Ingredients:
1 cup frozen Corn, thawed
1 cup fresh, diced Pasilla (Poblano) Peppers
½ cup grated Cotija cheese
Directions:
Blend all ingredients together in bowl. Set aside until ready to fill tamales.
Tamale Masa
Ingredients:
1, 8-ounce packaged dried Corn Husks
10 ounces Pork Lard (or vegetable shortening if you wish), slightly softened but not at all runny
Salt
1-1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
4 cups Corn Masa (I use Quaker Masa Harina Maiz) not instant.
3 cups Chicken Broth
Instructions:
Prepare the cornhusks. Cover the husks with very hot water, weight with a plate to keep them submerged, and let stand for a couple of hours until the husks are pliable. For forming the tamales, separate out 28 of the largest and most pliable husks—ones that are at least 6 inches across on the wider end and 6 or 7 inches long. If you can’t find enough good ones, overlap some of the large ones to give wide, sturdy surfaces to spread the batter on. Pat the chosen husks dry with a towel.
Prepare the batter. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the lard or shortening with the salt and baking powder until light in texture, about 1 minute. Continue beating as you add the masa in three additions. Reduce the speed to medium-low and add 1 cup of the broth at a time and continue beating for another minute or so, until a 1/2 teaspoon dollop of the batter floats in a cup of cold water (if it floats you can be sure the tamales will be tender and light).
Set up the steamer. Steaming 26 husk-wrapped tamales can be done in batches in a collapsible vegetable steamer set into a large, deep saucepan. To steam them all at once, you need something like the kettle-size tamal steamers used in Mexico or Asian stack steamers, or you can improvise by setting a wire rack on 4 coffee or custard cups in a large kettle. It is best to line the rack or upper part of the steamer with leftover cornhusks to protect the tamales from direct contact with the steam and to add more flavor. Make sure to leave tiny spaces between the husks so condensing steam can drain off.
Form the tamales. Cut twenty-six 8- to 10-inch pieces of string or thin strips of cornhusks. One at a time, form the tamales: Lay out one of your chosen cornhusks with the tapering end toward you. Spread about 1/4 cup of the batter into about a 4-inch square, leaving at least a 1 1/2-inch border on the side toward you and a 3/4-inch border along the other sides (with large husks, the borders will be much bigger). Spoon about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the filling down the center of the batter. Pick up the two long sides of the cornhusk and bring them together (this will cause the batter to surround the filling). If the uncovered borders of the two long sides you’re holding are narrow, tuck one side under the other; if wide, roll both sides in the same direction around the tamal. (If the husk is small, you may feel more comfortable wrapping the tamal in a second husk.) Finally, fold up the empty 1 1/2-inch section of the husk (to form a tightly closed “bottom” leaving the top open), and secure it in place by loosely tying one of the strings or strips of husk around the tamal. As they’re made, stand the tamales on their folded bottoms in the prepared steamer. Don’t tie the tamales too tightly or pack them too closely in the steamer. They need room to expand.
Steam and serve the tamales. When all the tamales are in the steamer, cover them with a layer of leftover cornhusks; if your husk-wrapped tamales don’t take up the entire steamer, fill in the open spaces with loosely wadded aluminum foil (to keep the tamales from falling over). Set the lid in place and steam over a constant medium heat for about 1 hour. Watch carefully that all the water doesn’t boil away and, to keep the steam steady, pour boiling water into the pot when more is necessary. Tamales are done when the husk peels away from the masa easily. Let tamales stand in the steamer off the heat for a few minutes to firm up. For the best textured tamales, let them cool completely, then re-steam about 15 minutes to heat through.
Pressure Cooker Method: Place steamer rack in pressure cooker and fill water just up to the rack. Place tamales on rack with open ends up. If tamales are too tall to secure lid, you will need to make them smaller or trim the husks. Place pressure cooker top on and pressure cook on high for 20 minutes.
Easy Tamale Sauce
Ingredients:
1, 10-ounce can Green Enchilada Sauce
1 cup Harmons Fresh Salsa (any heat level)
1, 4-ounce jar diced Pimentos, drained
Instructions:
Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and heat through. Serve over the top of finished tamales.
Sponsor: Harmons
