Green Chili Tamales

Directions

1. Trim fat from pork loin and cut it into one-inch cubes. Combine flour, cumin, coriander, cayenne, salt and pepper in plastic bags and dust pork cubes with seasoned flour. Heat olive oil and lard in a large heavy bottom pan over moderate heat and brown pork in batches in hot oil, browning all sides and removing after browning. Brown pork in batches if necessary so they are not crowded in the pan.
2. Once all pork is browned, add onions and cook until soft, stirring occasionally, 4 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and Jalapeno and cook another 2 minutes, stirring often. Add green chilies, chicken stock and tomatillo salsa and salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Turn heat to low and add pork to simmering liquid. Cover tightly and simmer until pork is very tender, 40 to 60 minutes. Remove pork from sauce and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook sauce until thickened slightly and reduced by one third. Pour one third of the sauce over the pork and stir. Chill both sauce and pork before making tamales.
3. Place tomatillos, garlic, onion, Serrano Chili, olive oil and vinegar in medium size pot and cover with water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and boil until tomatillos are soft, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool. Strain the mixture, reserving the liquid. Place vegetables into a blender and add enough poaching liquid to cover. Process until smooth, adding more liquid if needed. Once vegetables are processed, add cilantro, lime juice and salt and pepper and pulse to combine. Refrigerate until ready to use.
4. Place masa in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and with the machine on low, drizzle the hot water in to make the dough. Mix dough for a few minutes then chill for 60 minutes. Remove from refrigerator and process with the paddle attachment for a few minutes and then add the shortening a little at a time with the machine running. Once all the shortening is incorporated, add the olive oil and mix on medium-high speed for 5 to 8 minutes or until the dough is smooth and light. Turn the mixer on low and while the dough is mixing, combine the salt, baking powder, pork stock and vinegar and slowly drizzle this mixture into the dough with the machine running and mix until thoroughly combined. Turn the mixer speed back to high and mix the dough for a few more minutes. The dough is ready to be used.
5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and prepare a steamer. Working one tamale at a time, spread some masa on the inside of a corn husk. Spoon some filling on top and enclose the filling in masa by folding the rolling the corn husk over and folding to secure. Stack tamales in steamer or covered pot with a small amount of water. Steam tamales until fully cooked and very hot, 30 to 40 minutes depending on amount of tamales and type of pan. Remove tamales from husk and place on baking sheet. Re-heat sauce and spoon over the top. Top with cheese mixture and place into hot oven to melt cheese, 5 minutes. Serve immediately.