Creative Tourism Activity: Our Corny Heritage- Masa through the Ages
Our Corny Heritage- Masa through the Ages
Tuesday, September 30th
3 Hour Workshop from 1:30-4:45pm
(with a 15-minute break)
Paricipants-12 maximum
Location: Community Kitchen
Regional Cooking Demo
Join Chef John Vollertsen (Johnny Vee), Director of the Las Cosas Cooking School, as he explores the unique place corn plays in the cultural and culinary history of our part of the world. Masa; the lime stone water treated and ground, corn, which has been around for centuries, will be the focus of our edible journey that starts with simple corn tortillas and progresses to the versatile and ever evolving tamale.
Anyway you wrap it; tamales taste and speak volumes about the history of this region of the world. As far back as 5000 BC homo-sapiens have been enveloping food in some kind of covering- be it corn husks; dried or fresh, banana or plantain leaves, avocado leaves, fabric or soft tree bark. The reason for the wrapping was two-fold, one to protect the food while exposing it to any of a variety of heat sources and two, to make the finished product transportable on long journeys, whether warrior or nomad driven.
Regardless of the outer layer, traditional tamales are built around an inner mound of softened corn masa often mixed with fluffy whipped lard. The filling that makes the center of the tamale can be composed of a plethora of ingredients such as meats, fish, nuts, dried fruits, cheeses, beans, capers and olives. There is no end to the creative spin this primeval dish is given by imaginative chefs.
In New Mexico and on into the southern hemisphere we steam the tamales to further cook the corn mixture and make them meltingly tender, while in ancient times the tamales were baked or heated directly in the coals of a fire.
Come and plunge your hands into the masa to feel and smell this tasty age-old ingredient. Following our discussion we will settle down for an Old Fashioned Tamale-Roll, New Mexico style. And of course what we don’t eat we will send home with our participants.
Our Menu-
Corn Tortilla Quesadillas with Green Chile Chutney
Red Chile Pork Tamales
Zucchini & Cheese Tamales
New Mexico Red Chile Sauce
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