The Tamale Guy bring tamales to our kitchen table, so to speak.

A good friend of mine moved to Chicago for a good span of time. At first I was pretty depressed by the loss of a friend that could relate to how truly funny it is to swear at each at the top of ours lungs for no apparent reason. But soon, I began to realize the benefits of having a friend in the windy city. First and foremost, tamales. Why tamales you ask? Well, tamales are a tasty treat, one especially delectable while consumed with booze. The tamale guy frequents many a bar in the windy city. My first memory of the tamale guy came during the night of 1,000 beers. Erin and I had made the 7 hour trek to Chicago to celebrate the New Year in 2008. Our first night there, became known as the night of 1,000 beers, no need for further explanation. The tamale guy came to our table and we gladly accepted a bag of tamales for a small fee. The treats were inhaled one-by-one until sadly there was but one crumb remaining. As we get older, our trips to the city of Tamale guys become fewer and fewer which leads me to my first blogged food adventure, Tamales!

Truth be told, it was Erin's idea but I was all for it. She found the recipe and gathered the necessary ingredients. I arrived with drink in hand. After all, tamales are best paired with booze. The aroma of slow roasted pork filled the house. The smell was utterly amazing. Erin and Doug had prepared the filling beforehand so the tamale building could ensue shortly after I arrived. The corn masa was prepared and the assembly began. We spread the corn masa on the corn husk and plopped the shredded pork in the center. The corn husk was rolled over the long way and then folded up at the bottom and tied. Unfortunately none of us was in possession of the sort of steamer required to heat the tamales. Erin, the genius that she is, constructed a stand-in steamer made with aluminum baking pans stacked so that their open ends met in the center. She then poked holes in the bottom most pan and set the contraption in a tall stock pot filled partially with water. The contraption seemed to work for the most part, but the tamales took slightly longer to steam than expected. Starving, we pulled them out of the steamer and nuked them for a minute or two. Ah microwaves, what would we do without 'em? Long story short, we consumed the tamales paired with some tasty homemade guacamole. They were good, but could definitely use some refining. Like a real steamer for one. Two, the masa needn't be spread so thickly. All in all, I'd say the night was a success. Keylime and raspberry mojito martini's soon followed...

The recipe: http://www.cooking-mexican-recipes.com/tamales-recipe.html