#227 Veggie Salsa Tamales

Tamales are said to have been traced back to ancient Mayans and is considered a traditional South American dish made of masa or dough. Masa Harina is stone ground corn made from a dried and powdered form of hominy. The flour is mixed together with chicken stock or water, cheese and butter to make a soft pliable dough and then spread over corn husks. The outer coating of corn can be filled with meats, cheese, fruits, vegetables and anything good and then steamed to perfection. These may be simply served with salsa, sour cream or any  spicy sauce suitable to be paired with this Mayan dish. I have heard that tamales can be steamed in plaintain leaves in some regions and corn husks in others, but the elementary form is to steam them in plain aluminum foil. My Tamales have a simple salsa made of different colored peppers and corn stuffed inside of corn bread mix formed into a masa-like dough with a dash of Adobo seasoning to give it the real Mexican touch. I shared this with my co-workers and they gave me a couple of extra stars for using the corn bread mix!!

Ingredients:

For the Salsa filling

1 Red Pepper

1 Green Pepper

1 Roasted Poblano Pepper

½ cup frozen corn

½ cup chopped cilantro

½ cup chopped sundried tomatoes( you can use fresh tomatoes too)

Lime juice- ½ lime

Salt and pepper to taste

Grated cheese- 1 cup

For the Dough:

3 packets of corn bread mix( 8 ounces each)

1 ½ sticks butter

½ tspn Adobo seasoning

2 Tbslpn sugar

1 pinch baking soda

1-2 cups hot water (use as needed)

12-15 Corn husks soaked in water overnight

Directions:
1. Wash, soak the corn husks overnight and wipe dry with a paper towel.

2. Chop together all of the peppers and mix them with the remaining salsa ingredients. Keep aside.

3. Take the ingredients for the dough in a bowl and pour enough hot water while

Mixing the dough together with a wooden spoon or egg beater until well mixed.

The dough should look like fritter dough but a little thicker.

4. Take each corn husk at a time and place a large Tablespoon of the dough in the center.

5. Spread the dough evenly into a small rectangle about 3 inches wide.

6. Place a teaspoonful of salsa in the center. ½ tspn of cheese and wrap.

7. Wrap the salsa and cheese well enough so that the dough completely covers the filling.

8. Tear off the edge of the corn husk and tie a knot over the folds so that the

Tamale is enclosed inside the package and the dough does not fall off while steaming.

9. Place a large pot or steamer over the fire and add water at the bottom.

10. In the steamer slowly place the Tamales standing up so that they are not immersed in the water.

Place the lid and steam over medium to low fire until the steam cooks the dough- approximately 20-30 minutes.

11. Remove from fire cool and serve.
12. I had an extra Poblano pepper that I roasted so I pulsed it along with some store-bought Italian dressing and served the tamales with the sauce.

Enjoy!!