Friends, the season for tamales has officially begun and I am going to teach you how to prepare a healthy and delicious version. Get ready to enjoy a real Mexican delicacy stuffed with V&V Supremo® Mexican food products. Do not worry if you’ve never cooked tamales because I am going to be with you step by step to achieve the most traditional flavor. Also, I am including more ingredients to the corn mixture for added flavor by adding more veggies and less corn flour.
Whether you’ve been enjoying Mexican holiday recipes for years or hoping to try something new this season, like these tamales! I let Mexican holiday favorites made with V&V Supremo® products liven up all of your celebrations!
Let me tell you, tamales are easy to make… but, I won’t lie, they do require some work. In Mexican families, for example, making tamales is a way of spending time together. We all gather in the kitchen, spread out all the ingredients on the table, and enjoy listening to music, drinking some ponche or even gossiping a little, all while putting them together. The smells in there are incredible as is the feeling of enjoying time together as a family.
For the dough for tamales, I love adding more flavor. This recipe really takes the dough to another level because in addition to the basic ingredients, adding a bunch of chard and some poblano peppers will make it even tastier.
Recipe for Tamales (Dough)
4 cups corn flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 ½ cups chicken or beef broth
1 teaspoon salt
1 bunch chard
3 poblano peppers
1½ sticks butter
Corn Husks
Recipe for Tamales (Filling)
2 cups cooked beans
Pork Chorizo from V&V Supremo®
Chihuahua® Brand Quesadilla Cheese from V&V Supremo®
Supremo® Brand Mexican Sour Cream
5 jalapeño peppers
Preparing the dough for tamales
Making the dough for tamales is very simple.
Boil the chard in water and let it cool.
Toast the poblano peppers. Remove the skin and seeds and then cut into small pieces.
Mix the flour with the salt and baking powder. Mix well.
Mix in the butter, along with the chard, and slowly start adding the broth. Use enough to make the dough moist.
Finally add poblano pepper and mix everything together. The prepared dough for tamales should be soft and a little sticky.
Corn Husks
There are different types of tamales all over Latin America. Did you know that in Mexico alone there are about 5,000 types of tamales? Many of them are cooked inside corn husks which gives them an extraordinary flavor, but there are different types of husks and leaves used for their making. These are considered as important as the filling because of the flavor they release into the dough. For example, in the Mexican state of Oaxaca they use banana leaves to make their famous tamales oaxaqueños.
In this case, we are making more traditional tamales that use corn husks which you find at any Mexican supermarket. These husks have a narrow end, a broad end and two long sides. Please note, it is very important that you soak the corn husks in water until they are soft and drain before using.
Spreading the dough in the corn husk
Once your corn husks have soaked and are ready for use, place a husk in one hand, with the broad part on top, and with your other hand take a spoonful of dough and spread it evenly on the husk leaving some space at the top. Do not add too much or too little dough.
Filling(s)
There are all kinds of fillings for tamales. The most common are made with pork in green or red sauce. My personal favorites are tamales filled with jalapeño slices and cheese. My family loves tamales filled with chorizo, beans and cheese. For this recipe, we’ll prepare my favorite with a truly authentic Mexican melting cheese, Chihuahua® Brand Quesadilla Cheese from V&V Supremo®.
If you want these tamales to be a crowd pleaser, then it’s important you use only the best ingredients. You will definitely ‘wow’ your guests with V&V Supremo® Mexican food products. Their quesos, chorizos and cremas have that authentic Mexican taste that has been crafted over generations and will help you replicate the most delicious Mexican recipes.
Tamales with Rajas con Queso Recipe
For this filling, we’ll begin by cutting pieces of creamy Chihuahua® Brand Quesadilla Cheese from V&V Supremo® to place inside our tamales.
Once you have spread the dough over the corn husk, add some pieces of these cheese along with slices of jalapeño (to your taste) down the middle of the dough, as if you’re filling a Twinkie. Folding vertically, bring one edge of the corn husk over and on top of the filling, and then bring the other edge over and on top, creating what looks like a burrito and then fold up the narrow edge at the bottom.
Tamales with Beans, Chorizo and Cheese Recipe
In a hot skillet, place 1 package of Pork Chorizo from V&V Supremo® and heat until cooked through. Once it’s ready add 2 cups of cooked pinto beans and half a cup of water. Let it all cook together for a few minutes and when ready, use a potato masher to mash the beans and chorizo together. Let cool.
Once the chorizo with beans are ready, prepare your husk with dough as indicated above. Then take a spoonful of cooked beans and place them down the middle of the dough. Add some Chihuahua® Brand Quesadilla Cheese from V&V Supremo® on top, and then fold the husk to keep your tasty ingredients together and ready for the next step.
I have to say that V&V Supremo® Mexican Food Products allow me to offer my kids the traditional flavors that filled my mom’s kitchen when I was growing up in Mexico. Did you know V&V Supremo® was founded in Chicago in 1964 by Mexican natives Gilberto and Ignacio Villaseñor? Yes, today the company is second generation and operates in Chicago in the Pilsen neighborhood.
Cooking Tamales
Once you have filled your tamales, they are ready for the next step – steaming! This allows the dough to cook inside the husk and binds all the flavors together into one delicious delicacy.
For this you’ll need an upright steamer, or any large pot, where you can place your tamales for cooking. If you’re using a regular pot, you’ll need to use a mesh of some sort or a colander, which will sit on top of the boiling water that will create the steam to cook the tamales. Please note – the tamales should not touch the water!
Place the tamales in the pot, over the colander or mesh, arranging vertically with the open tamale portion facing up toward the cover. Cover the pot with a lid and steam for about 90 minutes, remembering not to let the water boil completely. Add water as necessary but always keeping an eye that the hot water doesn’t touch the tamales in the steaming process.
How do I know the tamales are cooked and ready?
Once you see that the dough separates from the husk, it is ready. Make sure to let the tamales rest before serving them, allowing them to bind completely with the other ingredients.
Now, do you smell that? My goodness it smells divine! I love the holidays!
When your friends and family gather around the table for holiday celebrations, make sure you are feeding them the best with dishes made from fresh and authentic ingredients found in V&V Supremo® products.
Now you are ready to serve your tamales, with a dollop of Supremo®
Brand Mexican Sour Cream on top!
For more delicious party ideas remember to visit www.supremo.com
Find V&V Supremo® products near you https://www.vvsupremo.com/store-locator/
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