Roasted Poblano Tamales Recipes

POBLANO AND CHEESE TAMALES (TAMALES DE RAJAS CON QUESO)

Steps:

• Place corn husks in a bowl, cover with boiling water, and soak for 30 to 60 minutes. Drain, place on a work surface, and cover with a clean, damp towel.
• Line a heavy cast iron grill pan or griddle with aluminum foil and place over high heat. Arrange poblano peppers in a single layer on top. Grill until chiles are blackened, turning as necessary, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer into a resealable plastic bag and let them steam, 10 to 15 minutes. Peel off skin, seed, and cut them into strips.
• Place tomatillos in a pot and cover them with water. Bring to a boil and cook until they change color, about 5 minutes. Drain and place in a blender. Blend until smooth.
• Heat 1 tablespoon lard in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add blended tomatillos and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until flavors are well combined, about 5 minutes. Add poblano peppers and cilantro and boil for an additional 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool, about 10 minutes.
• Beat remaining lard in a large bowl with an electric mixer until creamy. Add salt and continue beating for a few minutes. Add masa harina and baking powder and beat well until combined. Add chicken broth, 1/4 cup at a time, until the dough has a smooth and workable consistency that is not too wet, similar to cookie dough. Test if the masa is ready by dropping a small ball of masa into a glass of cold water; if it floats, it's ready, if not, keep working the dough a little longer.
• Select 1 wide corn husk or 2 small ones. Spread about 2 tablespoons masa mixture onto the corn husk, filling it up to 2 inches from the bottom and 1/4 inch from the top. Add 1 tablespoon of the tomatillo sauce and a piece of Monterey Jack cheese in the center of the masa mixture. Fold sides of husk together, one over the other. Fold the bottom of the husk over the seam of the 2 folded sides. Repeat with remaining husks.
• Place a steamer insert into a saucepan and fill with water to just below the bottom of the steamer. Bring water to a boil. Add tamales with the open side up and cook until filling is heated through and separates from the husk, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Let tamales rest for 15 minutes before serving.

ROASTED POBLANO TAMALES

Steps:

• Soak corn husks in hot water for 30 minutes or let stand overnight in room-temperature water. Prepare Tamale Dough recipe, adding the chopped epazote leaves with the flour.
• Assemble tamales by spreading 2 Tbsp. of the masa mixture (tamale dough) into a 3x2-inch rectangle down the center of each corn husk, leaving about 2 inches bare at the top of the husk. Spoon 1 Tbsp. of the peppers and 1 tsp. of the cheese down the center of the masa mixture on each husk; fold over the sides of the husk and both ends to completely enclose the filling.
• Stand tamales in a steamer basket in large pot filled 1/4 full with water. (Make sure tamales are not touching the water.) Bring water to boil; cover. Steam 1 hour or until tamales pull away from the corn husks, adding more water to the pot when necessary. Remove tamales from steamer basket; cool slightly. Top with TACO BELL® Thick & Chunky Salsa just before serving, if desired.

ROASTED POBLANO CHILE AND CHEESE TAMALE FILLING

Steps:

• Char chiles on a gas burner or broil in the oven, turning often, until blackened all over, about 10 minutes. Put in a bowl, cover, and let steam 20 minutes.
• Using a paper towel, peel blistered skin off chiles. Stem and seed chiles, then slice into 1/2-in. strips lengthwise. Halve any pieces longer than about 3 in. Season with salt.
• Pull Oaxaca cheese apart into pieces about 1/2 in. wide and 3 in. long. If using Monterey jack, cut into 1/2- by 3-in. sticks.
• Make ahead: Up to 2 days, char and peel chiles and prep cheese; keep chilled.

TAMALES

Steps:

• Put the lard in the bowl of a mixer and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, 5 minutes. Add the masa harina and beat for 2 minutes more. Add the baking powder and salt and continue to beat until incorporated, about 5 minutes. Add the broth and continue to beat until the masa is soft and fluffy (the masa should come off the bowl easily). Set aside, cover with a damp towel and let rest for about 10 minutes, or until ready to use.
• Put the corn husks in a large pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Simmer, uncovered, until soft, about 8 minutes. Drain.
• To fill the tamales: Holding an open softened corn husk in one hand, spread about 2 tablespoons of the dough on the husk beginning 1 inch from the wider top and ending at least 1 1/2 inches from the narrower bottom, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border on either side. Sprinkle about 1 tablespoon of filling down the center of each tamal. Fold the sides of the husk up and over the filling, tucking the ends under. Continue with the remaining dough.
• Put the folded tamales in the steamer basket of a large pot. Add enough water to cover the bottom of the pot by several inches, but not enough to touch the tamales themselves. Bring to a boil, cover with a towel and lid and steam over medium-low heat for 1 hour, adding additional water to the pot as necessary; do not allow the pot to boil dry. Open a tamal and check for doneness; the tamal should be firm and pull away from the husk without sticking. If still sticky, continue steaming until done, up to another 15 minutes.
• Char the poblanos directly over a gas flame on the stove or under the broiler until blackened on all sides. Enclose in a plastic bag and let steam for about 10 minutes.
• Peel, stem, seed and devein the chiles. Slice into 1/4-inch strips lengthwise and season with salt. Place 2 to 3 rajas (pepper strips) and 1 tablespoon shredded cheese in each tamal.
• For the guajillo chicken filling: Put the chicken, 3 cloves of the garlic, the halved onion and the bay leaves in a large heavy saucepot and add enough water to cover the chicken. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes, then skim and cover the pot. Continue to simmer until the chicken is fully cooked, 30 more minutes. Set aside until the chicken is cool enough to handle.
• Add the chiles, remaining 4 cloves garlic and the quartered onion to a pot with 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil and remove from the heat. Transfer the ingredients to a blender. Add the cumin and cloves and process until smooth.
• Heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat in a large heavy saucepot. Transfer the chile mixture to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and simmer for 15 minutes.
• Shred the chicken, discarding the bones and excess fat. (Reserve the cooking liquid for another use.) Transfer the shredded chicken into the simmering salsa. Cook until reduced by two-thirds and the flavors are incorporated, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• When blending hot liquids, first let cool for 5 minutes or so, then transfer to a blender, filling only halfway. Put the lid on, leaving one corner open; this will prevent the vacuum effect that creates heat explosions. Cover the lid with a kitchen towel to catch splatters and pulse until smooth.

TAMALES CON ELOTE Y CHILE POBLANO (TAMALES WITH CORN AND POBLANO CHILES)

Steps:

• Place the corn husks in a large bowl, cover with boiling water, and let soak while you prepare the filling.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat until rippling. Add the white onion and garlic and cook, stirring often, until golden, 2-3 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium; add the poblanos, stirring well to combine, and cook 2 minutes longer. Stir in the corn kernels and season with cilantro and cook until the moisture has evaporated, about another 3 minutes. Season with salt. Cool thoroughly.
• Fold or beat the corn mixture into the prepared tamal dough, being sure it is evenly distributed. Fill, fold, and steam the tamales, using about ¼ cup of the masa-corn mixture for each husk.
• Serve with a picante sauce such as Pico de Gallo Norteño or Salsa de Tomatillo con Chipotle.

CORN, POBLANO AND CHEESE TAMALES RECIPE - (4.4/5)

Steps:

• Turn on broiler. Cut away stems and thick edges of banana leaves, then cut into 16 (8-by-10-inch) rectangles. Reserve remaining banana leaves. Roast peppers: Place chilies under broiler and roast, turning occasionally, until skin is blackened, about 5-8 minutes. Transfer chilies to a paper bag and close bag to allow chilies to steam. When chilies are cool enough to handle, remove stems, peel away skin and remove core, seeds and ribs. Cut peppers into 1/2 -inch-wide strips. Set aside. Sauté corn: Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add corn kernels and sauté until tender, 3-5 minutes. Set aside. Make masa dough: In a mixing bowl, combine masa flour and salt. Add melted lard and 3 cups warm water. Knead with your hands until a smooth dough forms. Add more water as needed. Dough should reach consistency of mashed potatoes. Assemble tamales: Using tongs, hold one banana leaf rectangle directly over a stove burner set to high until the leaf turns bright green, about 10 seconds per side. (Don't heat leaf longer or it will become brittle.) Place leaf, smooth side up, on work surface. Place a generous 1/3 cup dough in center of each leaf and flatten to a thickness of 1/4 inch. Place 2 sticks of cheese in center of dough, then add 2 chili strips and 2 tablespoons corn. Repeat with remaining banana leaves. Fold tamales: Fold long sides of leaf to enclose filling in dough. (Sides of leaf will overlap to make a snug package.) Then fold ends over on seam side and rest tamale on top of folded ends so that its weight holds the package together. Cook tamales: Set a steamer basket in a large, lidded pot and fill bottom of pot with just enough water to come nearly to bottom of steamer without touching it. Line bottom of basket with leftover banana leaves. Arrange tamales in basket in layers, then cover with remaining banana leaves. Cover pot, bring water to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 50 minutes. Remove from heat and let tamales rest 5 minutes. To serve, set tamale packets on plates, unwrap and drizzle with crema. Note: You can find the banana leaves used to wrap these tamales at Asian or Latin American markets.