Delta Tamales

On the Fourth of July my family had a Mexican-themed dinner instead of a more traditional cookout. Our menu included Chicken Enchiladas, Steak Ranchera, beef tacos, guacamole, white cheese dip, cheese dip with sausage, taco soup and the piece de resistance- tamales. My aunt and I have wanted to make tamales for a long time and never made the time to do it. I love tamales and living so close to the Delta, have sampled truly wonderful tamales many times. Memphis is home to a growing Hispanic community and the tamales offered at local Mexican restaurants are varied and unique. I am partial to the tamales that you buy from little dives all over Highway 61 in Clarksdale, Mississippi and surrounding areas. The following website offers a wealth of information about Delta Tamales http://www.tamaletrail.com/index.html. The Thursday night before Independence Day, we gathered our ingredients and embarked on our tamale adventure. This is the recipe we used although I reduced it by 65% http://www.tamaletrail.com/recipe_howto.shtml.

You begin by carefully washing the corn husks and soaking them until pliable.

Take the cooked pork and chop the meat. I prefer it to be chopped very fine.

Mia and I heated the chopped pork in a little vegetable oil with spices and pork broth until nice and seasoned.

Spread about 1/4 cup of the masa mixture on the corn husk and then top with a spoonful of the meat filling.

Roll the tamale nice and tight making sure that the masa completely encases and covers the pork filling.

We chose to steam our tamales because we only rolled twenty-seven. We froze the remaining pork mixture for a later date.

Here is the finished product. They were delicious. There are a few adjustments that I will make next time. Even though the recipe only calls for salt, I will definitely season the masa mixture more aggresively next time. I think I will boil the tamales instead of steaming to get some of that good, seasoned sauce to drizzle on top. For a first effort the tamales were delicious and everyone enjoyed them.

Happy Independence Day

I hope everyone has a happy and safe Independence Day this year.

Deviled Eggs...The Nectar of the Gods

What gathering in the South is complete without deviled eggs? None in my family. If I were to arrive at a family function without said eggs, let me just say that things would not be pretty. I've been making the deviled eggs in my family since I was fifteen or sixteen years old. Twenty years have passed with deviled eggs being expected at Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter and any get together in between. The night before any holiday just wouldn't feel right without me staying up and stuffing the eggs in the wee hours of the night.


One of the secrets to truly good deviled eggs is the timing. I like to stuff them the night before so the eggs can fully develop their flavors. The variety of ingredients used is purely a personal taste preference. The components of my favorite deviled egg is just a little Duke's mayonnaise, a little mustard, salt and pepper, a dash of Tony Chachere's Cajun Seasoning and lots and lots of chopped sweet pickles drained thoroughly. I don't like to use pickle relish. Too juicy even if you drain in a colander. I chop sweet pickles and then wrap them in paper towels to wring any juice out. The worst thing is a runny deviled egg so I find this step essential. I like my filling on the dry side so start out with small amounts of the mayonnaise and mustard. You can always add more. I over stuff the egg whites because I think it looks pretty. I like a liberal dusting of paprika on top for flavor as well as presentation.

I have a lovely deviled egg plate collection. I have my grandmother's plate, my aunt's, a Christmas one, a Peter's pottery one (http://www.peters-pottery.net/) and a myriad of others. I love them for their old fashioned feeling. Martha Foose writes in her cookbook Screen Doors and Sweet Tea that she always gives a deviled egg plate as a wedding gift. I think that is a lovely tradition that I'm planning to adopt.

Kelli's Deviled Eggs

*1 dozen hard boiled eggs
Duke's mayonnaise
yellow mustard
sweet pickles chopped and drained of all juice
Tony Chachere's Cajun Seasoning
Salt and Pepper
a dash of sugar if needed
Sweet Hungarian Paprika for the top

Split the cooled, peeled eggs lengthwise and remove the yolks to a bowl. Pat the egg whites dry if necessary and place in your deviled egg plate. Mash the egg yolks with a fork and add salt and pepper and Tony's seasoning. Add small amounts of mayonnaise and mustard and all of your sweet pickles until you reach the desired consistency. I like my filling as non-runny as possible. I have noticed that most people have much runnier fillings than mine. When you reach the desired consistency, stuff the egg whites with the deviled filling. Sprinkle paprika on top and chill overnight for maximum flavor. Eat yours fast because I promise they won't last for long. Alternate add-ins include chopped green olives, a little Worcestershire sauce, curry powder, dill pickles, jalapeno peppers, cooked bacon, the possibilities are endless. Enjoy!

Note:My method for the perfect boiled egg is to cover the eggs in a pan with cold water and a liberal amount of salt. Bring them to a boil and let boil uncovered for three minutes. Cover and remove from heat and let sit for ten minutes. Rinse under cold running water and peel as soon as possible. This method works every time with no nasty green on the egg yolk. Yuck!