Memories in a Corn Husk

Children shivering in the cold, damp air in front of Our Lady of Sorrows, a tiny mission-style church in a Mexican neighborhood of San Antonio, Texas, we huddled together going from house to house in our little posada--a reenactment of Mary and Joseph’s search for lodging on Christmas Eve.

At the end of the procession, we stopped at the church and sang our last prayer for help. The priest let us in for midnight Mass, and afterward we made our way to the school cafeteria that never looked so good, its gray walls and folding chairs and tables all decked out in holiday garlands and poinsettias.

Better than coming in from the cold was the invitation to a fiesta with mariachis, a candy-filled pinata, reposteria (Mexican cookies) champurrada (hot-chocolate flavored porridge drink) and dozens and dozens of fresh tamales. The steam streaming from the corn husks, the strong smell of masa (corn dough), lime and chiles say Christmas to me, and I’m taken back to those holiday memories each time I taste an exceptionally delicious tamale.

Lately I’ve been ordering them from Pete’s Mexican Food. They’re made in pork, chile-cheese and my favorite, chicken with red sauce. They’ve got just the right ratio of masa to filling, they’re not oversized and they’re not too spicy, just savory and filling.

Best of all, they’re comfort food that with each taste brings back scenes of childhood from Christmases past.

* Two tamales with sauce--345 calories/20 grams of fat. Available December through Jan. 1 or any time of year if ordered three days in advance. Pete’s is closed Mondays and will be closed Christmas and New Year’s days. $1.75 for one or $15-$17 a dozen. Pete’s Mexican Food, 213 5th St., Huntington Beach. (714) 960-8797.

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