Does anyone have a good tamale recipe with red sauce?

Plantains would go well with your braised beef. I like to mix mine with bell peppers(both red and green).

If you want to stick with tradition, look into different preparations of plantains.  They're very versatile and can be presented in different ways.  As for the tamales/red sauce recipes, are you looking for something with meat, or just plain old corn tamales?  The method is more or less the same with a few tweaks here and there based on the flavor component.  On my tamales I like to serve a green chile queso sauce, made with roasted poblanos, a verde (tomatillo) sauce and a red sauce.  (Green/white/red...mexican flag..)  Anyway, with a red sauce you've got a few options.  For tamales you could make a ranchero sauce, which is more or less just a spicy tomato sauce.  For less heat, obviously take out the pith and seeds from your chilies.  Since I'm not sure how much you'll want to make I'll just toss out a "general idea" recipe. 

Ingredients:

Garlic

Yellow onions

Hot chilies (I use serranos, you could use jalapenos, arbols, whatever)

Prepared tomatoes (skinned, seeded, diced.  This is the base for your sauce, you'll need a good amount.)

Mexican oregano

Ground ancho chile

Splash of tequilla

Water

Salt/pepper

Method:

I brunoise my onions and sweat them, add the garlic about halfway through, then the chilies toward the end.  Add the tomatoes and remaining ingredients, bring it to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook it for maybe 10minutes.  Then bust out your handy immersion blender and go to town.  If you'd like it to tie in with your beef, add some of the braising liquid in place of some of the water.

You can PM me with specific questions if needed, I enjoy helping students.

Classic sides for Ropa are: Moros (Moros y Christianos), Tostones (sin o con mojo) or Vayandas.   In particular boiled Yuca (Yuca cocida).

When I make Tamales, I typically serve them as is...but a decent sauce is from Tomatillos, Onion, Chicken Stock, Salt and some Jalapeno (if you are into it).  Simmer, stick blend, chinoise and reduce to the proper consistency if necessary.

Well I don't think its very traditional because this is more Colombian and Venezuelan but something similiar surely exists in Cuba.  With those kinds of flavors I would probably make Patacon (sometimes called Patacon Pisao) Simply fried smashed and refried plantains, which are a great vehicle for holding anything.  Or maybe something more of a mop would be Arepas kind of like a corn cake/corn dough bread great with...everything!

P.S In the US can you guys just get banana leaves for tamales, if not what is a good substitution?

Suerte!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eat Red Meat 

Well I don't think its very traditional because this is more Colombian and Venezuelan but something similiar surely exists in Cuba.  With those kinds of flavors I would probably make Patacon (sometimes called Patacon Pisao) Simply fried smashed and refried plantains, which are a great vehicle for holding anything.  Or maybe something more of a mop would be Arepas kind of like a corn cake/corn dough bread great with...everything!

 

P.S In the US can you guys just get banana leaves for tamales, if not what is a good substitution?

Suerte!

Banana leaves aren't too hard to come by anymore, at least in my experience (sold frozen in many large grocers).  The other route is like the Mexican tamales...corn husks.  It's an interesting button that was pressed...the very definition of "Tamale" varies quite largely from place to place, region to region even.  As an example of what I am saying in Puerto Rico the answer to this is the Pastele, but the ingredients are different and they are boiled...some places they are steamed (both wrapped tight and open ended), some the Tamales are boiled (wrapped tight).  I typically make the kind you'd find in border town Mexico (and other places), open ended corn husk wrap, pork filling and steamed.