From A Past Edition Of The New Orleans Menu Daily By Tom Fitzmorris New Orleans-Style Hot Tamales Hot tamales have been sold for decades on street corners all over New Orleans-- usually late at night, from pushcarts, the backs of vans, or from small windows in nondescript buildings. The big names in the biz were Manuel's and Fiesta. They had in common a style dissimilar with tamales from Mexico. They tend to the very greasy side, but nobody seems to care. Hurricane Katrina put an end to Manuel's, but not the the desire among New Orleanians for Manuel's kind of tamales. I am constantly asked where they might be found by desperate-sounding seekers. A few places make them, but you can make your own. All you need is a lot of time, and perhaps a friend to talk with while you do them. (A good radio talk show would also work.) These things take forever to make. But the process is calming. Filling: 1 lb. ground round 3 Tbs. corn meal 1 tsp. granulated garlic 1/2 tsp. cayenne 1/4 tsp. white pepper 1/4 tsp. black pepper 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. cumin 1/4 tsp. turmeric 1/4 tsp. ground cardamom Pinch nutmeg 1/4 cup tomato paste 1/2 cup dry red wine 1 large onion, chopped very fine Coating: 3 cups masa (I recommend Maseca) 1. Break up the ground round into a bowl. Add all the other filling ingredients and mix together well with a fork or a heavy whisk. 2. With a tablespoon, scoop out the mixture and roll it out into a cigar shape. Then roll it through the masa to stick as thick layer of it as you can to the meat mixture. 3. Soak paper tamale wrappers in warm water. Lay a paper out and sprinkle corn meal over it. Place a coated filling "cigar" onto the paper and roll it up, folding in the ends of the papers to completely enclose the tamale. 4. Put the tamales on their sides in a large saucepan or Dutch oven, alternating direction of layers. Pour water enough to cover all the tamales, plus about an inch. Place on medium fire until the water boils. Lower heat to maintain a simmer and cook, with cover on, for an hour and a half to two hours. Makes about three dozen tamales.   Click here for an index of recipes from past editions. © 2009 Tom Fitzmorris. All rights reserved. news@nomenu.com