I kind of group tamales with cupcakes in my own personal Food Taxonomy. They’re both a little time consuming because each one needs individual attention, but when you’ve turned out a batch or two, your mind fills with possibilities and you know you’ll be making dozens more.

The first time I made tamales was for a project for my high school Spanish class. I had to cook a Mexican recipe on video, narrating the whole process in Spanish. I’m not sure why I chose to make tamales, because they are pretty labor intensive and require all kinds of verbs you don’t use in every day conversation, but it all worked out, I got an A, and my Spanish teacher said they were as good as her grandmother’s. That definitely boosted my confidence in both my culinary and Spanish-speaking abilities!

Although they do take some time, these are actually fairly simple; you just have to plan ahead. I cook the beans and put the corn husks in a bowl of water to soak the night before, then set aside a few hours during the day for preparing the masa (I just use masa harina because it’s easy), making the tomatillo sauce, and assembling the tamales. They only steam for about 15 minutes, so once they’re all prepared, you don’t have to wait long to eat. They freeze beautifully, too.

This batch happens to be made with black beans and jack cheese. Perfect for vegetarians, but hearty enough for meat-eaters too. Mike made some awesome-looking chicken tamales, so I’ll try and get him to post his recipe sometime soon!

Recipe:

1 8 ounce package of corn husks

Filling:
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp chile powder
1 cup dried black beans
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups water
1/2 cup diced or shredded jack cheese (cut into 1/4″ cubes)

Tomatillo Sauce:
4 large tomatillos
2 cloves garlic
1 poblano pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp salt

Masa:
3 1/2 cups masa harina
3 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup shortening
1 tsp salt
1 tsp chile powder

Completely submerge the corn husks in water and soak for 12 hours (you can reduce the soaking time to 3-4 hours by starting with boiling water).

Combine the garlic, onion, oregano, chile powder, black beans, salt, and water in a slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours, or until the beans are tender (you may need to add a little extra water if they begin to look too dry). Alternatively, drain a can of black beans and saute it with the onion, garlic, chile powder, black beans, and salt. When the beans are cooked, transfer them to a bowl to cool, then stir in the cheese.

To make the tomatillo sauce, spray a shallow broiler-safe pan with nonstick spray. Remove the husks from the tomatillos, and place them in the pan with the peeled garlic and poblano. Cook under the broiler, turning occasionally, until the poblano is blackened and blistered and the tomatillos are soft. Set the pan aside with a clean kitchen towel over it for about 10 minutes, then scrape the skin off the poblano, remove the seeds, and transfer everything to the food processor, along with cilantro and some salt. Puree, taste and add more salt if needed, then stir 1 cup of tomatillo sauce into the beans. Keep the remaining sauce for spooning over the finished tamales.

To make the masa: Combine the masa harina, shortening, 2 cups of broth, chile powder and salt and mix well. Add more broth a few tablespoons at a time as needed. You want the masa to have the consistency of soft play-dough, so if it’s too crumbly, add warm water a few tablespoons at a time until you have a soft, but not overly sticky dough.

To prepare the tamales: Tear a few corn husks into thin strips. Remove one of the large, intact corn husks from the soaking bowl, rinse it under the tap, and pat dry. Put it on your work surface with the narrow end towards you. Pat 1/4 cup tablespoons of masa into a 3-4″ square in the center of the corn husk. Spoon 1-2 tbsp of bean mixture in a line down the middle of the square. Fold the sides of the husk in, then fold the bottom up and secure with one of the thin strips.

When you’re ready to steam the tamales, open a steamer basket and place it in a large pot over an inch or so of water. Bring the water to a boil, then stand the tamales up vertically on the steamer basket. Cover the pan with a lid and steam for 15-20 minutes, or until the masa no longer feels sticky. Make sure you have extra simmering water handy to add to the pot if it gets dry before the tamales are done. Serve with sour cream and the remaining tomatillo sauce.

My challenge for this week is to use up as much of that stuff as possible to make room for fun new finds.  One of the ingredients I had to choose from was a partially-full bag of dried white beans.  With those in mind, I perused the rest of the kitchen to see what I could come up with.

I also happened to have a produce drawer full of tomatillos and and jalapenos, and two chicken breasts in the freezer.  I had seen a few recipes for white bean chili over the past couple days, and decided to try coming up with my own version.  I defrosted the chicken, and cooked up some white beans (but canned would work fine too).  It’s a pretty healthy recipe, as long as you stay away from excessive amounts of cheese or sour cream as garnish!

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
10 medium tomatillos, husks removed, rinsed, and chopped
3 jalapenos, stems removed and chopped
1 tsp salt
pepper
1 1/2 tsp cumin
2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2″ cubes
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
3 cups cooked white beans, drained
2 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 cup frozen corn

In a dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. 
Add the onion and garlic, and cook for several minutes, until the onions are soft.
Stir in the jalapenos and tomatillos and cook, stirring, for a minute or two.
Add the cubed chicken, salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, and cumin and stir well.
Cook for about 5 minutes, then tir in the broth and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes more. (The chicken should no longer be pink on the outside).
Stir in the beans and tomato paste, turn the heat down slightly, and simmer partially covered for about 20 minutes.  
Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.
Just before serving, stir in the frozen corn and let it heat through.
Serve with sour cream or a sprinkling of grated cheese.

If you think you’ll really miss the meat, substitute about a cup of diced cooked chicken for the tofu (that’s what the original recipe called for).  I’m pretty crazy about tofu and I think it’s perfect here though!

Recipe:
(adapted from Mexican Everyday by Rick Bayless)
3 garlic cloves, peeled
2 jalapeno peppers, stemmed and quartered
1 1/2 lbs tomatillos, husked, rinsed, and cut into quarters
3/4 cup loosely packed chopped cilantro
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
2 cups vegetable broth
8 ounces button mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
10 oz spinach, stems removed
12 oz extra firm tofu, pressed, drained, and cut into 1 cm-thick slices
salt
12 corn tortillas
1/2 tsp sugar
1 cup crumbled queso fresco – I like Casero (or use feta or goat cheese)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
With the food processor running, drop in the garlic and jalapenos one piece at a time, letting each piece get finely chopped before adding the next.  
Add the the tomatillos and cilantro and process until smooth.

Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high.
Add the tomatillo puree and cook, stirring constantly until the mixture has reduced to the consistency of thick tomato sauce.  Add the broth and simmer over medium for about 10 minutes.
Heat a large nonstick frying pan or skillet over medium high and add the tofu slices. Brown on both sides, then remove, let cool, and cut into 1 cm cubes.
With the heat still on, add 1 tbsp oil to the frying pan.  Add the mushrooms and cook for a few minutes, until they begin to brown.
Add about three quarters of the onion slices (reserving the rest for garnish) and continue cooking, stirring frequently until the onion is translucent.
Add the spinach and tofu, and season with salt.  Cook until the spinach is wilted, then remove from the heat.

Warm the tortillas on a baking sheet in the oven for 2 to 3 minutes.  Remove and wrap in a towel to keep warm.

Season the tomatillo sauce with salt (about 1 tsp) and the sugar.  
To assemble the enchiladas: dip a tortilla in the sauce, then place it on a plate.  Spoon 2 tbsp of the tofu-spinach filling into the center, roll up, and place seam-side down in a 13 x 9 inch pan.
Repeat with remaining tortillas, then pour the remaining sauce evenly over the whole pan.
Bake for about 20 minutes, then remove from the oven and sprinkle with the onion slices and cheese before serving.