These potato-based tamales remind cookbook author Sandra Gutierrez of growing up in Guatemala.
My nephew’s wedding in the small southern city of Antigua provided the best excuse to travel.
Days before my trip, cravings for my favorite Guatemalan comfort foods began to taunt me.
Photo: Julia Estrada
What did I want to eat first upon my arrival?
Luckily for us, she received us with a bountiful lunch including many traditional dishes.
Finally, I was back home again.
Luckily for us, paches are not hard to make at home.
Paches are very different from other kinds of tamales.
Paches are always wrapped in banana leaves, filled with meat and then topped with more sauce.
However different the flavor profile is from what you are probably used to, trust methey are delectable.
With a bit of organization and the right ingredients, these paches are super easy to craft.
With scissors, cut away the tough outer vein from the sides of the leaves; discard.
Cut 6 leaves into 14-by-11-inch rectangles.
Cut 6 leaves into 11-by-9-inch rectangles.
Reserve the remaining leaves.
(Alternatively, bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat.
Add the banana leaves to the pot; simmer until they turn olive-green, about 2 minutes.
Drain and cool completely.)
To prepare sauce:Preheat the oven to 400F.
Place tomatoes and onion, cut-side down, and garlic on a large rimmed baking sheet.
Roast until softened and slightly charred, about 25 minutes.
Peel the garlic; set aside.
Transfer to a plate to cool.
Add sesame seeds to the pan; toast, tossing often, until golden, about 30 seconds.
Transfer to the plate with the pepitas.
Add achiote paste, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, allspice and cloves; blend until smooth.
To prepare dough:Place potatoes in a large pot and add cold water to cover by 2 inches.
Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; cook until tender, about 30 minutes.
Drain and let cool at room temperature for 5 minutes.
Peel and cube the potatoes.
Add the potatoes, oil and salt.
Mix at low speed for 1 minute.
Place a large banana leaf rectangle on your work surface and center a small leaf rectangle in the middle.
Scoop about 1 cup of the dough in the middle of the banana leaves.
Shape the dough into a 6-by-4-inch rectangle in the center of the small banana leaf.
Repeat with the remaining ingredients to make each pache.
Fold the sides of the leaves over the filling (as if you were rolling an egg roll).
Roll the pache upward and over to finish wrapping it.
Tie each with a piece of twine in a crisscross fashion (as you would a present).
Layer the paches over the leaves snugly.
Cut off and discard the twine.
Place the pache, seam-side up, on a plate and carefully open it.
Serve with limes and bread, if desired.
They’re sold frozen and fresh at Asian and Latin American markets.
Guajillo chiles are dried mirasol chiles.
They add fruity heat to many Mexican dishes.
Look for them with other dried chiles at well-stocked grocery stores and Latin American markets.
The dough is dried and ground into a powder to make masa harina (which means dough flour).
Look for it stocked with other flours or Latin ingredients at the grocery store.
- Daily Values (DVs) are the recommended amounts of nutrients to consume each day.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient.
