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Passport & Plate - Colombian Tamale

Ingredients
Meat, red wine, Adobo, chicken, white wine, pork, garlic salt, plantain leaves, garlic, onion, tomato, garbanzo beans, carrots, black and green olives (with the pit), chorizo, mini sausages, raisins, capers, water, bacon, squash, can of red salmon, vinegar from the jar of green/black olives and capers, and a bottle of chardonnay wine.

 

How to prepare this recipe
First marinate the meat in red wine and Adobo, the chicken in white wine, and the pork in garlic salt. After the meats marinate overnight, the masa is prepared by adding masa flour to a large pot of cooled water where bacon was boiled and the following had been added: chopped squash, a can of red salmon, the vinegar from the jar of green and black olives and capers, and a bottle of chardonnay wine. The tamale making begins by getting a sheet of aluminum foil and placing a plantain leaf over it. Then all of the ingredients are added in this order: garlic, onion, meat, pork, chicken, tomato, garbanzo beans, pour some masa mixture, carrots, green and black olives, two slices of chorizo, two mini sausages, more masa mixture, raisins, and capers. Close the leaf and aluminum foil so that the tamale is wrapped completely. Place in a special tamale boiler for 3 hours and serve hot.

 

The story behind this recipe
This Colombian Tamale recipe has been in my family for generations. It is tradition for the women of the family to begin preparation of the tamales a day before Christmas Eve, so that on Christmas Eve, the tamales can be made and ready for dinner on the "Noche Buena" (Christmas Eve night). The preparation and making of the tamales allows for the women to spend time with one another and relish in the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. The meal is served before attending midnight mass with the entire family. My family acknowledges tamales as a demonstration of love which unites the whole family together. Members gather around the dinner table to enjoy each other's company and to savor the many flavors that one tamale has to offer. The tamale is a symbol of the beauty and perfection that can come with integrating a variety of distinct and powerful ingredients, such is that of joining a diverse assortment of people together.