World Recipes

Tamales de Rajas con Elote (Tamales with Corn and Poblano Chiles)

30 to 35 dried corn husks
2 tablespoon oil or shortening
1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 poblano chiles, roasted, peeled, tops removed, seeded and diced
2 cups fresh or drained canned corn kernels
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Salt to taste
1/2 recipe Basic Tamale Dough

Place corn husks in a large bowl, cover with boiling water, and soak for at least 1 hour.

Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Cook onion and garlic until golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Add poblano chiles and cook 2 minutes longer. Stir in corn kernels and cilantro; cook until moisture has evaporated, about another 3 minutes. Season with salt. Cool thoroughly.

Fold or beat corn mixture into the prepared tamale dough, until evenly distributed. Fill, fold and steam the tamales as illustrated (shown at left), using about 1/4 cup of the tamale dough mixture for each husk.

Serve with salsa.

Makes 30 to 35 tamales.

Tamale Balls

1 pound ground beef
1 pound pork sausage
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1/2 onion, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 3/4 cups yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons chili powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Sauce
2 (29 ounce) cans tomatoes with juice, mashed
2 tablespoons chili powder
Pinch of granulated sugar
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix ground beef, sausage, tomato sauce, onion and garlic well.

Mix dry ingredients and add to meat mixture. Mix well and shape into about 40 small balls.

Mix sauce ingredients. Pour sauce over balls and simmer covered for 2 hours.

Green Corn Tamales

From the kitchen of Judy Wilson, Arizona

Yields 24 servings.

12 ears fresh white or yellow corn
1 pound Monterey jack cheese, grated
1 pound pure lard
1/2 pound butter
1/2 cup (scant) sugar
1/4 cup light cream, or more
2 green chiles, parched and peeled
1 pound Cheddar or Longhorn cheese
Salt

Chop stalk end of each ear of corn flush with the base of the ear. Shuck, being careful to keep corn husks intact for later use. Wash husks, and drain.

Cut corn off cobs. Grind corn with the Jack cheese in a meat grinder, blender or food processor.

Cream lard and butter to a smooth and fluffy consistency with an electric mixer at medium speed. Add the ground corn and cheese mixture, sugar, cream and salt to taste. Continue to mix with the electric mixer until mixture looks like whipped cream. Add more cream if mixture is dry.

Cut the roasted green chiles into long strips. Spread about 2 tablespoons of the corn mixture on each corn husk. Spread mixture out into a rectangle and allow at least 2 inches of husk to extend below the corn mixture and a few inches of margin on both sides of the husk. Place about 2 strips of green chile down the center of the corn mixture, then sprinkle with a few pinches of the grated Cheddar cheese.

Hold the two sides of the tamale together to make the corn mixture fold up around the filling. Then tuck one edge of the husk over the top of the tamale and roll, tying the ends with strips of corn husks. If preferred, the bottom end of the husk can be folded up before rolling. If you plan to freeze the tamales, freeze them at this point.

Place the tamales upright on a rack in a pressure cooker or large steaming kettle. Before the rack is completely filled with tamales, pour 1 to 2 cups water into the bottom of the pan, about 1/2 inch deep.

Steam at 15 pounds pressure for 25 minutes, or in a conventional steamer for 45 minutes. Serve warm with Green Chile Sauce, plain, or with beef, pork or chicken added. These may be kept in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.

Makes 24 tamales.

Freezing Hint: Package tamales in plastic bags, 12 per package or other suitable quantity. If packaging large quantities, keep track of the contents on a card. Maximum Recommended Freezer Storage: 1 year

Chicken-Tomatillo Tamales

30 dried corn husks, soaked in hot water

Filling
1 pound tomatillos, peeled
12 cilantro sprigs
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
12 ounces cooked chicken, shredded

Put tomatillos into a saucepan, barely cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Drain, reserving liquid.

In a blender or food processor fitted with the metal blade, process tomatillos, cilantro, salt, pepper and enough of the reserved liquid to make a fairly thick paste.

Heat oil in a cast iron skillet, add onion and cook 2 or 3 minutes. Stir in tomatillo paste and simmer about 20 minutes, adding more liquid if necessary to maintain a fairly thick paste. Set aside.

Dough
3 cups Masa Harina
Salt
1 1/2 cups warm water
1/2 cup lard, softened
1 1/4 cups warm chicken stock
2 teaspoons baking powder

In a bowl mix together Masa Harina, salt, water and lard. Slowly stir in stock. Add baking powder and beat with a wooden spoon until bubbles appear and a teaspoonful dropped in a glass of cold water floats.

Drain corn husks and pat them dry. Place 2 husks overlapping in the palm of one hand and spoon on 1 tablespoon of sauce, 1 tablespoon of dough, a little cooked chicken and another spoonful of sauce. Wrap husks carefully to enclose filling, then fold tail towards top, leaving it loose to allow room for expansion. Place tamales in the top half of a steamer and cover with wax paper. Cover tightly and steam for 1 1/2 hours until dough is light and fluffy. Reheat any remaining sauce and serve separately.

Variation
Use beef broth in filling and substitute pork or beef instead of chicken.

Traditional Tamales

1 (6 pound) beef rump roast
1 (6 pound) pork roast
12 pounds masa*
1 pound whole red chiles, mild or hot
Lard or Crisco
Garlic
Cumin
Flour
Salt and pepper
Baking powder
1 pound dried corn husks

NOTE: The chiles are the dried ones that you see hanging outside doors or under ramadas in the Southwest and can be purchased at any grocery store in the Southwest or packaged in the ethnic foods section of many grocery stores elsewhere.

* Masa can be purchased at any tortilla factory or grocery store in the Southwest or in the refrigerated section of the grocery store in many other areas of the country.

To prepare chile paste
Break caps off all red chiles and shake seeds out. Soak red chiles in hot water until soft. Blend or process chiles into a paste using a small amount of water in which they were soaked to help it move in the food processor or blender. Put paste through a sieve to remove the skins. Throw skins away. This may be made way ahead of time and refrigerated until you make the tamales.

To prepare meat
Use the cheapest roasts you can find!!! Try to cook the meat the day before assembling tamales, keeping it in the refrigerator until tamale-making time. Cut meat into large chunks. Cover meat with water in a very large pot. Add 6 to 12 garlic cloves and 2 or 3 tablespoons salt. Cook meat, covered, for 3 hours or until meat is tender and falling apart. Remove meat from juice and shred. SAVE THE JUICE. Mix meat sauce with the meat.

To prepare meat sauce
Melt 2/3 cup lard or Crisco and add 2/3 cup flour. Boil for 2 minutes. Pour over shredded meat and mix. Add chili paste, one cup at a time, to taste. Add 1 tablespoon of cumin. Add salt and pepper to taste.

To mix masa
Place 12 pounds masa (room temperature) in a very large pan and mix with 1 1/4 cups lard or Crisco, 2 tablespoons salt, 2 tablespoons baking powder, 1 cup chile paste and 2 cups meat broth.

Mix with hands. Add more meat broth (about 1 cup). Add more chile paste for color if desired. Work all ingredients together with hands for about 10 minutes. The dough is ready when a small lump floats slowly to the bottom of a glass of water.

To assemble tamales
Soak corn husks in hot water until soft. Using the larger husks, place each husk waxy side up (ribbed side down). Spread masa onto each husk out to the wide edge. Place a small portion of meat in the center of masa. (You may place a stuffed green olive on the meat if you care to.) Roll husks and fold back, wide sides to center, then tapered flap up.

Set a wire rack or vegetable steamer in the bottom of a large kettle. Put water in kettle just up to the bottom of the rack or steamer. Set tamales in kettle standing on end. Pack them in, allowing room for expansion of masa as they cook. Steam for about 20 to 40 minutes, or until masa pulls away from corn husk easily.

Tamales

Basic Recipe for Masa Harina Dough Tamales
50 dried corn husks
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
4 cups Masa Harina
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups chicken or beef stock

Rinse and soak the corn husks in hot water until they are pliable, preferably overnight. Drain water from husks and use immediately. If the points had not been cut off before packaging, cut them off now.

With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat shortening until it is light and fluffy. Alternately mix in Masa Harina, baking powder and salt with the stock until a firm dough is formed. The dough should be moist but not wet.

If the husks are small, place two husks together, with smooth side up. Spread a thin layer of dough (about 2 tablespoons) over an area about 3 inches square in the center of the husk(s). Place 1 tablespoon of preferred filling, then 1 tablespoon of sauce, on top of the dough. Fold the long sides of the husk over the dough, then fold the tips over the center, and tie shut with a thin strip of husk.

Place the tamales upright in the top of a large steamer, and cook until the dough separates easily from the husk (about 1 to 1 1/2 hours). Do not let the husks touch the water. Check the pot every 15 minutes to determine if more water is needed. This recipe makes 25 tamales.

Beef with Ranch Sauce Filling
3 large tomatoes, peeled
4 to 6 Serrano chiles
1/2 medium onion
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
Salt, to taste
6 cloves garlic
3 pounds flank steak
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 (12 ounce) can beer
    (at room temperature)

Place a sheet of aluminum foil on a griddle turn heat to medium, and let griddle get hot. Put the whole tomatoes chiles and onion on the hot griddle until they blister. Do not burn. With a blender pulse the roasted tomatoes, chiles and onion with the water about three times, being careful not to over-blend. Heat oil in a heavy skillet; add tomato sauce and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Adjust salt.

Put the garlic through a garlic press, then spread it over the beef. Heat oil in a skillet and brown the meat uncovered. When brown on all sides, add beer and cook covered about 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until meat is tender. Remove beef from the skillet and let it cool. When beef is cool, shred it. Use to fill tamales; top tamales with the sauce. Steam as per instructions. Fills 25 tamales.

Chicken with Mole Filling
3 to 4 cups water
4 chicken breasts
1 whole white onion
3 cloves garlic, whole
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup mole paste
1 tomato
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup vegetable oil
Salt, to taste

In a heavy pot, bring the water to a boil. Add chicken, onion, garlic cloves and bay leaves. Let chicken boil, covered, for 5 minutes. Reduce heat and simmer for 35 to 45 minutes, or until meat is tender. Shred chicken.

Place mole paste in a blender with tomato and chicken stock and grind until a smooth paste forms. In a heavy saucepan, simmer the sauce in oil until it thickens (about 10 to 15 minutes). Salt to taste. Steam as per instructions. Fills 25 tamales.

Pork with Roasted Tomatillo Sauce Filling
15 green tomatillos
4 to 6 serrano chiles
1/2 onion
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons cilantro leaves
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
Salt, to taste
5 cups water
2 pounds pork loin
1 whole large onion
1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Maggi seasoning

Remove husks from tomatillos; rinse under cool water. Dry tomatillos with a paper towel. Roast the whole tomatillos, chiles and the 1/2 onion on a hot griddle over medium heat until they blister and brown slightly, about 10 minutes. Do not burn. Grind roasted ingredients in a blender with the 1/4 cup water, being careful not to over-blend. Add rinsed cilantro leaves and pulse the blender about three times.

Heat oil in a heavy skillet. Add tomatillo sauce, and simmer for about 7 minutes. Adjust salt. 

Bring water to boil in a heavy pot. Add pork and the whole onion, reduce heat to medium-high, and boil for 1 hour. Mix in the oregano, minced garlic and Maggi seasoning; simmer for 30 minutes more. Let cool; shred pork. Set stock aside to use in tamale dough. Prepare sauce and use over tamales. Steam as per instructions. Fills 25 tamales.

Shrimp with Pasilla Sauce Filling
3 pasilla chiles
1/4 cup warm water
2 tomatoes
3 Serrano chiles
1/2 onion
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon vinegar
Salt, to taste
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
36 large fresh shrimp
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

Rinse pasilla chiles removing any dust. Dry chiles with a paper towel. On a hot griddle over medium heat roast the chiles. When roasted on all sides remove from griddle and let cool. Remove stems ,slice down sides,, and remove seeds and veins. Let pasilla chiles rest in the warm water for 20 minutes.

On the same hot griddle roast the tomatoes, serrano chiles onion and garlic. In a blender grind the pasilla with the 1/4 cup warm water, tomatoes, serrano chiles, onion, garlic and vinegar. Adjust salt to taste. In a heavy saucepan heat oil and simmer pasilla sauce for about 5 minutes. Keep at room temperature until ready to use.

Shell the shrimp, leaving tail intact. With a sharp knife cut along the curve in the body and remove the back vein. Rinse shrimp under cool water. Transfer shrimp to a mixing bowl filled with ice water then add the red wine vinegar. Place in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.

Drain liquid from shrimp and pat dry with paper towels. Place 1 large shrimp and 1 teaspoon of the sauce on top of the tamale dough. Steam as per instructions. Fills 25 tamales.

Pork Filling
12 pounds green tomatillos, peeled, ground
2 large red tomatoes
1/4 cup achiote paste
1/4 cup pequeno chile (optional)
1 ancho chile, de-veined
1 (1 1/2 pound) pork roast
1/4 teaspoon Mexican oregano
1 stick cinnamon
2 cloves garlic, minced

Remove husks from tomatillos. Rinse well. Bring 2 cups water to boil in a heavy pot, reduce heat to medium-high, and boil tomatillos for about 7 minutes. Remove stems from tomatillos, transfer to a blender, and grind with the red tomatoes, achiote paste, pequeno chile, ancho chile and a little water. Set aside

In a Dutch oven over high heat, brown the pork, turning to brown on all sides. Then cover with hot water and boil for approximately 1 hour with the oregano, cinnamon stick, garlic and whole onion. The pork must be very well cooked. Discard onion and water. Cool and shred pork. Mix the sauce with the shredded pork. Transfer to a Dutch oven and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.

Make flat patties with the basic Masa Harina recipe. Fill with shredded pork and close all sides, forming round shapes. Transfer each filled ball to prepared corn husk and secure closed at each end with a strip of corn husk or string. Cut uneven ends of corn husk so both ends will look even. Steam as per instructions. Fills 25 tamales.

Fresh Corn Tamales
25 dried corn husks
5 cups fresh or frozen corn (not canned)
1 cup Muenster cheese, finely diced
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1 to 2 teaspoons pequeno chile (or cayenne)
2 teaspoons aniseed (optional)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs

Soak corn husks overnight. Thaw frozen corn. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Dry corn in the oven for 15 minutes.

In a heavy medium pan, melt shortening. Add pequeno chile and aniseeds to the melted shortening; cool to room temperature. In a blender, mix the sugar, salt, eggs, thawed corn and melted shortening. Grind, pulsing and scraping down sides until fully ground (about 4 to 5 minutes). Transfer to a mixing bowl, then add the cheese.

Spoon 6 to 7 tablespoons of ground corn mixture onto each corn husk. Fold husk closed like an envelope and secure with string. Transfer envelopes to a steamer and steam as per basic instructions, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Makes 12 tamales.

Sweet Almond Tamales
50 dried corn husks
1 cup butter or margarine
1 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
2 whole eggs, beaten
1 pound Masa Harina or prepared masa
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup almonds
1 cup milk (use 1/4 less if using prepared masa)
3/4 cup raisins
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Soak corn husks at least 4 to 7 hours. Pat dry just before using each one.

With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter, shortening and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Mix in eggs and continue beating on low.

In a mixing bowl mix masa with baking powder and salt. Grind almonds in a blender until coarsely chopped. Mix the masa into the butter mixture alternately with the milk. Mix in the almonds, raisins, almond extract and vanilla extract. Transfer the masa mixture to the corn husks. Secure closed with strips of corn husks or string. Steam tamales as per instructions. Makes 25.

You can substitute sweetened condensed milk for the regular sweet milk, or change the flavor by omitting the almond flavor and using aniseeds. You can also use bananas. Experiment and flavor them any way you wish.

Sweet Tamales

5 cups Masa Harina
2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup lard (no substitutes)
3 cups chicken stock, heated
2/3 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup raisins
3 ounces corn husks, rinsed and soaked in hot
    water for several hours to soften

Combine Masa Harina, salt, baking powder, cinnamon an sugar; set aside.

Place lard in large mixing bowl an beat at high speed with electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add masa mixture in 2 to 3 batches, alternately with warm (not hot) broth, beating constantly. Add nuts, mixing to distribute evenly through the dough. Dough should be soft, but pliable, not watery. To test dough, place a small piece in a cup of water. If the dough floats, it is the right consistency.

Pat corn husks dry. Wet your hands. Place a husk in the palm of one hand, and using the back of a spoon, spread about 2 tablespoons of the dough into a rectangle, starting at the wide end of the husk. Leave about 1 1/2 inches at the wide end of the husk and about 3 inches at the pointed end. Spread dough to within 3/4-inch of the sides. Fill with 1 teaspoon raisins. Roll sides of tamales to seal the filling. Fold over wide end to seal bottom. Place folded side down on cookie sheet. Repeat until dough and filling are used. You should have about 2 dozen.

Fill bottom of a large tamale steamer or large pot with a rack or colander in the bottom with water to depth of about 1 inch. Water should not touch the rack. Line rack with some of the remaining husks. Arrange tamales vertically, wide, folded end down, on rack. Tamales should be packed, but not crammed, so they will remain vertical. Cover tamales with more corn husks or a layer of clean dish towels to prevent the tamales from absorbing too much water. They should be steamed, not immersed. Cover pot with lid.

Bring water to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Ensure that water does not cook away during this time, adding more as needed. Check tamales for doneness. Tamales are done when the masa easily separates from the husk and the tamale retains its shape. If not done, continue steaming for up to 2 1/2 hours, or as needed. If necessary, cook tamales in batches, reserving tamales in refrigerator until ready to cook.

Cooked tamales may be refrigerated several days or frozen for several weeks. Reheat, wrapped tightly in foil, in a 300 degrees F oven, about 30 minutes.

Makes about 2 dozen.

Chicken Tamales

60 to 70 dried corn husks
Hot water
2 tablespoons lard or vegetable shortening
1 cup finely chopped white onion
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (1 pound) can whole peeled tomatoes,
    undrained, and coarsely chopped
1 (7 ounce) can chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
1/2 cup water
1 (3 pound) broiler-fryer chicken, cut up
2 teaspoon salt
1 cup lard or vegetable shortening (at
    room temperature)
3 cups Masa Harina
1 3/4 to 2 cups warm chicken stock or broth
Boiling water

Place corn husks in large pot; add very hot water to cover. Top husks with plate and heavy jar to keep submerged. Let stand at least 3 hours or overnight.

Heat 2 tablespoons lard or vegetable shortening in a deep skillet over medium heat until hot. Add onion and sesame seeds; saute until onion is soft and seeds are golden, about 4 minute. Stir in cinnamon and garlic; add tomatoes, chiles and 1/2 cup water. Add chicken to skillet; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt. Heat over high heat to boiling; reduce heat to low. Simmer, covered, until chicken is very tender, about 1 hour. Remove chicken with tongs to plate; let stand until cool enough to handle.

Skim and discard fat from tomato mixture; cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until reduced to 3 cups, 8 to 10 minute. Transfer to blender container; process until smooth.

Remove and discard skin and bones from chicken; cut into 3/8- to 1/2-inch cubes. Drain corn husks; rinse and rub each husk under running water to remove any silk and debris. Drain well; pat dry. Wrap in towel to keep pliable.

Beat 1 cup lard or vegetable shortening in large mixer bowl until light and fluffy, 5 to 10 minutes. Beat in Masa Harina, 1/4 cup at a time; beat until thoroughly blended. Beat in remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Gradually beat in stock, using just as much as is needed to form dough that just holds together.

For each tamale, spread heaping tablespoon dough in center of 1 corn husk to form 3-inch square. Top with about 2 teaspoons tomato mixture and 4 to 6 chicken cubes. Fold right, then left edges of husk over filling. Fold wide end of husk over filled area; fold pointed end over and tuck into center of folded wide end. Turn tamale seam side down. Make 50 tamales in all.

Line large steamer basket with remaining corn husks. Stack tamales in basket, seam sides down. Cover tamales with kitchen towel. Place steamer basket over 3 to 4 inches boiling water; cover with lid. Adjust heat to maintain gentle boil. Steam tamales about 40 minutes.

Remove 1 tamale from center of basket and carefully unwrap; if dough pulls easily away from husk, it is done. If necessary, steam 5 or 10 minutes longer and test again. Serve tamales hot.