1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tbs paprika
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 tomato or ½ cup tomato sauce or salsa
½ cup olive oil or non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening
For the filling—
queso oaxaca or mozarella cheese, cut into strips about an inch wide and 2 inches long
2 or 3 chile poblano or anaheim (optional, I leave these out in a few for a less spicy option for kids)
For wrapping—
Large and flexible leafy greens. Chard is my favorite for this purpose. Collard leaves also work well. Other leaves I’ve used—beet greens, amaranth greens (on years that they are big and beautiful). I think even some kale or Napa cabbage could work!
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Roast the poblano or anaheim peppers in a pan over medium-high heat until they blister and turn mostly black. Remove from heat and place in a bowl with a lid so they ‘sweat’. Many people do this step in a plastic bag. This freaks me out because I think the heat releases nasty chemicals from the plastic that I would rather not eat. My alternative has been a bowl with a lid or placing the hot chiles on a silicone baking mat and folding the mat over the chiles for a few minutes.
2. In the same pan, put a drizzle of olive oil and saute the onions and garlic and the whole tomato, if you are using a fresh tomato. Stir the onions occasionally and cook until translucent and slightly browned. Flip the tomato around occasionally to char it on all sides. Remove from heat and let cool.
3. Heat up 2 cups of water enough to dissolve the bouillon cubes and let cool a bit
4. While everything cools, mix the masa, baking powder and dry spices in a large mixing bowl.
5. In a blender, puree the onion, garlic and tomato with about half of the vegetable broth (enough liquid to allow blender to work well, not so much that you overflow!)
6. Mix finely chopped greens into the masa. Then add the mix from the blender and the rest of the liquid vegetable broth. Finally, work in the olive oil or vegetable shortening. Use your hands to work it all in. It may feel a bit dry, but the leafy greens you’ve worked in will release moisture as you cook.
7. Returning to the sweaty chiles, remove the thick translucent and charred peel that should be partially flaking off. I am not obsessive about this, but most people find it annoying to chew. I say, it’s more fiber! When you are satisfied with this step, slice open the chile and remove the stem and seeds (again, I am not obsessive about the seed removal, but I may be spicier than you like if you let too many seeds remain). Slice the remaining chile into strips.
8. It’s wrapping time! Get your steamer ready. If you don’t have a dedicated steamer, basically a metal rack that fits inside your pot to keep your tamales lifted an inch or two above the water, then you can rig one with some aluminum foil. My grandma showed me this trick:
Fill a large pot with four inches of water more or less. Then, take a big piece of aluminum foil and twist it to make a sort of flexible cylinder that you can coil around to sit in the bottom of your pot. You’ll need to make a few of these. Once you start wrapping, you place the tamales so they sit on the coils (or your steamer rack)
Now that your steamer pot is ready, take a serving spoon and scoop out some masa. Spread it on one of your large leafy greens. Put two or three strips each of cheese and chile, then fold the masa over the stuffing to seal it in. Finally, wrap the leaf around your tamal as the beautiful gift that it is! If you find your leaf excessively large, then grab some scissors and cut the excess and set it aside for another tamal. If you find your wrapping leaf too small, then grab another leaf and finish it off. It’s a challenge sometimes, finding the best way to wrap each tamal so that it holds once you set it down. You can stack tamal on top of tamal, so long as the lid will still sit tightly over everything once you finish.
When you’re done wrapping, place pot over medium-high heat and steam for 1 hour.
Enjoy!
