Holy Humita

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1. 1Step 1: Carefully husk the corn. Select the largest leaves in good condition to be used for stuffing the humitas. Clean the ears of the silk and then remove kernels with a sharp kitchen knife. Place in a grinder or food processor; pulse until finely ground with some texture.
2. 2Step 2: Heat the lard and fry the onion until translucent. Add the chilies, paprika, salt, pepper, and basil. Add this mixture to the ground corn along with the milk. Combine well. If the corn is "dry" and not milky, increase milk up to 2 cups to compensate. The mixture should be slightly thick but not overly dry nor runny. At this point, some cooks add a chopped peeled and seeded tomato and additional green chili for some heat.
3. 3Step 3: To make the parcels, do this over a cutting board to catch any seepage of the mixture. Take two corn husks, overlaying them at their widest part. Lay another two corn husks, this time in the opposite direction, to form a cross.
4. 4Step 4: In the middle, place several 1/3-1/2 cup corn mixture (depending on size of husks). You should be able to fold the parcel to be firm but not have it oozing everywhere. Don't skimp on the filling either, who wants to open their "present" to find a weeny-sized humita?
5. 5Step 5: To bring the parcel together, fold in horizontal sides, then the vertical ones and fold over to form a tightly sealed package. Wrap in cooking twine and secure tightly.
6. 6Step 6: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add a pinch of salt. Add the humitas and cook for 1 hour.
7. 7Step 7: Eat hot. If saving for later use (freezer or refrigerator), be sure to let them cool thoroughly. Adding hot humitas to the refrigerator can make them go bad and curdle the milk, causing an unpleasant vinegary taste.