Reviving a Christmas Tradition - Making Tamales at the Garcia's

Back in THIS POST FROM 2016 we made tamales.  If you click on that post it will show the recipe.  The post this year is not to capture the recipe or the "how to" of making tamales, but hopefully will capture the sense of family togetherness and working together to accomplish a common goal.  It is about working hard, having fun, and enjoying each other's company - "Family!"

Tricia thought it would be a great idea to bring all of the ingredients to Corpus Christi to make Christmas tamales.  Tricia and her four brothers and her mom and dad made tamales growing up and have fond memories and Tricia wanted to get everyone involved again.

I like this first photo as it shows Tricia and her mom (my mother-in-law) working hard, putting the masa in a big bowl and then slicing garlic to season the tamale meat.

Mrs. Garcia is soaking the corn husks and trimming them just right - you don't want too much husk, but they can't be too small either, or there won't be enough husk to roll the tamale.

Tricia is working the masa after mixing in tallow and beef broth.  This job requires a lot of mixing and working to ensure the consistency of the masa if right.

After testing the masa, it is ALMOST right.  She'll add some more tallow and broth and then the process can begin!

Tricia's oldest brother, Orlando started the process by spreading the masa on the husk.  When Tricia was growing up, Tricia's dad would monitor the process to make sure there wasn't too much masa or too much meat on the tamales.  Portion control is important to make perfect tamales.  It takes a lot of practice to get good at making them. 

My job on Saturday was adding the meat.  I was using a tablespoon to measure out the tamale meat, putting it in a line in the center of the corn husk that was spread with masa.  You don't want to put it too close to the end.

Then you fold it over twice, pinch the end closed and fold over the other end.  Tricia was very good at doing this.

As you can see, it is a long assembly line of busy people, talking, laughing, and reminiscing about old times of making tamales in the past.  At different times, other family members join in the fun, cutting corn husks, soaking them, spreading masa, carrying the masa-spread husks to the end of the line, filling with meat, folding and placing on trays, and separating them by dozens.

It is important that all the grandchildren learn to do this so that they can keep the tamale-making tradition alive for generations to come.

Behold the Garcia-Sonnier tamale kitchen - a true staff of professionals

Before we knew it, we had 11 dozen tamales finished.  We let them 'rest' in the fridge and they'll be cooked on Christmas Eve. 

Unfortunately, I had to come back to Louisiana to go to work on Monday, but Tricia PROMISED me she'd bring me home one or two.  I can't wait!  I know they'll be delicious.  Apart from the anticipation of eating some delicious homemade tamales, we ALL had a great time making them ~ a great tradition of family togetherness!