HAVE A HOLLY, JOLLY TAMALE AT UNCLE JULIO’S CASA GRANDE
In the Latin culture, the time for Feliz Navidad is also the time to heap plates high with tamales. At Uncle Julio’s Casa Grande, guests can fork into tender pork tamales with salsa carne, chicken tamales with tomatillo sauce, roasted vegetable tamales with Cojita cheese and spicy sour cream. While the staff at Uncle Julio’s hopes you and your friends and coworkers will gather ’round their tables for holiday tamales, they’re also shared their recipe for chicken tamales with The Dish so you can carry on the tradition at your casa – and we’re sharing it with you.
Uncle Julio’s Tamales
Chicken tamale filling
2 oz. butter
1/2 cup chopped yellow onions
1 lb. chicken tenders
Heat butter in large saucepan. Sauté onions for one minute. Add chicken and stir well. Continue to cook approximately 10 minutes until chicken is fully cooked and becomes light brown. Add green sauce mix (see below). Continue to cook for 5-8 minutes, stirring often. While stirring, mash chicken until it reaches a thinner consistency, breaking chicken down to small pieces
Green sauce for filling
3/4 lb. tomatillos
1 oz. jalapeno peppers
1/2 oz. chicken base
1/4 oz. chopped garlic
Put all sauce ingredients in blender; pulse mixture until smooth, approximately 1 minute.
Green sauce for topping
1/8 cup olive oil
1/2 cup chopped yellow onions
One recipe of green sauce for filling (above)
1/8 cup shredded cilantro
Heat olive oil in a saucepan, add onions and cook until translucent. Add green sauce concoction and cook over high heat, stirring constantly for 2-4 minutes. Turn off heat and mix in cilantro.
Prep per tamale
Corn husks, soaked, 1 per tamale
2 1/2 oz. corn masa
1 oz. tamale filling
Place husk in palm of hand. Spread masa with spoon onto husk approximately 4.5″ long and 3″ wide. Place filling vertically in center of masa. Press masa and roll tamale, being certain that masa covers filling. Fold “tail” of husk under tamale.
To cook tamales: Place open end of tamale perpendicular to long side of perforated pan. No more than 25 tamales to pan. Steam for 10 minutes. Remove tamales with turner. Cover with green sauce, serve and dig in!
Uncle Julio’s Casa Grande: 1860 Peachtree Road, NW in Buckhead; 404-350-6767. To go line: 404-974-2991.
