Vegetarian Tamales With Spinach Corn And Cheese Filling Food

VEGETARIAN TAMALES

Steps:

• In a food processor blend corn and cheese until corn is in nearly a meal consistency.
• Add butter, Masa flour, salt, sugar, pepper and baking powder and process until the mixture is loosely mixed.
• Add broth and mix until just smooth.
• Place about 2 tbsp of mixture into soaked corn husk or parchment paper.
• Fill with some cheese, slices of roasted chili pepper and tomatoes.
• Close parchment paper or corn husk around filling, trying to cover filling with Masa flour mixture. If you have trouble closing or have too much filling try using less in your subsequent tamales.
• Roll wrapper closed, roll and fold over ends and set aside.
• Once they're done they can be refrigerated or frozen, or placed immediately in steaming tray above boiling water for about 30 minutes, or until Masa flour mixture is set.

VEGETARIAN TAMALES WITH SPINACH, CORN AND CHEESE FILLING

Steps:

• Dried corn husks need to be soaked in warm water prior to using to make them soft & pliable. Fill a deep pan with warm water and soak the dried husks for 15~20 minutes.
• Soak more husks than you need for the recipe because there might be rips and tears and also you need a few extra to line the steamer basket and tie the tamales. Once the husks are ready, then drain and keep them ready.
• Heat oil in a saute pan on medium heat, add the onions and cook till they translucent. Stir in the garlic cloves and cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant.
• Add green pepper, corn and spinach. Cook covered till the veggies are tender, about 3~5 minutes.
• Stir in cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. Mix well and turn off the heat.
• Set up the steaming basket. Fill the pot with 2~3" of water, or whatever level will stay below the steamer basket. Line the steamer basket with a few corn husks and keep ready.
• In a large mixing bowl, with a handheld mixer or in a stand mixer, cream together the shortening and margarine until creamy and light.
• Sift in the masa harina, baking powder, garlic powder and salt, then continue to beat for about 3 minutes, until a sandy looking mixture forms.
• Pour the vegetable stock into the masa mixture and continue to beat until all the liquid is absorbed and a fluffy dough forms, about 5 minutes.
• The tamale dough should have a moist -- almost like mashed potato consistency - and should be easily spread with a rubber spatula. If the mixture seems too wet, then sprinkle in another tablespoon or two of masa harina. If too dry, then drizzle a tablespoon of vegetable stock until the desired consistency is reached. Use this dough right away for making tamales.
• Once Step 1~4 are done, get ready to make the tamales.
• For each tamale, spread a generous ¼cup of dough down the center of a pliable soaked corn husk, leaving at least 1½" on either end. This will form a oblong of 4~5" wide and ⅜~½" thick. Spoon 1 generous tablespoon of filling down the center of the tamale dough, then top with a little of the grated cheese.
• Grab both the edges of the corn husk that are not covered with dough. Bring the edges toward each other and push the sides of the masa dough together to encase the filling. Gently press the tamale to form a firm, solid tube shape. Tightly twist each end of the tamale wrapper and tightly tie each end with a soaked corn husk strip. You can even use kitchen twine to tie the tamales.
• About half way through the tamale making, turn the steam basket on and get the water going. So that the steamer will be ready for you when the tamales are done.
• Fill a large saucepan with 2~3" water. Line the steamer basket with a few soaked corn husks. Set the tamales upright in the basket, starting from the sides of the basket and working inward. Top with any leftover corn husks.
• Place the steamer basket in the pot, cover and steam for at least 45~55 minutes. Halfway through cooking, make sure to see if the water in the steamer has all evaporated. If it is, then pour water.
• Check one to see if they are done, if not steam for an additional 5~10 minutes.
• Add about 2 cups of water in the instant pot container. Place the prepared tamale in a steamer basket. Close the lid and put the vent to sealing. Cook on high pressure for 30 minutes. Let the pressure reduce naturally.

VEGETARIAN TAMALES

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Place the cornhusks in a large pot and completely cover them with hot water. Soak the cornhusks for 30 minutes to an hour until they soften and are pliable.
• In a medium bowl, mix the cornmeal with a pinch of salt and 1 1/2 cups of vegetable stock.
• Add the vegetable shortening and work the fat into the mixture with your fingers. Add more vegetable stock in small amounts, kneading after each addition, until you have a smooth, soft dough. The dough should be moist and a little sticky, not stiff.
• Add the vegetable oil to a heavy skillet and saute the tomatoes, green onions, cumin and sugar over medium heat. Cook until most of the water is evaporated and the vegetables are soft and fragrant, taking about 10 minutes.
• Cut corn kernels off the ears of corn and stir into the vegetable mixture. Saute 2 more minutes, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro leaves and the aji amarillo paste, if desired.
• Drain the corn husks and spread them out flat.
• Place about 3 tablespoons of masa harina dough in the middle of each corn husk. Use your fingers to press the dough into a 2- by 3 1/2-inch rectangle.
• Top the dough with 1 1/2 tablespoons of the corn and tomato mixture and a few crumbles of the queso fresco. Place another 2 tablespoons of masa dough on top.
• Fold the sides of the cornhusks in over the filling, then turn the pointed ends up to the middle, then fold the top flap down, making a little package (for the best outcome make sure you know the proper way to wrap a tamale ).
• Tie the tamales with a strand of cornhusk or twine to secure the husks around the filling.
• To make larger tamales, you can overlap 2 cornhusks and use them together to wrap the tamale.
• Bring 1 to 2 inches of water to boil in a steamer pot or a large pot with a colander or steaming basket set into it.
• Fill the colander or basket with one layer of tamales; you might have to steam them in batches. The tamales should be above the waterline. They are cooked only by the steam.
• Cover the tamales with a dish towel and the pot lid and steam them for 30 to 40 minutes; add water to the pot when necessary.
• Remove tamales and serve warm.

SPINACH-CORN TAMALES

Steps:

• Soak corn husks in hot water 30 min. Meanwhile, beat next 4 ingredients in large bowl with mixer on low speed until blended. Gradually add warm water, beating after each addition until light and fluffy. Combine vegetables and cheese.
• Drain corn husks. Spread about 1/3 cup masa dough into 4x3-inch rectangle down center of each of 12 husks, leaving about 2 inches at top of husk. Top each with 1/3 cup spinach mixture. Fold over both sides and 1 end of each husk to enclose filling.
• Pour 3 cups water into tamalera pot or 8-qt. stockpot fitted with steamer basket. Line bottom of basket with some of the remaining corn husks. Place tamales, open-ends up, in tamalera; cover with remaining husks or damp kitchen towel. Cover with lid. Bring water to boil on medium-high heat; simmer on medium-low heat 1 hour or until tamales pull away from husks, adding more boiling water to pan and adjusting heat as necessary to maintain a gentle boil.

SPINACH AND MUSHROOM TAMALE FILLING

Steps:

• Begin with the spinach by washing, stemming, and chopping it into approximately 1/4-1/2 inch pieces. Mince the garlic and onions; brush, slice, and chop the mushrooms.
• Over medium-high heat in a *very* large pot (I use my largest Le Creuset) heat the oil. Add the minced garlic and scallion and sauté quickly, stirring, for about 20 seconds (careful not to burn the garlic!).
• Quickly decrease the temperature to medium and add the sliced mushrooms, and allow to sauté for about 5 minutes. Add the chopped spinach, salt, sugar, pepper, nutmeg, and cinnamon. (This step is admittedly the messiest part of making the filling, because spinach is so much larger before it cooks down; I usually add it about a 1/3 at a time to the large pot, stir it and wait for it to cook down a bit, and add more until I've got all of it into the pot. Cover it for about 2 minutes, stir again and uncover, and continue cooking.) Sauté for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender.
• Pour cooked mixture into a colander and allow to drain - if you like, you can reserve the juices for making sauce for the tamales after they're cooked or for some other use.
• Lower the temperature to low and add the crema and cotija and continue cooking for 5 minutes, stirring so that it's mixed well and the cheeses do not scald. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
• Use as filling for your tamales and enjoy! I prefer to make a simple crema and garlic sauce for these tamales, but a red sauce is also good (although it can overpower the lighter tasting tamales, so you'll want to be careful). Also, although the small amount of salt might not seem like enough when reading through the recipe, remember that cotija cheese is salty - it provides plenty of seasoning to the filling.