Herbed Cream Cheese Pork Tamales Recipes

TAMALES DE PUERCO Y QUESO (PORK AND CHEESE TAMALES) RECIPE

Steps:

• Place pork, cilantro and onion in large stockpot with water to cover and cook over medium heat until pork is very tender, about 2 1/2 hours.
• Remove pork from stockpot and cut into 1/2-inch pieces. Set aside.
• Place green chiles, and tomato in bowl and mix thoroughly.
• Soak husks in sink filled with warm water 15 minutes. Remove and pat dry. Stack in pile.
• For each tamale, take a spoonful of masa and spread on corn husk, making sure that tapered end of husk points down and that there is room all around the husk to allow for wrapping. Place a spoonful of chopped pork in the center, add some cheese and 1/2 teaspoon chile mixture. Fold in each side of husk, then fold up from bottom. Set aside. Repeat to make rest of tamales.
• When tamales are all formed, place in batches in steamer set over simmering water. Steam until masa is firm, about 1 1/2 hours.

HERBED CREAM CHEESE & PORK TAMALES

Steps:

• 1. An hour before, soak corn husks in a sink filled with cold water. Husks must be wet and pliable before using.
• 2. In a food processor, combine cream cheese, onions, garlic powder, salt & pepper. Pulse until onions are chopped and mixture is completely blended. It may become slightly green from the onion.
• 3. In a stand mixer, combine shortening and cream cheese mixture. Add 1 c. masa and mix. Dough will become stiff. Add water to loosen, but do not let your dough become batter. Add the second cup of masa, a bit more water, and mix. Again, add a little water to loosen. Add the third cup of masa, more water, and mix. You want the dough to be soft enough to spread with your fingers, but not so loose that it's soupy. I usually add enough water to make it the consistency of soft biscuit dough
• 4. To roll tamales, lay a wet corn husk on the work surface. Place approiximately 1/4 c.(large meatball size) dough into the center, and with wet fingers press the dough out to 1/4-1/2″ thickness. Place a small amount of shredded pork in the center of the dough. Roll up so that the two outer edges of the dough meet and the corn husk sides overlap. Fold under the ends to make a little package. Some people use string to tie the tamales closed. I find that tucking them under and pressing them down as I put them in the pan works just fine.
• 5. Place rolled tamales in a steamer basket or the colander insert of a pasta pot. Add enough water to the bottom of the pot to steam, but do not let the water tough the tamales. Cover the pot with the lid and bring the water to a boil over high heat. Boil/steam for 20-30 minutes, depending on how many layers of tamales are in the pot. Remove the steamer basket and allow to cool for a few minutes before trying to open each tamale.
• 6. Serve with red or green chili sauce or sour cream. Enjoy!

EASY CHEESY TAMALE CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Tamale sauce:In a medium pot fully combine chili powder, vegetable oil and flour and whisk until smooth over medium heat.Add beef stock, tomato paste and spices and continue stirring over medium heat for about 10 minutes.
• Making the Casserole:Place about 1 cup of the tamale sauce in a 9×13 baking pan. I use this baking pan as I like that is has easy grab handles. Remove corn husks from tamales and discard. Place tamales in the baking pan. I ended up using eleven tamales and saved the last one for a snack by itself. Wink Wink.Pour remaining sauce on top of tamales. It may look like too much sauce but it will be just perfect!Cover evenly with freshly grated cheese and sprinkle with green onions and cilantro.
• Bake:Bake for 35 minutes or until cheese has completely melted. Carefully remove from the oven and serve immediately. Sprinkle with cotija cheese if desired. Refrigerate any leftovers.

PORK TAMALES WITH RED CHILE SAUCE

Steps:

• Place dried chiles in a large pot filled with 2 1/2 cups water and bring to a boil for ten minutes. Pour cooked chiles along with the water into a blender. Add garlic and cumin and blend until mixture is smooth.Melt lard in a medium sauce pan then add chile sauce and cook on low heat for about ten minutes and set aside.
• Place pork butt in a roasting pan with onion, smashed garlic, salt, pepper, cumin, water and bake at 275 degrees Fahrenheight covered for about 4 - 6 hours or until tender and meat pulls away from the bone easily.Tip: I will usually bake the pork the night before. Before going to bed I place it in the oven and allow it to bake while sleeping and by morning the meat is done to perfection.Remove roasting pan from oven. Carefully lift meat from pan and place on a cutting board. Using two forks gently pull pork apart. This is what they call pulled pork because it pulls away so easily.Be sure to keep at least 2 cups of the juices from the pork because this will be used when making the masa. Any leftover juice can be place in plastic jars or ice trays and frozen or late use in other recipes if desiredPlace pulled pork in pan with 1 cup red chile sauce and stir to combine. Set aside or refrigerate until ready to assemble tamales.
• Place the lard and water in a stand mixer and beat until fluffy. Add a cup of corn flour, salt and baking powder and continue mixing. Alternate by adding flour and pork stock to mixer and beat until all blended. At the very end of mixing add 2 Tablespoons of red chile sauce and mix until completely combined.Tip: To make sure masa is ready take about a half Tablespoon and pop it into a cup of water. If it floats our masa is ready to use. If it sinks continue to mix for a few more seconds.
• Before assembling tamales first inspect corn husks to make sure there are no holes in them. If there are any holes just sit them aside as these can be used for the bottom of the pot.Submerge corn husks in a large pot of hot water. I use a large cereal bowl inverted sitting on the husks to keep them submerged. The goal is to work with pliable corn husks so they fold easily and don't crack and break while folding and rolling tamales.
• Remove warmed corn husks from water and shake off excess water. Put the small tapered end on the table towards you and the wider piece away from you. Place about 2 Tablespoons of prepared masa onto the upper half of the husk and make a hull n the center of the masa and place filling in the hull. Pull the two sides of the corn husk together, like a taco, and gently roll husk closed Tuck the lower part of the husk up and gently squeeze the rolled up husk making the tamale uniform in shape. Then place assembled tamales in a pile.
• Once all the tamales are made it is time to prepare for steaming. I use this 20 quart steamer stock pot for cooking tamales.Before adding the tamales to the steamer first prepare the pot. Add the steamer rack to the pot and fill with water just below the rack. Drop in a penny into the pot so if and when the water should evaporate while boiling the penny will start bounding around in the pot giving you some insight that water may need to be added to the pot.Now, place tamales in the steamer pot where they are standing straight up with the tops exposed. If the pot is not completely filled with tamales I use an aluminum pot like a meatloaf pan to support the tamales so they don't fall over.Over high heat steam tamales for one hour or until the dough has formed a solid shape. Keep an eye on the steamer making sure the water does not boil out.TIP: It's a good idea to have a tea kettle full of hot water in case the steamer boils out.Once the tamales are done turn the heat off and keep the tamales in the steamer with the lid on until cool enough to handle. Enjoy!

QUICK AND EASY CHEESE TAMALES

Steps:

• Remove the tamales and serve warm. Enjoy!