Cuban Tamales

In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the pork and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned on all sides (5-7 minutes).

Pour 1/2 cup of white wine into the saucepan and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.

Stir in 2 cups of water, 5 cloves of minced garlic, 1 tablespoon of tomato paste, 1 beef bouillon cube, bay leaves, cumin, oregano, and black pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low, partially cover the saucepan, and simmer until the pork is very tender (1-2 hours). Transfer the pork to a bowl and reserve the cooking liquid.

In a deep pot, heat the remaining olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chorizo and cooked pork and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned (3-5 minutes).

Stir in the diced onion, green pepper, and remaining minced garlic. Sauté until the vegetables soften and the onion becomes translucent (about 5 minutes). Add the remaining white wine, olives, 1 tablespoon of tomato paste, and remaining bouillon cube. Cook, stirring frequently, until the flavors combine (about 5 minutes more).

In a blender or food processor, pulse the thawed corn and 1 1/2 cups of the reserved pork broth until the mixture has a thick and chunky consistency. Stir the corn mixture into the pork-chorizo mixture.

Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the masa harina, sugar, vinegar, and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture has a hearty cornmeal porridge-like consistency. Season with salt to taste and remove from heat.

Take a soaked corn husk and create a pocket. Fill it about 3/4 full with the pork mixture, leaving a top flap. Wrap another husk around the filled pocket. Fold the top flap over the pocket. Tie twine length- and width-wise around the tamale several times to secure it, ensuring there's room for the filling to expand during cooking. Repeat with the remaining husks and filling.

Fill a pot with about 2 inches of water; bring to a simmer. Place the tamales upright in the simmering water, cover the pot, and cook, adding water as necessary to maintain the water level, until the filling is hot and set (about 40 minutes). Cool the tamales until completely set (at least 3 hours) before serving.