Tamales [briefly disowned???]

A new recipe I learned for y'all and it's pretty straightforward.

~50-70 minutes.

Anatomy of a tamale consists of a main 'flavor' with corn dough surrounding it, all wrapped up in a corn husk or banana leaf. If you haven't had tamales before, think of them like moist cornbread wrapping some other ingredient. You do NOT eat the husk/leaf. It is scary how many people actually do.
Tamales can be "salty" or "sweet". "Salty" tamales don't have sugar and wrap non-sweet things: think along the lines of chicken in green sauce/red sauce. "Sweet" tamales have sugar and wrap sweet foods like fruits.

For today's tamale making session, I'll be showing y'all how to make pineapple tamales. I will also be making salty tamales on the side for myself, so you'll see some of those as well.

Here's what you'll need (for around 5-6 tamales):

1 cup of MASECA- "Nico, what is maseca?" It's a staple of Latin American foods: corn flour. The company that makes this dry flour, or, Masa Seca, decided to call it maseca.
It's god's gift.
Buy it. Nothing else compares.
2/3 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup sugar- for sweet tamales you need sweet sugar... right? right? The answer is yes.
1/3 cup vegetable shortener- for the consistency of the tamale.
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Pineapple- cut it into strips.
Corn Husk/ Banana Leaves- I'll be using both.

First Step:

Put the corn husks/banana leaves into hot-warm water and dump the rest of the ingredients except the pineapple into a mixing bowl. Proceed to mix.
"Nico, it is hard to mix"
I know, I know; please mix it with your hands. It will be so much faster.
Do it please.

The final consistency should be kind of like play-doh. Now wash your hands, this next part is hard with wet fingers.

Step Dos:
Tamale making time. Pay close attention. I was disowned for a few minutes here.

1) Grab a cork husk, about 4-6 inches across, 8-12 inches tall.
2) Put a generous tablespoon of dough in the center of the leaf and spread it in a 3in by 4in circle.
3) Lay the strip of pineapple in the middle of the dough.
Now you have to surround the pineapple strip in the dough. Think of this like when you wrap a bandaid on your finger, but the ends are too long so you have to skillfully find a way to wrap it correctly.
4) wrap the pineapple by wrapping the tamale.
5) Fold one of the ends upwards.
6) take a skinny strip from another husk and wrap it around the folded part to keep it in place
7) repeat.

Now that you've made your tamales, we're putting them in the steamer.

Step Three:

Grab a stock pot and basket for this one.
1) Fill the stockpot up with water until it barely reaches the bottom of its basket.
2) Insert tamales open side up.

We want as much steam as possible to stay inside the pot as possible, so:

3) Put a cloth napkin on top
4) Put some paper napkins on top
5) Put some plastic over that
6) Put on the lid.
7) Set on high heat for five minutes and then medium-low for 40-50 minutes.

Image for reference: I added a divider to divide my pineapple tamales and salty tamales.

Step 4

A fully cooked tamale should have a spongy but firm consistency.

Open them up, enjoy.

Image for reference: I cut these open.

Don't. Eat. The. Husk. Please.