Hot Tamal

FOR the dough, add to one pint of corn-meal, one table-spoonful, each, of salt and lard, and enough boiling water to make a thick dough. Prepare the corn-husks as directed. For the filling boil one pound of beef and pour over it hot beef fat; cut into small bits and season with salt and chile sauce. Put a layer of the dough in the husk, over this a tablespoonful of the prepared meat; roll like a cigarette, with a layer of dough between each husk. Tie each end and steam two hours.

Laredo's Celeberrimo

BOIL a pound of pork until two-thirds cooked; then grind it rather fine. Add a small amount of garlic, also a small quantity of seeded raisins and prepared almonds. Soak two and a half ounces of chiles in hot water; take out the seeds and veins, wash them well and grind fine, adding enough of the stock in which the meat was boiled to make a sauce, and strain. For the dough use the ground corn prepared with lime-water; add six ounces of fresh lard to the pound, salt to taste and moisten with the meat stock. Have the husks prepared, spread each with a thin layer of dough, and for the center one a tablespoonful of the pork and a tablespoonful of the chile sauce. Roll carefully, tie the ends and steam over the liquid in which the meat was boiled.

Mesa Redonda

COVER a four-pound chicken with hot water and add four onions, a clove of garlic chopped fine, a stick of cinnamon, ten whole allspice, ten cloves, three red chile peppers and a teaspoonful of salt. Simmer until the chicken is tender, then remove and cut into small pieces. Strain the liquor, put the chicken meat into it, add enough yellow corn-meal to make a thick mush and boil ten minutes. Have ready the green corn cut from a dozen ears and two pounds of raisins, seeded, and mix these into the mush, with a half-teaspoonful of cayenne. Fill the center husk with a piece of the chicken and some of the mush, roll the others around, each spread with a tablespoonful of the mush. Tie at each end and boil an hour.

Viajero

SCALD a quart of good Southern white corn-meal, making it moist, but not soft. Have a chicken boiled until tender and separated into parts; season the broth with the pulp of two dozen chile peppers, a quart of whole olives, two pounds of raisins, a cupful of sweet lard, salt and a suspicion of garlic; add enough corn-meal to thicken like gravy. Lay one of the prepared husks flat, put a piece of chicken on it and two tablespoonfuls of the thickened gravy; fold the husk over with the chicken inside, and roll around this six more husks, spreading each with two tablespoonfuls of the scalded meal. Tie each end securely with a narrow strip of the husk and steam three hours or longer.