Smoked Cheddar Cheese Tamales

Recipe courtesy Gretty Lagos for Food Network Magazine

Picture of Smoked Cheddar Cheese Tamales Recipe Photo: Smoked Cheddar Cheese Tamales Recipe
Rated 4 stars out of 5
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Total Time:
2 hr 0 min
Prep
1 hr 5 min
Cook
55 min
Yield:
36 tamales
Level:
Intermediate
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Ingredients

  • 40 dried corn husks (about 5 ounces)
  • 4 cups masa harina (corn flour)
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons sea salt
  • 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth, warmed
  • 1 cup lard or vegetable shortening, melted
  • 6 poblano chile peppers
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 cup chopped white onion
  • 1 cup chopped scallions
  • 1/2 cup diced tomatoes
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1 pound smoked cheddar cheese, coarsely grated (about 4 cups)
  • 1/2 pound Vermont white cheddar cheese, coarsely grated (about 2 cups)
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 tablespoon grated lime zest

Directions

Put the corn husks in a roasting pan of warm water; soak until softened, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the dough: Whisk the masa harina, baking soda and sea salt in a large bowl. Stir in the chicken broth and lard with a wooden spoon to make a thick dough. (If it seems dry, add a splash of broth.) Let the dough rest 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the broiler. Put the poblanos on a foil-lined broiler pan; broil, turning, until charred, about 7 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set aside 10 minutes. Peel off the skins, then stem, seed and dice the peppers.

Heat the butter and vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and scallions and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the poblanos, tomatoes and vinegar, season with kosher salt and pepper, and cook 5 more minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool completely. Fold in both cheeses.

Remove the corn husks from the water and gently squeeze dry. Tear 4 husks into thin strips to use as ties. Spread a heaping tablespoonful of dough onto the wide end of each remaining husk, leaving a 1/2-inch border on the top and both sides and 3 inches on the tapered end. Spread 1 tablespoon of the cheese mixture over the dough, then roll up the tamale into a cigar shape. Fold up the tapered end and tie closed with a strip of husk.

Put the tamales upright in a steamer basket set over a few inches of boiling water; steam until the filling is firm, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove the tamales and let rest 10 minutes.

Mix the sour cream and lime zest in a small bowl and season with kosher salt. Unwrap the tamales and serve with the lime sour cream.

Photograph by Jacob Snavely

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Newest Ratings and Reviews

Read all 1 reviews

  • on February 21, 2011

    Flag

    Delicious, but as expected, time consuming. We made these last night and had em again tonight as leftovers. Only modifications were that because the poblanos were so large, we used three instead of six, and we added a couple of cups of left-over smoked pork roast.

    people found this review Helpful.
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