In a medium pot, cover the pork, onion and garlic with water. Add the coarse salt, peppercorns, cumin, coriander and cinnamon. Bring to a boil.

Partly cover and simmer until the pork is tender (falling off the bone), about 3 1/2 to 4 hours. Drain the pork, reserving the broth and shred the meat with a fork.

Add half of the pureed chiles to the meat and stir in enough broth to form a moist, spreadable mixture. Taste the filling and adjust the seasoning. Reserve.

Day 2:

TAMALE WRAPPERS

2 packages dried cornhusks

In a large bowl, cover cornhusks with boiling water and soak until soft (about 1-2 hours). When soft, pick out the cornhusks that are the widest and most intact for filling. Lay them out on paper towels and keep them covered with damp paper towels. Shred reserved cornhusks to tie tamales closed. Keep damp as well.

MASA HARINA

3 1/2 cups masa harina, labeled "for tamales"
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 1/4 cups hot water
1 cup lard or solid vegetable shortening


Combine the masa harina with the baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Stir in the 3 1/4 cups of hot water, the lard and the remaining pureed chiles and mix together with a wooden spoon or your hands until a soft, mushy dough forms. (It should be moist but not runny, and it should not stick to your hands.)

Spread the masa over the cornhusk wrappers, leaving a border of about 1 inch around. Top the masa with about a tablespoon of filling, leaving a 1/2-inch border of masa all around. Pull the sides of the husk together to seal, then fold up the tapered end and tie the package shut with a thin strip of husk (the top remains open). If the husk is too narrow to close, add another piece to cover the seam.

Pour an inch of water into a saucepan, place the steamer inside and invert a heatproof mug in the center of the steamer. Arrange the tamales around the mug, open end up. Layer the tops of the tamales with the remaining husks, then cover with a lid (trim the tops of the wrappers, if necessary). Bring the water to a simmer and steam the tamales for about 1 1/2 hours, adding more water as necessary, until the husks peel away from the dough.

I just served them with a fresh tomatillo and tomato salsa.

Note: My friend's mother puts a nickle in the bottom of the pot to let her know when the water is getting low...the rattling slows!

Enjoy!



CHILE PUREE

2 large ancho chiles
2 large pasella chiles

Toast chiles in a hot, dry pan until fragrant. Remove to a bowl and cover with with 1 cup of boiling water and soak until soft, about half an hour. In a blender or food processor, puree the chiles with 1/2 cup of their soaking liquid. Reserve.