Jalapeno Popper Tamales
This chile pepper is often mislabeled ‘Pasilla’, which is a different pepper entirely.It is one of the most popular chiles in Mexico and has won the appreciation of many a chef worldwide because of the superior flavor it has over regular bell peppers.
They have a tough outer skin that usually requires roasting and peeling before use. These very large chile peppers are most popular in chiles rellenos recipes, but cooking with these as a substitute for bell peppers in any recipe will enhance the flavor.
Ingredients:
For the filling:
12 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
2 poblano peppers
4-6 pickled jalapenos, seeded and stemmed
2/3 brick cream cheese, room temperature
1 tsp salt
minced cilantro and scallion, 1 tablespoon each
For the masa:
3 cups masa harina
3 cups vegetable or faux-chicken stock, lukewarm
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup canned corn kernels (or frozen + charred, a la Trader Joe’s frozen)
1 head garlic, roasted
1/4 cup non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening, whipped
30 corn husks, plus 5 torn apart to tie
Need a steamer
Instructions:
Char your poblanos over a gas flame or under the broiler until their skin blackens. Toss into a paper bag to steam.
Shred your cheddar into another bowl. Chop your jalapenos and herbs and add – then add minced poblanos and cream cheese. The heat from the roasted peppers will thin your cream cheese a bit – mix everything well and taste for salt, add if needed. Stick in the fridge to chill while you prepare the masa.
Mix your masa, salt, baking powder in a large bowl. In a food processor, pulse your broth, corn and roasted garlic until nice and pulverized – add to the masa and mix well.
Whip your shortening in a small bowl and fold into the masa.
Soak your corn husks in warm water for about ten minutes. Choose 5 of the wimpiest ones to tear into strips for tying.
My steamer set up is kinda strange, but this is how I do it – I place a small quiche pan, face down, in the bottom of a large pot and boil 3 cups of water, which I pour into the pot, reaching almost to the top of the quiche pan, which I then sit a large strainer on top of to hold the tamales. The water cools a bit as I make the tamales, but it prevents mess later, as you’d have to try and pour hot water around the huge pile of tamales waiting to be steamed in your pot.
Take about a half cup of masa and press it into a husk, going for a rectangle shape, at the top of the husk, center. With a spoon, lay about 1.5 tablespoons of filling in the center of the masa. Pick the husk up and peel one side of the masa away from the husk, letting it curl around the filling, then wrap the husk in a cylinder and fold the bottom up, forming a package open at top.
Tie in the middle with a torn piece of masa. Sit in your strainer/steamer, open end up.
Repeat until your masa is adios. Tuck remaining soaked husks around the tamales, saving three to drape over the top of the pile, edges tucked in. This will help retain steam.
Cover your pot with a lid and a towel, turn heat to high, and as soon as you hear boiling activity, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for an hour.