New Mexico Red Chile Sauce

(Makes 6 cups)

5 cups chicken stock
1 lb. tomatoes, quartered
12 oz. white onions, quartered
6 cloves garlic, peeled
6 oz. dried New Mexico chiles, stemmed and seeded
1 T. butter, at room temperature
1 tsp. salt

Bring the stock, tomatoes, garlic and onion to a boil and cook for 15 minutes. Stir the dried chiles into the stock, making sure they are covered. Remove the pan from the heat and soak the chiles for 15 minutes.

When the mixture is cool, process in blender or food processor. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing on the residue to extract all the chile flavor.

Transfer the mixture back to a saucepan and reheat. Stir in butter and salt.

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Chevy's Pork Tamales

(Makes 20)

2 ½ lbs. pork shoulder or butt, cut into 2-inch cubes
2 T. salt
5 c. New Mexico Chile Sauce (see other recipe)
½ tsp. cumin
¼ tsp. cayenne
4 c. prepared masa (2 ½ lbs.)
½ c. pork stock (left over from cooking meat)
20 extra large dried corn husks
½ c. queso fresco

To make the filling, place pork in a large stock pot and cover with cold water and add the salt. Bring to a boil over high and simmer over medium-low for 2 ½ hours. The meat should fall apart when tender. Drain stock, reserving ½ cup. Stir the pork with a wire whisk to shred it. Gently fold in 2 ½ cups of sauce, the cumin and the cayenne. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Place masa in a mixer bowl. Add ¼ c. stock, mixing on low speed until incorporated. Mix on high speed until light and fluffy.

Soak corn husks in water until soft, about 20 minutes. Remove one husk at a time and pat dry. Spread ¼ cup of the masa over the middle of the husk, leaving a ½-inch border along the sides and a 4-inch border along the top.

Spoon ¼ c. filling down the center of the masa. Lift the sides of the husks to meet each other in the center and press to seal the masa together, making a tube shape (The corn husk should wrap around the tamale, but

Fold the top edge of the husk over the end of the roll. The tamale should be 4 inches long and approximately 1 ¼ inches in diameter.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for two hours.

Place tamales folded end down into a steamer. Steam over boiling water for 15-20 minutes. Serve with the rest of the sauce and the queso fresco sprinkled over all.