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.
1 Video | Photo: Bean and Cheese Tamales Recipe
















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By maryb_13045662
Beaufort, 80
on September 21, 2012
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This is a phenonmenal recipe - easy and delicious. The best part is that it uses ingredients that I always have on hand. I saw it on TV and was able to make it that night without buying anything additional. Don't go by the average rating of only 3 stars. Apparently some people don't realize that the fact that these are not "real tamales" is irrelevant to whether or not the recipe produces an easy and delicious meal. People have been "americanizing" recipes of all ethnicities for hundreds of years - hispanic food is no different.
By Mrs.Bales
Georgia
on July 16, 2012
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I don't care if it's authentic or not, but they really weren't very good. Not enough flavor and too much dough.
By MRB123
El Cajon, CA
on May 08, 2012
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I don't think Sandra meant for this recipe to be taken as authentic. It is a great yummy recipe which was a hit in my household. I added a jalapenio to the onion mixture as we like a little heat. My only suggestion would be to use slightly bigger sheets of parchment paper. I think it would've been easier for me to wrap them up if the parchment paper had been slightly bigger so I will try that next time. I had some of the black bean mixture left over as I didn't use them for her second recipe. I saved them and mixed them into some scrambled eggs in the morning. Delicious!
Read all 16 reviews