The Plant of 2007: Corn (photos)
Corn, wheat, rice, soy four of the most important domesticated crops on earth. These foods are credited for providing the readily available and concentrated nutrition that allowed humans to settle, build cultures, cities and create a all new sedentary existence the proliferated the race.
Corn was domesticated more than ten thousand years ago, probably in state of Chiapas, Mexico by the Tzotzil people. Today the open pollinated varieties of this vital food crop are threatened by modern agriculture. Agro-businesses have hybridized the vitality from the plant, patented their hybrids, laced them with alien genes and are selling these non vital strains worldwide. When the seeds lose their vitality and can no longer germinate from the heritage parent stock, farmers must buy the next generation from the agrochemical industry. It's a trap with a downside and of course benefits. The benefits may be the seeds produce more energy, more protein, more ears, provide protection from pests and the downside is that you must pay for these "improvements"--the original heritage strains are lost.
To save the original gene stocks of corn, open pollinated, vital seeds are being frozen and stored in Mexico, Central America, and South America. As the markets become contaminated with genetically modified varieties, saving viable cultivars will provide for future generations the root source of our great physical and mental expansion.
Here are a few corn recipes, that are simple to prepare and economical.
Recipes:
Mix two cups of Masa (Corn flour, Harina de Maize) with a cup and one eighth of water ( I add a pinch of vegetable bullion to the water to enhance the flavor). Knead with your hands to form a thick, moist, sticky dough ball. Add a tablespoon or two of water if too dry. Use a tortilla press to form tortillas or pat them out with your hands. Heat a pan, medium high, on the stove. Place the tortilla on the pan, cook about thirty seconds per side. Use like store bought tortillas.
Alternative: Drop the tortilla in a quarter inch of hot oil and fry, both sides.
Hand formed tortillas are typically not big enough to fold, so use them like flat bread.
Tamales (2 recipes)
1. Traditional Recipe for Tamale dough:
1 pound masa (4 cups)
2 t salt, 1/2 pound pork lard
1 3/4 chicken broth,
cup of cold water.
Preparation: Beat lard for 5 minutes in mixer. Gradually add broth and masa to blender with lard. Broth should be cool as not to melt lard. After 3 minutes of beating, drop a small piece of dough on water and see if it floats. If it sinks keep beating the mixture until the dough floats. Finally, mix the baking powder in thoroughly.
Tamales are wrapped in fresh corn husks and tied to prevent the seepage of water into the masa while it is being steamed. Steam for thirty minutes.
2. Old Yucatecan recipes for Corn StuffedTamales and Pibikutz Pavo (turkey)Tamales
Dough ingredients:
-4 cups masa harina,
-2 cups water,
-teaspoon salt
-1 cup turkey fat
-6- 8 ears of corn roasted in the husk
Corn husks or banana leaves to form the tamales
Soak corn in warm water for thirty minutes, then roast in
400 degree oven for 6 minutes.
Next cut corn from cobs into a dish. You will need approximately 6 cups of corn
kernels. Simmer all the kernels in the two cups of water for ten minutes.
strain corn from water, save water, set aside corn. From the six cups of
corn kernels, add back two cups kernels to the saved water, puree. Use
this pureed corn water to hydrate the masa harina. Mix the masa in with a
beater or with your hands. In a separate large mixing bowl whisk
salt in with turkey fat, then add masa mix to fat mix, 1/4 cup at a time,
whisking it in vigorously. Continue to beat the mix until thoroughly
blended. Finally, stir in the four cups set aside corn kernels to finish
the dough.
Spread the corn husks and press in about three to five tablespoons of dough over flattened leaf. If using banana leaves, cut leaves into 8 by 8 inch squares. Tamales in banana leaves will be larger, press on about 7 tablespoons dough per leaf. Form the tamales by rolling the corn husk or banana leaf completely around the dough, tie off with a piece of corn or banana leaf and steam for 30 minutes.
Pibikutz (Turkey tamales)
This is a traditional day of the dead festival recipe.
Ingredients:
4 cups turkey broth
6 and 2/3 masa harina
1/3 cup turkey fat
7 cups shredded turkey
1 t achiote
cup chopped tomato
large onion, chopped
T chopped epazote leaves
corn husks or banana leaves
Simmer the broth with 1/2 t of achiote, salt and a pinch of masa to make kol, that washes the inside of the tamale like a paste.
Make tamale dough: mix turkey fat, salt and 1/2 t of achiote with masa to make dough. Spread dough with spoon or fingers on husk, make a depression in middle of dough to receive filling.
Layer filling: some turkey, some tomato, some chile and a sprinkle of epazote, baste with broth and make another layer. With three layers, the top layer covered with broth, cover all with a top sheath of dough, seal the dough by moistening with broth, then wrap in husk or leaf, tie off and bake not steam for 90 minutes at 375 degrees. This dish is best pit fired with coals for 6 to 8 hours.