My sister’s mother-in-law, Lucy, is one of the most likable people you will ever meet. During a recent visit to my sister’s home, she showed me (via iChat) how to make Guatemalan tamales with great patience. (She left me a recipe for some Mexican tamales too.) These intriguing tamales have a sauce made with pumpkin and/or squash seeds, finely ground, with fillings of prune, green olive, and blanched almonds. Served with a fresh green salad and some salsa, they are wonderful and provide a unique taste treat.  You can make a large pot of these and freeze them, so you will have a large stash of tamales to get you through the next few months. I made half Mexican and half Guatemalan tamales, using 5 lbs of masa, but Lucy uses 10 lbs of masa when she makes them for her family. They all love her and fight to get her tamales every Christmas!

Lucy’s Tamale Sauce

• 1/2 C. roasted pumpkin seeds
• 1/4 C. roasted sesame seeds
• 4 oz. New Mexico chiles, dried and soaked (use California chiles if you want milder sauce)
• 4 oz. chili ancho (optional), dried, and soaked
• Large can tomatoes (add more if needed)
• veggie broth
• 1/2 C. olive oil

Remove seeds from chiles and discard; boil peppers in water for five to ten minutes. Grind the pumpkin and sesame seeds very finely.  Add to blender with chiles, olive oil, tomatoes. Blend well with enough veggie broth to taste, about 1-2 cups. Pour mixture into a saucepan and simmer for about 30 minutes on low. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

The true Guatemalan tamales call for banana leaves, which you can find in a Mexican grocery in the freezer department.  If you do not have such a grocer, you can use parchment paper encased in aluminum foil. The traditional corn husks can also be used; they are shown here because I did not have time to get to the specialty grocers, tied with string.  The exterior is just to hold all the goodness together and is not mandatory, but it is better to use the traditional coverings if you can find them.  Use whatever you can find because it all works just fine.  For the traditional Guatemalan tamales, the masa is cooked, but it is not necessary to do so.  I mixed the Masa in a large stockpot, along with the veggie broth and olive oil, and it turned out great. The consistency is like a fluffy cookie dough. If you do decide to cook the masa, I would suggest using a large wooden dowel because it can bend other utensils.

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