ABOUT THIS EVENT
Event Category
Food & Drink
Event Overview
Who doesn't love tamales? These delicious steamed pockets of corn and sweet or savory filling are both an everyday staple and prepared especially for holidays and times of celebration and ritual. They also make great presents, if you can manage to not eat them all!
Whether they're made with love by your relative, the vendor on the corner, a restaurant, or that late-night bar food savior with a cooler of warm goodness... they're a perfect quick portable bite. But did you know that they're not that hard to make? Learn the secrets of mixing, assembling, and steaming them, and get ready to impress your guests at your next party! They also freeze remarkably well- make a big batch, freeze them, and have a quick snack ready to go anytime.
In this class we'll be making a savory vegetarian-friendly calabaza (pumpkin) masa base and will learn how to assemble both styles of wrappers- the traditional Mexican corn husk tamales and the Oaxacan and Central American banana-leaf wrapped style.
We will make Puerco rojo (pork in red chile sauce) in banana-leaf wrappers, and queso y rajas (poblano peppers and cheese) and frijole negro (black bean) in corn-husk wrappers.
We'll mix the masa, and start assembling tamales! Then we'll fill the steamer baskets and wait. They take about an hour or so to steam, so feel free to BYOB and I'll have some chips and salsas to nosh on while we wait. If you need to leave early, you can take home your tamales uncooked and steam them when you get home... otherwise hang out with us at the farmhouse, and if the weather is nice maybe we'll light the firepit and hang out by a bonfire while we wait! We'll eat a few when they're done, but bring tupperware with you to take home some of your creations! How many you take home will depend on how fast we roll them, but we should end up with at least a dozen per person!
Minimum age
All ages welcome
What's Provided
All necessary ingredients will be provided. BYOB for the tamale feast after class! Or bring tupperware to take yours home!
What You Can Expect From This Experience
- Make 3 types of tamales!
- Vegetarian option available
- BYOB Social Hour
- Bonfire, weather permitting!
Location
EVENT DETAILS
EXPLOREMORE ABOUT YOUR HOST
Southern-born and farm-raised free range all-natural chef and teacher... I've spent half my life here in Chicago and love exploring all food cultures and making different dishes from all over the globe. My philosophy about food and cooking prioritizes fresh local ingredients whenever possible, and I love to empower folks to get in their kitchens and make real food from scratch, learn about food history, and experience new flavors and learn new basic techniques to incorporate into their everyday menus as well as special-occasion dishes. I want to teach you to cook intuitively, without relying on recipes and set your creativity free!
I also have a passion for DIY health and beauty products, making cold-process soaps, organic body products, teas, tinctures, and preserves. I have a BA in Culinary Arts from Kendall College and have worked professionally as a chef and in catering, and with mentoring urban youth to teach them gardening, nutrition, and bike maintenance skills. I look forward to sharing my culinary adventures and DIY knowledge with you!
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