Pop-Up / Market Dates
Tuesday, November 23rd - Tahona Mercado Pop-Up, SF. Pre-orders are open, but we will also have items available for walk-ups 1168 Leavenworth St, San Francisco
Wednesday, December 1st - Oakland, Preorder Pickups at 272 14th Street Oakland 5-6pm. Pre-Orders will go live on Friday 11/26 at 3:00p to Tuesday 11/30 3:00p.
Classes Workshops
I am booking masa classes. We will cover how to properly make tortillas, tetelas, tlacoyos, sopes, and tostadas. Everyone in the group will take home 2 lbs of masa to cook with.
I am booking groups of 3-6, to be hosted at your home. Email me if you are interested. Hola@bolitamasa.com