TAMALES

INGREDIENTS 1 medium chicken or 4-5 lb.s red recardo, green peas, cabbage, garlic (3 cloves) 5 lbs. ground corn salt and pepper shortening 2 large onions 3 large sweet peppers

METHOD: 1. Separate 10 ozs. of the corn to use for gravy. Mix remaining portion of corn with water. Add lard and salt to taste. This is best mixed with hands. Put on slow fire and stir continuously until thick. 2. Cut up chicken or pork into small pieces. Season well with some salt, pepper, garlic, onion and sweet pepper. Simmer meat for 10 mins. in some water. Separate meat from water. Mix the 10 oz portion of corn with red recardo and add to water. Cook on slow fire until moderately thick. 3. Cut up tomatoes, green peas, cabbage, sweet pepper and onion and mix together. 4. Use either plantain leaf or foil to wrap. Get some plaintain leaves and singe over fire. Then wipe off with a cloth and cut away from center stock. Tear leaves into the size you wish the tamales to be. 5. Put corn mixture on plantain leaf or foil and add a piece of meat and some gravy mixture and vegetable mixture. Fold leaves by folding over one side first then the other, then the two ends to be doubled over. 6. Prepare a pot by putting a rack on the bottom high enough tot raise tamales above the water level or about 4 ins. high. Put in tamales to steam for about 2 hours or until properly cooked.