| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 3 hr 40 min |
| Active: | 1 hr 5 min |
| Yield: | 12 to 16 tamales |
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 3 hr 40 min |
| Active: | 1 hr 5 min |
| Yield: | 12 to 16 tamales |
Ingredients
- 10 dried ancho chiles, seeded and stemmed
- 4 dried California chiles, seeded and stemmed
- 2 medium onions, quartered
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons ground cumin
- 2 tablespoons dried whole Mexican oregano
- 3 cups vegetable stock
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- One 19-ounce can red chili sauce
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive pomace oil
- 3/4 pound portobello mushrooms, including stems, medium diced
- 3/4 pound peeled butternut squash, medium diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons dried whole Mexican oregano
- Kosher salt
- 3 cups tamale masa
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 cups vegetable stock
- 1 cup vegetable shortening
- One 8-ounce package corn husks
- Black olives, for tamales
Instructions
- For the red tamale sauce: Add the ancho chiles, California chiles, onions and garlic to 4 cups boiling water. Turn off and let rest for 30 minutes. Process until smooth in a food processor or a blender (including the water).
- Heat oil in a soup pot, then add cumin and oregano. Cook, stirring, until fragrant. Add pureed chiles, vegetable stock, sugar and salt and let simmer, 10 minutes. Add can of red chili sauce and stir to heat thoroughly.
- For the filling: Pour oil into a saucepan over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, squash, garlic, oregano and some salt. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables are glazed and no longer crisp, approximately 10 minutes. (The filling does not need to be tender because it will also cook while tamales are steaming.)
- Add 3/4 cup red tamale sauce to the filling and let cool.
- For the masa: Mix together masa, baking powder and salt in a large bowl until incorporated. Stir in the vegetable stock and 1/2 cup red tamale sauce.
- Beat the vegetable shortening in a stand mixer until fluffy, then beat in masa mixture with the mixer running until evenly incorporated.
- Soak the corn husks in hot water until softened and pliable, about 15 minutes. Drain and squeeze water from husks.
- Spread masa on the less ridged side of a corn husk, across all but the pointed end, with a spatula or the back of a spoon, Fill each with 2 to 3 tablespoons squash and mushroom mixture.
- Roll tamale by folding one long side about a third of the way over the filling, then the other side, and folding the long pointed end against the tamale (this will leave the filling exposed on the opposite end, and that is okay). Push two black olives into masa on the open end of each tamale.
- Place a steamer rack in a large pot filled with just enough water so the bottom of the rack sits just above the water line. Line the rack with flat corn husks. Place rolled tamales in pot on the rack, open-side up. Drop two pennies in the bottom of the pot. Cover the tamales with more flat husks. Cover the rack with a clean dish towel. Cover the large pot with a tight fitting lid or aluminum foil and steam for approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes. (The pennies will dance and tinkle furiously when the water comes to a boil. Turn the heat down until the pennies dance to a relaxing beat. If you no longer hear the pennies, you have boiled away the water, and you had better add more?fast!)
- Serve tamales with additional red tamale sauce.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 14 servings |
| Calories | 344 |
| Total Fat | 21 g |
| Saturated Fat | 4 g |
| Carbohydrates | 38 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 6 g |
| Sugar | 6 g |
| Protein | 6 g |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg |
| Sodium | 1085 mg |
| Serving Size | 1 of 14 servings |
| Calories | 344 |
| Total Fat | 21 g |
| Saturated Fat | 4 g |
| Carbohydrates | 38 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 6 g |
| Sugar | 6 g |
| Protein | 6 g |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg |
| Sodium | 1085 mg |
Reviews
This was a two day process because I didn’t realize they needed an hour and a half to cook, but the wait was well worth it. I couldn’t find any dried ancho chilies so I bought fresh ones and roasted them in the oven before adding them to the blender for the sauce. My only other deviation was the filling and I did chicken and vegan cheese because it gives a nice creamy consistency. I also did not put the olives in, as I don’t like olives. Other than that, I followed the recipe exactly and the tamales came out delicious. I even used some of the sauce to make Spanish rice in place of tomato sauce and that was also delicious. There was a lot of sauce leftover and I made eleven tamales and had some masa to spare but I guess that depends on how thick you spread it on the corn husks.