email this pageWhen the chief throws a tamalera, it’s the “masa” of all tamale parties.
Every Christmas Alex Perez, the chief of police in Longview, Wash., and his wife, Janet, entertain 100 friends and coworkers at their tamale-making party. Their tamalera, requiring 50 pounds of chicken, 40 pounds of pork and 70 pounds of masa, is a delicious Mexican feast, and they wouldn’t think of kicking off the season any other way.
“When I was a kid, we didn’t even call it a tamalera,” says Perez, who was born and raised in southern California. “Every year around Christmastime, my grandmother, my mother and my aunts would get together and make tamales. It was primarily women’s work; the kids just ate them.”
Years later, the women gave up the busy gatherings. But Perez missed the tradition and asked his mother to teach him how to make tamales. When he and Janet moved to Longview, they decided to honor his mother by reviving the tradition and sharing it with their new community.
The day-long event is a dinner in progress, with guests treated to a champagne brunch before being put to work. In the spacious Perez cocina, people take up their places around a granite-topped work island, ready to spread a thin coating of masa (cornmeal mixed with lard) on corn husks, add pork or chicken and tie the husks into tidy bundles. The tamales then are placed in steamers and cook for about two hours. For instructions on having your own tamalera and for the Perez’s tamale recipe, go to www.relishmag.com.
To capture a taste of homemade tamales, without the fuss and muss, try our recipe for Beef and Cheese Tamale Pie.
Party Guide
Christmas Lunch
Baked Oysters Espy
Green Salad with Maple Vinaigrette
French Bread
White Wine
Open House
Prosecco Sunrise Punch
Oven-Roasted Salted Pecans
Garlic and Herb Beef Tenderloin
Tree-Trimming Party
Chocolate Espresso Cookies
Cinnamon Nut Cookies
Old-Fashioned Applesauce Raisin Cookies
Weekend Brunch
Lussekatter (Saffron Buns)
Egg Casserole
Prosecco Sunrise Punch
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