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Homemade goodness: Homemade tamales are worth the effort for a traditional Latin-American Christmas dish. (Maria J. Avila/San Jose Mercury News/MCT) |
At the start of the holiday season, we asked Crystal Willars Vastine where she's finding the best tamales these days.
A culinary-school graduate and Fort Worth, Texas, dining expert, Vastine didn't hesitate. "I stopped looking once I realized that nobody can make them better than my mother," she said. And she should know: Crystal, along with husband Matt Vastine, owns and publishes Fort Worth Foodie magazine, a locally distributed culinary-interest quarterly.
So we thought we'd put her opinion to the test, inviting ourselves to mom Gloria Willars' annual tamale-making party. The Fort Worth native and longtime nurse's assistant in the Eagle Mountain-Saginaw, Texas, school district learned to make tamales as a young girl at her grandmother's knee and has spent her life making them with an army of aunts and cousins. In recent years, she has taught many a willing niece, cousin and friend.
Without fail, Gloria and a host of family gather on a Saturday before Christmas to practice the timeless tradition of making tamales to share with loved ones at the holidays. This year, the group grew, as Crystal's new in-laws wanted in on the fun. When Crystal married Matt, she gained a new coterie of sisters, all of whom were eager to learn the ancient tamale craft.
And as anyone who has even watched a tamale being made knows, this is not an undertaking for sissies. Between the preparation of husks, the masa (the cornmeal jacket within the husk) and the filling, the activity is simply labor-intensive. Then there's the assembling of the tamales, another task that requires copious amounts of skill and patience. Finally, the tamales are steamed and can be frozen or eaten on the spot.
At the Willars' tamale affair, work began at about 9 a.m. and lasted well through the afternoon, but Gloria had already made the brisket filling and the masa, easing the workload for Crystal, her cousin Melanie Willars, Gloria's buddy Sharon Gunter (the group's tamale veterans) and the in-laws, Becky Haskin, Patty Ellis and Heather Minton.
"I may need a few more lessons before I really have it down," said Haskin, who found that more seasonings makes a masa much more interesting than she'd thought.
Gloria was clearly in charge, quick to show a newbie a better way to spread the masa on the dampened husks and how much filling to use. Having one director works the best, Crystal and Melanie agreed: One year, another aunt -- one of Gloria's sisters -- showed up, and the presence of two chiefs made for an intense atmosphere.
"When there are two of the aunts here, you just keep your head down and keep working," Melanie said.
This group got along harmoniously, with plenty of music playing, inspiring the occasional impromptu dance session.
When the 20 dozen tamales were finished and Gloria offered us a sample, along with her homemade salsa verde, we had to agree with Crystal: Finding a commercially made tamale this good might be impossible.
Gloria Willars' tamales
Note: It's best to prepare meat fllling a day in advance because of cooking time. Left-over meat makes great taco filling.
Meat filling:
1 (6-pound) beef or pork roast
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
12 cloves garlic, chopped, divided use
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 teaspoons ground cumin
A culinary-school graduate and Fort Worth, Texas, dining expert, Vastine didn't hesitate. "I stopped looking once I realized that nobody can make them better than my mother," she said. And she should know: Crystal, along with husband Matt Vastine, owns and publishes Fort Worth Foodie magazine, a locally distributed culinary-interest quarterly.
So we thought we'd put her opinion to the test, inviting ourselves to mom Gloria Willars' annual tamale-making party. The Fort Worth native and longtime nurse's assistant in the Eagle Mountain-Saginaw, Texas, school district learned to make tamales as a young girl at her grandmother's knee and has spent her life making them with an army of aunts and cousins. In recent years, she has taught many a willing niece, cousin and friend.
Without fail, Gloria and a host of family gather on a Saturday before Christmas to practice the timeless tradition of making tamales to share with loved ones at the holidays. This year, the group grew, as Crystal's new in-laws wanted in on the fun. When Crystal married Matt, she gained a new coterie of sisters, all of whom were eager to learn the ancient tamale craft.
And as anyone who has even watched a tamale being made knows, this is not an undertaking for sissies. Between the preparation of husks, the masa (the cornmeal jacket within the husk) and the filling, the activity is simply labor-intensive. Then there's the assembling of the tamales, another task that requires copious amounts of skill and patience. Finally, the tamales are steamed and can be frozen or eaten on the spot.
At the Willars' tamale affair, work began at about 9 a.m. and lasted well through the afternoon, but Gloria had already made the brisket filling and the masa, easing the workload for Crystal, her cousin Melanie Willars, Gloria's buddy Sharon Gunter (the group's tamale veterans) and the in-laws, Becky Haskin, Patty Ellis and Heather Minton.
"I may need a few more lessons before I really have it down," said Haskin, who found that more seasonings makes a masa much more interesting than she'd thought.
Gloria was clearly in charge, quick to show a newbie a better way to spread the masa on the dampened husks and how much filling to use. Having one director works the best, Crystal and Melanie agreed: One year, another aunt -- one of Gloria's sisters -- showed up, and the presence of two chiefs made for an intense atmosphere.
"When there are two of the aunts here, you just keep your head down and keep working," Melanie said.
This group got along harmoniously, with plenty of music playing, inspiring the occasional impromptu dance session.
When the 20 dozen tamales were finished and Gloria offered us a sample, along with her homemade salsa verde, we had to agree with Crystal: Finding a commercially made tamale this good might be impossible.
Gloria Willars' tamales
Note: It's best to prepare meat fllling a day in advance because of cooking time. Left-over meat makes great taco filling.
Meat filling:
1 (6-pound) beef or pork roast
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
12 cloves garlic, chopped, divided use
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 teaspoons ground cumin
