Marigold Tamales para mi Abuelita. Dried Marigolds bring an earthy depth of flavor, and a touch of warmth, to the poached chicken breast filling. Together, with the creamy, comforting masa, the marigold-infused filling in the steamed tamales capture the beautiful spirit and my fond memories of my Abuelita Cuca. Today I want to share how to make marigold tamales.

To this day I cannot eat a tamale without thinking of my Abuelita Cuca. I grew up watching my small yet fierce grandmother make magic in the kitchen – effortlessly scooping up masa and with a quick flick of the wrist, spreading it evenly over damp corn husks with her tiny hands. She and my Mami would sit at the table, drinking coffee, making tamales and sharing stories. I wanted in on this cool club where your hands just instinctively knew how much masa to scoop, and how to spread it perfectly every time. Enamored, I would sit curious at the table as she churned out tamales, asking her a million questions. But not once did she lose patience with me – and for this, I loved her.

Abuelita Cuca was the matriarch of our family’s tamalada, a day dedicated to making tamales for the holiday season. Aunts, uncles, cousins and neighbors all gathered at her table helping to spread, fill, wrap, load and unload the tamale steamers. Everyone was cheerful, laughing, eating and making tamales well into the night.

When my Abuelita Cuca got older, my mother took over tamale duties with Abuelita still by her side. Together they shined bright. Our tiny kitchen lit up as they worked together to prep ingredients. I looked forward to this time of year every year.

And I still do. But now, I’m the one who leads our tamalada – and I take it just as seriously as my Abuelita did. It’s an honor to take on this role in our family. As I grew up watching Abuelita Cuca make tamales with love, I too want my children and all my nieces and nephews to experience this tradition together. After all, it was she who ignited in me a love for cooking, and nothing makes me happier than passing down her wisdom.

This year I want to honor my Abuelita Cuca with a special tamale that captures her spirit, love for the dish and the love I hold for her. It’s a dish I plan to make with my daughters while sharing memories of my Abuelita with them.

Cempasuchiles, or marigolds, are known as the flowers of the dead. During the season of Dia de Los Muertos (The Day of the Dead), these many-petalled flowers are part of altars and ofrendas (or offerings). It’s believed that marigolds’ pungent scent and vibrant color help lead the spirits of the dead back to Earth to visit their loved ones. Marigold blossoms and petals are placed around the altar, and on the ground leading up to it, so as to form a path.

Marigold petals, both fresh and dried, can also be eaten. Raw or cooked, they can be used in everything from teas, drinks and desserts to savory dishes, like soups. And each year, I develop new recipes with marigolds to honor my loved ones.

For my Abuelita’s Marigold Tamales, I’ll be using dried marigold leaves, which can be found online or in specialty stores. The leaves bring an earthy depth of flavor, and a touch of warmth, to the poached chicken breast filling. Together, with the creamy, comforting masa, the marigold-infused filling in the steamed tamales capture the beautiful spirit and my fond memories of my Abuelita Cuca.

This Dia de Los Muertos, I plan to fill my altar with plenty of flowers alongside a warm marigold tamale in honor of her as I await her visit. Te adoro y te extrano mi Cucita linda.

Marigold Tamales

Servings: 16

Author: Vianney Rodriguez

Ingredients

Chicken:
3 to 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves about 3 pounds
1/2 onion sliced
3 garlic cloves peeled and minced
2 carrots washed and halved lengthwise
1 celery stalk
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried organic marigold leaves
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Masa:
4 cups masa harina
1 1/2 cups lard
2 1/2 cups reserved chicken broth, warmed
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Assembly and Serving:
16 large dried corn husks, soaked
Serving suggestion: diced onions dried organic marigolds, optional

Instructions

For the chicken:
Put the chicken in a Dutch oven or large saucepan.
Add the onion, garlic cloves, carrots, celery, bay leaf, oregano, marigolds and salt.
Add enough water to cover the chicken and bring to a boil over high heat.
Once the chicken comes to a boil, lower the heat and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes.
Once the chicken is cooked, allow it to cool in the broth for up to 30 minutes.
Remove from the broth and shred with two forks.
Strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve discarding the vegetables and herbs and reserve.
The chicken can be made a day ahead.
Store the shredded chicken and broth separately, covered in the refrigerator.
For the masa:
Warm the reserved chicken broth.
Beat the lard until light and fluffy in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
Add the masa harina, baking powder and salt and continue beating until combined, scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula to incorporate all the masa harina.
Slowly add the warm chicken broth 1 cup at a time until the masa is smooth and spreadable (you may not need all the broth).
To test if the masa is ready to use, add a spoonful to a glass of water.
If it floats it is ready. If it sinks, add additional lard 1 tablespoon at a time and continue to mix until it floats.
For assembly and serving:
Remove the husks from the soaking water, drain and keep moist with a damp kitchen towel or damp paper towels.
Moisten the chicken with some reserved chicken broth if needed.
Using a spoon, spread a spoonful of masa onto center of a corn husk and spread about 1/2 inch thick with the back of the spoon leaving a 1/2-inch border along the side and a 2-inch border from the top.
Put about 2 tablespoons shredded chicken in the center of the masa.
Fold the sides until they overlap, fold the narrow end under using the husk to press the masa dough over the filling.
Place the prepared tamale on a baking sheet, cover with a damp kitchen towel and repeat until all the tamales are assembled.
Put the tamales upright in a tamale steamer, nestled together to prevent them from falling over.
Fill the tamale steamer with about 2 inches of water—the water should not touch the tamales.
Cover with the lid, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 40 minutes, adding more water if needed.
To check the tamales, carefully remove 1 tamale from the steamer.
Tamales are ready when they can easily be removed from the husk.
If the tamale does not easily remove from the husk, cook for an additional 10 minutes.
Turn off the heat and allow the tamales to stand in the steamer for 10 to 15 minutes.
Carefully remove the tamales from the steamer and serve warm, garnished with diced onions and dried marigolds if using.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply