Paleo Pork & Green Chili Tamales {Whole30, Day 4}

Last time around, one of the most challenging things about Whole30 was the impact on my social life.  Things are a little different this time, as it’s the fact that I’m in grad school and working full time that is really requiring the social sacrifices – Whole30 is just something I happen to be doing at the same time.  That didn’t make it any easier yesterday when our buddies texted asking us if we wanted to join them at the brewery. (On a side note, Courtney really needs to stop telling people “Jo can’t drink” before he starts anymore rumors).  I love beer!  I love my guy friends!  Having not seen friends all weekend, had I not been doing Whole30, I probably would have gone.  But that also would have meant two chapters of reading I wouldn’t have gotten done, and I’m not quite sure when I would have made these tamales. Instead, I proposed a win-win-win situation: I work on school work for a couple more hours, start the tamales in the slow cooker, go get a manicure with my girlfriend Vickie and then the guys join us  for a tamale dinner after the brewery.  In the end I got to catch up with everybody and got my work done (erm, well, started).  So we’ll call it compromise rather than sacrifice.

Anyways, the tamales.  I’ve been wanting to make these paleo tamales for quite some time.  In fact, I bought the dried corn husks on Amazon last May during my last ride on the paleo train, but they got shoved in the back of a cupboard and I somehow never got around to making said tamales.  I resolved that I was going to make them over the long weekend, and even invested in the a steamer basket and cooking string.  Then yesterday afternoon, as the pork was already simmering away in the slow cooker, I went to soak the corn husk and look what I discovered…
Sulfites!  While some additives are put on the ‘better to be avoided’ list, sulfites are straight up banned according the the Whole30 Bible.  This is one of the most frustrating parts of Whole30: finding hidden ingredients in food items you’ve already purchased. While the first time around I might have tossed these and spent my day searching for sulfite-free corn husks, this time I let my rational senses prevail.  You soak the corn husks before using them, and aren’t even eating them.  Might some sulfites soak into my tamale?  Maybe.  But ultimately my strong values against waste override the importance to me of doing a perfect Whole30. Next time, I’ll be more careful to ensure my corn husks have less yucky preservatives (which also will probably mean I can’t keep them in my pantry for eight months!)

I was a little nervous about how these were going to come out.  I had some doubt, and was glad the guys had been drinking all day so they probably wouldn’t notice if they sucked.  But luckily for me, that wasn’t the case at all!  Despite using almond flour instead of masa, the texture was pretty darn close to the tamales I’ve had in the past.  Best yet, you could definitely use a variety of filling (Moroccan pulled chicken, paleo pulled pork, maple bacon carnitas).  I encourage you to experiment with these!

Paleo Pork & Green Chili Tamales

Inspired by Paleo Cupboard

Ingredients:
6-8 dried corn husks (lookout for sulfites!)
Salsa and guacamole, for serving
Unusual kitchen equipment: Steamer basket, cooking string

For the Filling:
– 1 pound pork loin
– 1 olive oil
– 1 cup beef or chicken broth
– 1 clove of garlic, minced
– 4 oz can milk green chilies
-1 tsp. cumin
– 1 tsp. chili powder
– 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
– 1/2 tsp. sea salt
– 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

For the dough:
– 4 cups finely ground almond flour (almond meal)
– 1/2 tsp. sea salt
– 4 Tbsp. olive oil
– 1/4 cup beef or chicken broth

Directions:
Soak corn husks in a bowl of very warm water.

For the filling:
1. Place a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Heat the olive oil.  Add the pork and brown on all sides.
2. Place pork and remaining filling ingredients in a slow cooker. Cook on low for about 4 hours or until the pork is tender and shreds easily.  
3. When pork is done, remove from pot and save the liquid. Allow to cool slightly before shredding with a fork.
4. Add the pork to a bowl and pour just enough of the saved liquid (about 1/2 cup) to make the beef moist but not soggy.  Spoon all of the green chilis and spices into the bowl with the pork as well.

For the dough:
Add all of the dough ingredients to a medium sized mixing bowl and combine with a fork, making sure to break apart any clumps.

Assembly & cooking instructions:
1. Place about 1/2 cup of dough in the center of a corn husk and spread around to form a rectangle about 1/2 inch thick.  2. Place about 1/3 cup of pork filling in the center of the dough.  
3. Gently fold the sides inward towards the center and then fold the top and bottom inward to form a rectangular shape.  Tie with cooking string to secure. 
4. Fill a large pot with a few inches of water and place over medium high heat. Add a steamer basket to the pot, making sure the water is not above the basked. Add the tamales to the steamer basket. Once the water starts to steam, cover the pot and turn the heat to low. Steam the tamales for about one hour, adding water as necessary (otherwise is will burn the shit our of your pot, trust me).
5.  Serve with salsa and/or guacamole!

Serves 6-8 (I made 7 – while they looked sort of small, they were surprisingly filling)

Johanna