Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1/2 medium onion, chopped
- 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
- 2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups cornmeal
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 cup grated Monterey jack cheese
Directions
Put the oil into a small skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds. Remove half and reserve it for the tamale dough.
To the pan with the remaining onions add the beans, hot sauce, chili powder and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir to combine and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly. (Reserve 1 cup for the Round 2 Recipe, Bean and Cheese Chalupas.)
In a large bowl combine the cornmeal, 1 teaspoon of salt and the baking powder. Cut the butter into the cornmeal using a fork or a pastry blender. Add the broth, a little at a time, until the dough comes together. Mix in the reserved cooked onions and garlic
Cut parchment paper into 8 (8 by 8-inch) squares. Spread 1/3 cup of the tamale dough onto the center of the paper and lightly press it into a circle. Put a heaping tablespoon of the beans on top with a tablespoon of cheese. Bring the 2 corners of the paper at the ends of the rectangle up to encase the beans and cheese with the tamale dough. Fold the corners together a couple of times. Fold the other sides over to cover the seam and turn right side up. Continue this process with the remaining dough and filling.
Put a steamer basket into a large pot and add enough water to come just below the basket. Cover the pot and put it over medium-low heat to bring the water to a simmer. Put the tamales in the steamer basket. Cover and steam the tamales until the dough is cooked through, about 1 hour, Check after 30 minutes, you may need to add more water to the pot. Remove the tamales from paper wrapping and serve warm.


















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By caclose_12814450
Cameron Park, 43
on November 27, 2010
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No, these are not traditional tamales but I love this little recipe. I have used it as written as well as modified. Today I am going to to use it as a jumping off point to make turkey tamales from the recipe from the old Nut Tree restaurant in Vacaville, CA. Those tamales were great big, I'm going to make them small like these. I'm going to use Sandra's corn meal recipe but will substitute masa for corn meal (just because I happen to have some. Corn meal and masa do have different textures - but it's Sandra's method that is special. The video here is also excellent for those who are a little uneasy about how to shape a tamale.
By mellowmoonca_11...
Danville, CA
on July 08, 2010
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I agree with the viewers that said that these ARE NOT tamales. I tried them because I liked Sandra's creativity in using parchment instead of corn husks to steam the tamales in. However, after making these tamales, I have to say that the corn shucks help to give tamales their distinctive flavor, verses parchment. Also, tamales are NOT made with corn meal. They are made with corn masa, MASECA is a good brand. Corn meal produces a very dry, pebbly substitute not suitable for tamales. I thought I was going to have to perform the Heimlich Maneuver on my daughter while trying to choke down these dry, flavorless substitutes for the real thing.
By allison.bura_12...
Huntsville, 39
on May 15, 2010
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These are really easy, and actually pretty tasty. They make a great snack and reheat well (leave the paper on.
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