Vegetable Tamales

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Vegetable Tamales

December 13, 2017
Recipes
CA Grown Mom

Susan Phillips

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December 13, 2017
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Vegetable Tamales

What’s Christmas without tamales?

Pretty dismal, I say…

Tamales are a Christmas tradition in so many California households.  They are the ultimate festive comfort food and hubby and I set out to master the method one recent afternoon.  

 

Instead of using the traditional meat mixture, we decided to use veggies that are in season right now and that would work well in a tamale environment.  We decided on cheesy mushroom tamales and anaheim chile cheese tamales.  SO yum!  I think the chile cheese variety is my favorite.  They taste just like a chile relleno wrapped up in tasty masa.  

 

The mushroom variety is not far behind with it’s woodsy flavor and soft texture.

We found these beauties at a local Mushroom Farm, Sun Smiling Farms in Sanger.  

 

It was so impressive to see all the fungi growing in small glass pots under a controlled environment… Hubby and I got a mini-tour since it was our first time visiting.  What a treat!

You get a whole new appreciation for your food when you can see all the hard work and thought that goes into its growth.  So much love and care are dedicated to this craft!

 

Ready to get going?

Let’s start with the first step in making the tamales.  Soaking the husks…

Throw them in a deep pot and cover with water.  I used the bottom of the steamer disc to keep the husks submerged under water. 

 
 
Pour about a tablespoon of Olive Oil in a saute pan and add the mushrooms to saute until al dente.
 
Set aside until ready to use
 
 
For the Anaheim Chile Cheese Tamales, we started by broiling the chiles until well blistered…
About 10 minutes under the broiler, turning once, should do the job.
 
Throw them in a plastic baggie and seal up, allowing them to steam for about 30 minutes.
 
 
Once they are done, the skin should separate from the flesh easily.  Remove the skin and discard.  Cut the tops off and remove the stems and cut into 2 inch strips.
 
 
Here is our line-up of ingredients for the first batch…. Prepared masa with chile, jack cheese, roasted Anaheim chiles, salsa verde and corn husks.
 
Add a rectangle sized layer of masa on the corn husk. I found it easiest to use a knife, frequently dipped in water to prevent sticking.
 
 
Add the jack cheese
 
Roasted chiles and salsa verde
 
 
Roll the tamale up in a semi-tight roll and flip the bottom up.  Secure with a thin strip of corn husk if needed.  
 
 
The Cheesy Mushroom Tamales were made basically the same way….
We used corn husks, traditonal masa, sauteed mushrooms, jack cheese and red sauce
 
Spread the masa
 
Add the cheese, mushrooms and sauce
 
Roll up and tie to secure
 
 
Add all the tamles into a steamer pot
 
 
Cover the entire pot with more corn husks and steam for about an hour, until the tamales are fully cooked
 
 
 Remove the tamales from the pot and serve piping hot.

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You can serve plain and without condiments, but I highly suggest you dress them up a bit.  Not only for presentation purposes but for flavor!  
 
 
A bit of sour cream, pico de gallo and radish coins goes a long way in the flavor department…
 
 
 
Dig in and enjoy!  
 

Here is the recipe for ya!

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Vegetable Tamales
Yields 36
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Prep Time
2 hr
Cook Time
1 hr
Total Time
3 hr
Prep Time
2 hr
Cook Time
1 hr
Total Time
3 hr
Ingredients
  1. FOR ANAHEIM CHILE TAMALES
  2. 6 Anaheim Chiles
  3. 8 oz. jack cheese, cut into cubes
  4. 4 oz. salsa verde
  5. Prepared Masa
  6. Corn husks
  7. FOR CHEESY MUSHROOM TAMALES
  8. 16 oz. mushrooms
  9. 2 T. Olive oil
  10. 8 oz. cheese, cut into cubes
  11. 4 oz. red sauce
  12. Prepared masa
  13. Corn husks
Instructions
  1. Soak the corn husks in water for an hour
  2. FOR CHEESY MUSHROOM FILLING
  3. Saute mushrooms in oilve oil until al dente. Set aside
  4. FOR CHILE CHEESE FILLING
  5. Broil the chiles in the oven until skinsa re black and blistered. Place in a baggie for 30 minutes to steam. Remove skins and seeds. Chop into 2 inch strips
  6. FOR ALL TAMALES
  7. Spread masa in a thin layer onto a corn husk. Add cheese and rest of filling. Roll and fold end up and secure. Place in steamer.
  8. Add a layer of corn husks on otp of the tamales and put the lid on. Steam for an hour or until done.
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