This recipe is very popular in the North of Veracruz and the following is my mother's recipe for tamales.

Cook the pork in water and when it is cooked chop it finely like ground hamburger. Puree the rest of the ingredients of the picadillo, fry in oil, and when it is reduced add the chopped pork and mix. You can add if you want one tsp raisins, 6 chopped olives, and 1 tsp capers. This is the stuffing you will now stuff your tamales with.

In a big sauce pan put the masa and all of the ingredients except the coron husks. With your hands mix everything. Wash the corn husks and soak them for 10-15 minutes. Then take the husks out of the water and they are ready to be filled with the tamale dough. One tablespoon of the picadillo filling goes in the middle of the tamle dough in the husk. Spread the dough in the middle of the husk and put the picadillo in the middle of this dough. Then fold the tamale sides first and then the skinny end and then the other end last. It is best to steam the tamales in a pan suspended in a larger pan of water for 1 hour covered.

Serve with your favorite red salsa if you want or they are good by themselves. Buen Provecho!!!!!

Yoly@Delphi.Com (Yoly Hughson)