Tamales

First day: make filling. I braised a beef roast in chicken stock that I had on hand. When falling-apart tender, pull apart. Added canned green chilies, green chili powder, cumin, oregano, seeded and chopped jalapeno, diced onion.

For a second filling, I took some of the beef, and added chopped dried apricots, raisins, and chopped almonds (blanched, matchsticks, toasted them in a pan and chopped).

Second day:
Masa: took the masa harina, added some dried onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, cumin. About 3 cups mix, 2+ cups warm water, 1 cup lard. yep.

Soak corn husks. When softened, lay flat, add some masa mixture, filling, roll it up (tuck in bottom), tie with a strip of husk.

I put them in a steamer set inside a canner, covered well with layers of foil (as the lid would not fit). Steamed for 90 minutes.

Sauce:
Chopped tomatillos, seeded diced jalapeno, canned green chilies, can of green enchilada sauce, cumin, onion, cilantro, oregano, and a couple of spoons of green mole that comes in a jar. I cooked it all with some of the leftover braising liquid from the beef. When vegetables were tender, I used my immersion blender to puree the mixture.

Served with flour tortilla chips; refried beans with cheddar; a mixture of cilantro, green onions, jalapeno; pepperjack cheese; and brown rice.