Fresh Corn Tamales With Chanterelles Food

EASY CORN TAMALES

Steps:

• Working in batches, add the corn kernels to a blender or food processor and puree until smooth.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until pale. Add the egg, salt, and baking powder. Mix to incorporate. Add the flour and pureed corn and mix until blended and forms a loose smooth dough.
• Put a corn husk lengthwise in front of you with the wide side closest to you. Spread 3 tablespoons of the dough all over the bottom half (wide side) of the corn husk, leaving about a 1-inch-wide border on the left and right sides. Pick up the 2 long sides of the corn husk and bring them together. Roll both sides of the corn husks in the same direction over the filling.
• Repeat with remaining corn husks and dough. Arrange the tamales, seam side down, in a steamer and add 1/2-inch of water. Cover with a tight fitting lid, bring to a simmer and steam for 1 hour, adding additional water, as needed to maintain 1/2-inch of water in the pan. Remove the tamales from the steamer to a serving platter and serve.

BUTTERY FRESH CORN TAMALES

Steps:

• Reconstitute the corn husks.
• Place 2 cups corn kernels in the bowl of a food processor, and pulse into a medium- coarse puree. Add the butter, and pulse 5 or 6 times. Add the masa, sugar, salt, and baking powder; pulse until thoroughly combined. Process until the mixture is light, fluffy, and homogenous, about 1 minute, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl once or twice.
• Transfer mixture to a medium bowl, and stir in remaining 3/4 cup corn kernels until combined. Chill corn filling until ready to use.
• Assemble 14 tamales with the corn filling, using the large husks for wrappers and ties, and reserving the smaller ones to line the steamer basket and to cover the assembled tamales.
• Prepare the steamer, and steam the tamales. Let stand until the batter has firmed. Serve tamales with sour cream and Chopped Tomato and Serrano Salsa.

FRESH CORN TAMALES WITH CHANTERELLES

Steps:

• Place dried corn husks in warm water to cover for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat stock with 6 tablespoons oil to a simmer in a saucepan. Slowly pour in cornmeal, stirring constantly. Add 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste. Cook, stirring, about 30 minutes, until mixture is thick. Fold in fresh corn kernels, cook a few minutes, remove from heat and cover.
• Heat remaining oil in a skillet. Add chanterelles and sauté over medium heat until tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in chipotles. Season to taste with salt. Set aside.
• Drain soaked husks and pat dry on paper towels. Tear 16 long, narrow strips from fresh husks.
• Place a couple tablespoons of cornmeal mixture in center of a soaked husk. Place a scant tablespoon of chanterelle mixture in center of cornmeal. Fold husk up and over filling to make a neat package; tie with a strip of fresh husk. Repeat to make 16 tamales.
• Shortly before serving, line a steamer with fresh husks. Place tamales on husks and steam 20 minutes. To serve, snip ties and open husks. If desired, pass mayonnaise alongside.

CREAMED CORN TAMALES

Steps:

• Soak the corn husks in a bowl of hot water until pliable, about 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the dough: Combine the masa harina and sugar in a large bowl. Stir in the corn and 1/2 cup hot water until combined. Add the butter and mix with your hands until evenly distributed.
• Remove the corn husks from the water and shake dry. Unfold the husks on a clean surface (discard any small husks or husks with holes). Put about 1/4 cup dough down the center of a husk; fold in the long sides to enclose the filling, then fold in the top and bottom to make a packet. Secure with kitchen twine. Repeat with the remaining dough and husks.
• Set up a steamer basket in a large pot filled with 2 inches of water. Arrange the tamales standing up in the steamer and bring the water to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium, cover and cook until the tamales are firm, about 1 hour. Remove from the steamer and let rest 10 minutes before unwrapping.

FRESH CORN TAMALES IN THE MAYAN STYLE

Steps:

• Masa harina is a fine corn flour you can find in large grocery or specialty stores.
• You also will need a large pot of boiling water for blanching the husks and a setup for steaming the tamales, such as a bamboo steamer and wok.
• Shuck the corn carefully so as to preserve the husks. To do this, cut off the stem end of the ear close to the base. Carefully peel off the husks from the bottom of the ear, keeping them intact. Trim off any dried or discolored areas from the top of each husk. Blanch the corn ears in boiling water for 5 minutes. Remove and drain well. Blanch the husks in same water for 3 minutes. Remove and drain well. Discard the water. Remove kernels from the corn cobs. Discard cobs.
• To make the masa filling, beat the lard in a large bowl until light and fluffy, the same way you would cream shortening when making a cake. This may take as long as 3 minutes. Use an electric mixer on medium speed. Begin adding the masa, about 1/2 cup at a time while beating constantly. Scrape down the sides of the bowl often. If the mixture becomes too stiff, beat in some of the warmed chicken broth, a little at a time. Beat in the salt. The masa is ready when it is very delicate and light and has the consistency of buttercream frosting. Any leftover masa can be frozen.
• To assemble:
• Place a large, blanched husk on work surface, vertically, with the pointed end of the husk facing away from you. Spread the center of the husk with a generous 1 tbs of masa mixture. Add about 2 tsp of blanched corn and about 2 tsp cooked chicken on top of the masa. If you run out of large husks, lay 2 smaller husks side-by-side. Adjust the amount of filling according to the size of the husk. Fold the tamales like this:.
• First, fold the long sides of the husk inward over the filling. If these edges are curling, make sure they are flat when folding. Then, fold the top of the husk over the filling. Finally, fold up the bottom edge of the husk to make a square-ish packet, about 1 3/4 to 2 inches square. If the tamale is difficult to fold, trim off the thick, stem end of the husk. Some cooks tie the tamale closed with long, thin strips of husk or cotton kitchen twine.
• Lay each completed tamale, face up, carefully into the steamer. You can use a two-level steamer with no problem. Steam over vigorously boiling water for about 1 hour, adding additional water to the steamer as needed. Remove from steamer to a serving plate. Cool briefly.
• To eat, unfold the tamale, top with your favorite salsa or condiment, scoop out the filling and enjoy. Red and green salsa for serving, along with guacamole and sour cream are good choices. A good accompanying dish is Mexican red rice. Just search "mexican red rice" on Recipezaar. Discard the corn husk.

GREEN CORN TAMALES

Steps:

• Cut both ends of the corn, remove husks and save for wraping,(Put husk in water), cut corn kernels off the cob, use a spoon and scrap corn cobs.
• Place corn kernels in food processor, grind, Add cornmeal and grind together, set aside.
• Beat shortening and butter with electric mixer until creamy, add sugar, half and half and salt; ADD corn mixture and mix well.
• FOR each TAMALE, overlap two or more corn husk and spread some of the corn mixture onto the husk.
• Place one cheese strip and chile strips(I used about 1/2 of a whole chile in each tamale without seeds, seeds makes then HOTER your choice).
• Top with MORE corn mixture; Bring edges of husk over OR add another husk on top, to cover filling complety, Bring bottom of husk over tamale.
• Wrap in foil,lay tamale on foil, bring one side over, bring up the bottom, then bring other side over leaving top open.
• Place tamales upright in a steamer or large kettle with steamer basket in bottom.
• Steam for 45 to 50 minutes, enjoy.

FRESH CORN TAMALES WITH CHEESE

Steps:

• 1. Place a clean kitchen towel on the counter. Using a sharp knife, remove the kernels from ear of corn. Transfer the corn to the food processor and process until coarsely chopped. If you like it a little smoother, you can process a little longer, set aside.
• 2. Combine masa harina, chile ancho powder, garlic powder, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Gradually add warm chicken broth and using your hand, work into a soft dough.
• 3. In another glass bowl, melt the shortening or manteca in the microwave for a minute or so. Add the shortening and the reserved corn to the masa and work with hands until mixed well. If masa seems too thick add a little more chicken broth. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• 4. While the masa chills, add the corn husk to a large pot or storage container. Cover completely with really hot water. Use a heavy bowl to weigh down the husk to make sure they stay immersed in the water. Let them soak for a good hour, rotating them halfway through soaking time.
• 5. Slice the cheese (both kinds) into 2 inch x 1/4 inch strips, set aside. Remove the stems and seeds from the jalapeños and slice each pepper into 8 equal strips, set aside.
• 6. When ready, take a few of the husks at a time, shake off excess water, if they are more than 4 inches wide, just tear off the side a little. Place the corn husk, smooth side up, in the palm of your hand with the wide side closest to you. With a spoon, spread about 3 to 4 tablespoons of masa all over the bottom half of husk. Add a strip of each kind of cheese and 1 strip of jalapeño lengthwise down the center of the tamale. Fold one side in first, then the other side (it should overlap a little on the first fold). Fold down the empty top section down and lay tamale seam side down until ready to cook. Repeat until all done.
• 7. Prepare large pot to steam tamales, take a metal steamer that expands out, place it in pot. Fill bottom of pot with about 5 cups of water. Arrange all of your tamales standing up (open side up) around the metal steamer. Insert a smaller, heat-proof bowl in the center of pot to keep the tamales upright. Cover with foil paper, add lid, turn heat to high to get a quick boil going. Reduce heat and steam tamales for one hour. Set the timer for 30 minutes at which time you will add another 2 cups of hot water to the pot. Remove from heat and let them sit, covered, until ready to serve. As they cool, they will become more firm. Yields up to 10 servings, 4 tamales per person. Serve with your favorite salsas and toppings for garnish.
• 8. Notes & Tips: To check if tamales are done, after steaming for an hour pull one tamale out and let it cool. If the corn husk pulls away easily from the masa, your tamales are done. Whenever I prepare tamales filled with cheese, I like to wrap them in deli paper or foil paper individually as I fill them. This will prevent the cheese from running into the pot. It's optional, but it works well for me.

RICOTTA GNOCCHI WITH CHANTERELLES, SWEET CORN, AND SAGE BROWN BUTTER

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• Toss the breadcrumbs with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Spread them on a baking sheet, and toast 8 to 10 minutes, stirring once or twice, until golden brown.
• If the mushrooms are big, tear them into bite-size pieces.
• Heat a large sauté pan over high heat for 2 minutes. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, and heat another minute. Swirl in 1 tablespoon butter, and when it foams, add the mushrooms, half the thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and a healthy pinch of pepper. Sauté the mushrooms about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they're tender and a little crispy. Don't be tempted to move them around in the pan too much in the beginning: let them sear a little before stirring. Transfer the cooked mushrooms to a platter.
• Return the pan to the stove, and heat on high for 1 minute. Add the remaining 6 tablespoons butter to the pan, and cook a minute or two, until the butter starts to brown. Add the sage, let it sizzle, and then add the corn, shallots, remaining 1/2 tablespoon thyme, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and some freshly ground black pepper. Sauté quickly, tossing the corn in the hot butter for about 2 minutes, until the corn is just tender. Add the gnocchi and toss well to coat with the corn and brown butter. Season with 1 teaspoon salt, and add the mushrooms. Toss to combine, and heat the mushrooms through. Add the parsley. Arrange the gnocchi on a large platter, and shower the breadcrumbs over the top.
• Ricotta gnocchi
• Beat the eggs together in a small bowl.
• Place 2 cups flour, 1 3/4 teaspoons salt, 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, and the ricotta in a large mixing bowl. With a dinner knife in each hand, cut the ricotta into the flour. When he flour and ricotta are combined, make a well in the center and pour in the eggs. Use a fork and, starting in the middle of the mixture, incorporate the eggs into the flour and ricotta. Knead the dough with your hands briefly, just to bring it together while being careful not to overwork it. Shape the dough into a ball, and place it on a lightly floured cutting board. Cut the ball into four pieces, and cover with a clean kitchen towel.
• Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil.
• One by one, take each piece of dough out from underneath the towel, cut it in half, and roll it into a 3/4-inch-thick rope on a lightly floured cutting board. The amount of flour on the board is very important: if you have too much the dough is difficult to roll, and if you don't use enough, the dough will stick to the board. Cut the ropes into 1-inch-long pieces, and sprinkle a little flour over them. Using your thumb, roll each piece of dough over the back of the tines of a fork, leaving an indentation from your thumb on one side and the markings from the fork on the other.
• Plunge the gnocchi into the boiling water in batches. Once they rise to the surface, cook them for 1 minute more. Use a slotted spoon to transfer them to a baking sheet or platter. Drizzle the cooked gnocchi with the olive oil, and toss to coat them well.
• note
• You can make and blanch the gnocchi ahead of time.