Eek! I can’t believe Christmas Eve is tomorrow! I still have some last minute holiday shopping to do today but have everything under control when it came to my holiday menu planning. This year, I was asked by Nestle’s El Mejor Nido to develop a few tamal recipes I will be sharing with you from now through Dia de la Candelaria. Candelmas Day.
This first one is my favorite for Christmas Eve dinner and one that can easily come together in just a few hours because I sought the help of my trusty slow cooker.
Once the meat has been cooked, everything else comes together quickly. Because the masa has been prepared, all you have to do is host a tamalada and have friends and family over to help you with the tamal assembly, the more the merrier and the faster these tamales will be ready. There is minimal vegetable chopping and cooking time is one hour. That’s it!
The mole sauce poured onto these tamales is what makes this recipe so flavorful. The overall will look as if you spent 24 hours in the kitchen but with this easy recipe it will take you as long as preparing a weeknight dinner for your family.
Shredded Beef Tamales with Mole Sauce
Recipe developed for El Mejor Nido
Makes 12 tamales
FILLING
Canola oil cooking spray
1 cup water
1 ½ teaspoons NESCAFÉ CLASICO Instant Coffee Granules
¼ NESTLÉ ABUELITA Authentic Mexican Hot Chocolate Drink Tablet
1 ½ teaspoons ancho chile powder
½ teaspoon MAGGI Granulated Chicken Flavor Bouillon
1/8 teaspoon whole cumin
1/8 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
1 1/2 pounds boneless beef brisket
1 bay leaf
24 dried corn husks
3 cups prepared masa for tamales
½ cup russet potato sliced into 2 x ½-inch strips (12 strips total)
¼ cup yellow onion sliced into ½-inch strips (12 strips total)
Mehod:
MOLE SAUCE
Makes 1 1/2 cups
1 cup hot water
½ teaspoon MAGGI Granulated Chicken Flavor Bouillon
3 ounces prepared mole
2 tablespoons NESTLÉ ABUELITA Granulated Chocolate Drink Mix
Toasted sesame seeds
For Filling:
Spray cooking spray in slow cooker, covering bottom and 3 inches up the side.
Boil water in small saucepan; remove from heat. Add coffee granules and Abuelita chocolate tablet. Stir to dissolve.
Combine chile powder, bouillon, cumin and oregano in a small bowl. Stir until all spices are mixed.
Sprinkle brisket with spices, covering all sides and place in slow cooker. Add bay leaf and coffee/chocolate mixture.
Cook on low for 8 hours (or high for 6 hours).
Soak corn husks in water for at least 1 hour.
Remove bay leaf, scrape off any excess fat and shred meat with two forks into 1 ½-inch shreds.
To Assemble:
Place corn husk on a flat surface, pointy side down. Spread ¼ cup masa on husk, 2 tablespoons shredded beef, 1 potato strip and 1 onion strip. Fold sides, overlapping over filling then fold pointy side under. Repeat with remaining filling ingredients.
Arrange tamales upright on steamer rack. Fill with hot water to right below the rack.
Cover tamales with remaining husks and damp towel; cover with lid. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, adding water as needed. Steam for 1 hour or until masa pulls away from husk.
For Mole Sauce:
Place hot water and bouillon in small saucepan; mix well. Stir in mole until dissolved. Add Abuelita chocolate. Heat over low heat, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes or until chocolate has dissolved and mixture has thickened.
Serve mole over tamales; sprinkle with sesame seeds.
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