Description[]
Source: Cooking Light Annual Recipes 2004 - Cooking Light Magazine
Making tamales can be a group activity. If you can arrange it, have your guests join you to fill and roll them. Just make the filling and dough beforehand (up to a day) so everything's ready. Coarse-ground masa harina, available at Latin markets and in some large supermarkets, gives the best texture to the tamales. Dried pasilla chiles are medium-hot and contribute some heat to the dish. These are great topped with Roasted Tomato Salsa.
Ingredients[]
- 4 garlic cloves, unpeeled
- 3 pasilla chiles, stemmed and seeded
- 1/4 cup dried porcini mushrooms (about 1/4 ounce)
- 3 sun-dried tomatoes, packed without oil
- 2 cups boiling water
- 1 large ripe tomato (about 10 ounces)
- Cooking spray
- 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
- 2 cups chopped portobello mushroom caps (about 4 ounces)
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 20 large dried cornhusks
- 2/3 cup fresh corn kernels
- 2 1/2 cups coarse-ground masa harina
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/2 cups warm vegetable broth, divided
- 3 tablespoons vegetable shortening
Directions[]
- To prepare filling, heat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat.
- Add garlic; cook 15 minutes or until blackened, turning occasionally.
- Remove garlic from pan.
- Cool and peel.
- Add chiles to pan; flatten with a spatula.
- Cook 20 seconds on each side or until blackened.
- Place chiles, porcini, and sun-dried tomatoes in a large bowl.
- Pour boiling water over chile mixture.
- Cover and let stand 30 minutes or until tender.
- Drain in a colander over a bowl, reserving 2 1/2 tablespoons soaking liquid.
- Place garlic, chile mixture, and reserved liquid in a food processor; process 1 minute or until smooth.
- Set aside.
- While chiles soak, heat pan over medium heat.
- Add large tomato; cook 15 minutes or until blackened, turning frequently.
- Remove tomato from pan; cool slightly.
- Peel, core, and chop tomato.
- Wipe pan clean with paper towels; coat with cooking spray.
- Heat pan over medium-high heat.
- Add onion; sauté 4 minutes or until tender.
- Stir in chile mixture, chopped tomato, portobello mushrooms, and oregano; cook over medium heat 15 minutes or until thick.
- Stir in cilantro, juice, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; set aside.
- Place cornhusks in a large bowl of hot water; weigh down husks with another bowl.
- Soak at least 30 minutes.
- Drain husks; rinse with cold water.
- Drain and pat dry.
- Tear 4 cornhusks lengthwise into 16 (1/2-inch-wide) strips.
- To prepare dough, place corn in a food processor; process until smooth.
- Combine masa, baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
- Add 2 cups broth; stir until well blended.
- Place shortening in a large bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium speed 1 minute or until fluffy.
- Add puréed corn and 1/4 cup broth; beat at medium speed until well blended.
- Add masa mixture; beat 2 minutes or until well blended.
- Open 1 cornhusk, curved side up.
- Place 3 tablespoons dough in center of husk, and spread evenly into a 4 x 2-inch rectangle.
- Arrange about 1 1/2 tablespoons filling down center of dough.
- Take 1 long side of husk, and roll dough around filling, making sure dough seals around filling.
- Fold empty tapered end of husk over bundle.
- Tie 1 husk strip around tamale and over folded end to secure (top of tamale will be open).
- Repeat procedure with remaining husks, dough, and filling.
- Stand tamales upright (open end up) in a vegetable steamer in a large Dutch oven.
- Add water to pan to a depth of 1 inch; bring water to a boil.
- Cover and steam tamales 1 1/2 hours or until husks pull away cleanly; add additional water to bottom of pan as necessary.
- Remove tamales from steamer, and let stand 5 minutes.
- Remove tamales from cornhusks.
Yield: 8 servings