Chicken Tamales

Ingredients

• 1 tender chicken
• 1 tablespoon coarse sea salt
• 12 Chili peppers (red, green, or dry)
• 2 medium-sized onions, peeled and sliced
• 2 tomatoes
• 1 large green pepper
• 1 teaspoon flour
• 3 tablespoons lime
• 2 quarts water
• 4 pounds clean, dry white corn
• ½ pound lard (not melted)
• broth from cooked chicken

Directions

1. Clean and cut the chicken into joints. Stew slowly until tender, adding salt.

2. Remove seeds from the Chili peppers, wash them, and boil until soft. Press through a sieve, moistening with water or chicken soup.

3. In a frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of lard until smoking. Add onions, tomatoes, and green pepper. Stir briefly.

4. Add the stewed chicken and the Chili pepper pulp to the pan. Mix in 1 teaspoon of flour wet with cold water and some chicken soup.

5. Cover the pan and simmer for 15 minutes. This can be served as is or used for tamales.

6. In a saucepan, combine 3 tablespoons of lime with 2 quarts of water and bring to a boil. Add the white corn and keep hot for 1-2 hours until the skin loosens.

7. Wash the corn several times in clear water and grind fine in a mortar. Alternatively, use white cornmeal.

8. Mix the corn paste with ½ pound of lard, stirring in one direction and moistening with chicken broth until thick and smooth.