Tamales - Kale and Cheese
A few friends and I started taking turns showing each other how to make our favorite recipes. This time it was Mary E's turn, and she chose tamales. Tamales are a traditional Mexican dish made with a corn-based dough mixture, called masa, that is filled with various meats, vegetables, or beans and cheese. Tamales are wrapped and cooked in corn husks, but they are removed from the husks before eating.
While making tamales is a process, it’s really simple, so don’t be intimidated. There are just two main elements: the dough, and the filling.
Tip: The best tip I can give you when making tamales is to get some help — especially if you’re making a lot of them. You can have a tamalada or tamale making party.
Recipe Courtesy of Marcela Valladolid (Food Nework)
Ingredients
FILLING:3 tablespoons butter
1/2 large white onion, chopped
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 zucchini, diced
4 leaves kale, stems removed and chopped (or a 5 oz bag of baby kale)
1/3 cup vegetable broth
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups shredded Oaxaca cheese or mozzarella cheese
MASA:
2 cups masa harina
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
2 cups vegetable broth, warm
3/4 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
1. For the filling: Melt the butter in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic and zucchini and saute until the onion is soft, about 4 minutes. Add the kale and saute 1 minute. Add the vegetable broth, cover and cook until the kale is wilted, about 6 minutes. Uncover and simmer until almost all of the liquid evaporates, about 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and cool slightly. Season with some salt and pepper. Stir in the cheese until melted.2. For the masa: Mix the masa and baking powder in large bowl. Add the vegetable shortening and mix using an electric mixer until it is the consistency of coarse meal. Pour in the vegetable broth and mix until the dough comes together (the dough should be moist). Mix in the salt and pepper by hand.
3. To assemble the tamales: Place a corn husk, ridged-side down, flat on a work surface and spread 2 to 3 tablespoons of masa onto the corn husk. Spread it on the large part of the husk almost to each side, leave a space all around the husk. Then place a spoonful of the kale filling atop the masa. Fold the bigger sides in, then the pointy tip up over the tamale. Next grab and fold up the narrow end or bottom of the tamal up towards the wide end or top of the husks. Be careful and try not to squeeze it too hard so that neither the tamale dough or filling spill out. We placed the tamales vertically in the steamer, open side up, side by side to keep them folded.
4. To steam, place a coin in the bottom of a pot and fill with 1 to 2 inches of water. Make sure that the steamer basket is not immersed in the water. Line the bottom of a steamer basket with some additional husks and stack the tamales in the steamer, with the exposed end facing upward. Top with more husks and cover with a moist towel. Bring the water to a boil and cook until the masa no longer sticks to the husks, 30 to 40 minutes.
5. Cook's Note: The coin will rattle during cooking. If it stops rattling, all the water has evaporated and you need to add more.
6. I found the illustration on this website helpful to learn how to fold the tamales: https://mexicanmademeatless.com/how-to-fold-tamales/