Best Fresh Corn Tamales Recipes

BUTTERY FRESH CORN TAMALES

Steps:

• Reconstitute the corn husks.
• Place 2 cups corn kernels in the bowl of a food processor, and pulse into a medium- coarse puree. Add the butter, and pulse 5 or 6 times. Add the masa, sugar, salt, and baking powder; pulse until thoroughly combined. Process until the mixture is light, fluffy, and homogenous, about 1 minute, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl once or twice.
• Transfer mixture to a medium bowl, and stir in remaining 3/4 cup corn kernels until combined. Chill corn filling until ready to use.
• Assemble 14 tamales with the corn filling, using the large husks for wrappers and ties, and reserving the smaller ones to line the steamer basket and to cover the assembled tamales.
• Prepare the steamer, and steam the tamales. Let stand until the batter has firmed. Serve tamales with sour cream and Chopped Tomato and Serrano Salsa.

CUBAN TAMALES MADE WITH FRESH CORN, TAMALES CUBANOS DE MAIZ CRIOLLO TIERNO

Steps:

• 1. First open, seperate and clean the corn husks of the silk. Put all of the corn husk leaves into a very large pot and cover with very hot water. Let soak for at least a few hours. Leave in the water until you are ready to wrap the tamales.
• 2. Cut you pork meat into small bite sized pieces season with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Heat a little of the lard about a 1/4 of a cup and add the pork meat brown on all sides. Do in small batches so meat browns if you do a lot of the meat together it will steam instead of browning. We are looking for a light golden crust on the meat, does not need to be cooked completely. Do not let the meat over brown or burn. After browning add about 2 cups of pork broth or chicken broth and cover with a tight lid and cook for over a medium flame for 1 1/2 hours or until meat is fork tender. Be sure to check that your broth does not dry out or your meat will burn add more broth as needed. When meat is tender shut off and set the meat aside. You can do this the day before. just ake out the meat and let come to room temp when ready to mix with the corn mixture.
• 3. you should have at least 4 pounds of scrapped corn off of the cobbs. Put the corn into a food processor and give a qood process on grate ensuring that your corn is well ground into a thick mash. Do all of your corn like this work in batches until all is ground into a thick mash. Add 1/4 cup sugar and mix well Set aside.
• 4. In a large heavy pot melt the rest of the lard and add all of the diced onions, peppers both sweet and jalapeno, garlic, and the diced red pimentos. Saute until all the veggies are limp and onion is translucent. Next add the tomato sauce; continue to cook over a medium flame. Careful not to scorch any of the sauce. Next add all of the dried seasonings, oregano, cumin, bay leaves, salt, pepper, sazon goya packets, goya adobo, and garlic powder and continue to cook over a medium flame. What you have made is a very large sofrito, Taste to see if your sofrito has enough salt and pepper, if you like a lttle heat you can add a little ground cayanne pepper, not too much. Cuban tamales are spicy and savory but should not have a lot of heat.
• 5. Now pour your mashed ground corn into the veggie and tomato sofrito; mix very well making sure to incorporate all of the sofrito into the corn. Taste again for salt; at this point you may wat to add more of the same seasonings you added before to bring your tamale mixture to the right point of your taste. I know I always land up adding a bit more garlic powder or little more adobe powder until I find the right (Punto) just the right taste. Add your cooked meat stir well and continue to cook over a medium to low flame stirring and stirring until your mixture has somewhat thickend. This stirring process takes about an hour without leaving unattended. You may want someone to help with the stirring as my hand gets tired of stirring the thick mixture. Be sure to lower your flame so as to not scorch this mixture or the whole thing will be ruined. After cooking for one hour or so shut off the tamale mixture
• 6. Take out your soaked tamale husks blot on a clean kitchen towel, You will need three large husks per tamale. Take one large wide husk, they are triangle shaped put about four (4) ounces of tamale mixture in the middle of the husk do not spread on the husk like is done with the Mexican tamale, just drop the mixture in the middle of the husk and fold each side over the the mixture overlapping one side over the other, then take the triangle top tip and fold down over both the sides; now take another large husk and put the tamale you just wrapped in the middle of that husk. The open end should be facing the top of the triangle tip fold both sides one over the other take the top and fold down over the two sides, Now take the last husk place the wrapped tamale into the husk fold over the sides one over the other and then fold the tip over the sides and tie and secure with butchers twine on both ends. See my picture above.
• 7. Fill a large pasta pot half way with water; bring to a boil. When water starts to boil slowely slip in each tamale gently. Boil tamales in the water for about one hour and a half. Keep boiling hot water in a tea kettle or another pot to add to the pot when the water starts to evaporate. The trick is to keep the tamales boiling all of the time for one hour and a half. When done remove tamales into a large pan. Let cool until they can be handled comfortably. As they cool they will thicken and set even more. These tamles can be frozen now after throughly cooled or served warm alone or with a salad or Cuban meal. These tamles are a lot of work as are the Mexican tamlaes but well worth the trouble. I make both Mexican and Cuban tamales for the Holiday season. one pund of the corn mixture will yield about 6 tamales once you add the meat and veggies. I have 16 pounds of the corn mixture to make at least forty or fifty tamales this weekend. You can make the tamales in two days so as to not tire yourself. This is a two or three person job. Enjoy, Buen Apetito

FRESH CORN TAMALES WITH CHEESE

Steps:

• 1. Place a clean kitchen towel on the counter. Using a sharp knife, remove the kernels from ear of corn. Transfer the corn to the food processor and process until coarsely chopped. If you like it a little smoother, you can process a little longer, set aside.
• 2. Combine masa harina, chile ancho powder, garlic powder, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Gradually add warm chicken broth and using your hand, work into a soft dough.
• 3. In another glass bowl, melt the shortening or manteca in the microwave for a minute or so. Add the shortening and the reserved corn to the masa and work with hands until mixed well. If masa seems too thick add a little more chicken broth. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• 4. While the masa chills, add the corn husk to a large pot or storage container. Cover completely with really hot water. Use a heavy bowl to weigh down the husk to make sure they stay immersed in the water. Let them soak for a good hour, rotating them halfway through soaking time.
• 5. Slice the cheese (both kinds) into 2 inch x 1/4 inch strips, set aside. Remove the stems and seeds from the jalapeños and slice each pepper into 8 equal strips, set aside.
• 6. When ready, take a few of the husks at a time, shake off excess water, if they are more than 4 inches wide, just tear off the side a little. Place the corn husk, smooth side up, in the palm of your hand with the wide side closest to you. With a spoon, spread about 3 to 4 tablespoons of masa all over the bottom half of husk. Add a strip of each kind of cheese and 1 strip of jalapeño lengthwise down the center of the tamale. Fold one side in first, then the other side (it should overlap a little on the first fold). Fold down the empty top section down and lay tamale seam side down until ready to cook. Repeat until all done.
• 7. Prepare large pot to steam tamales, take a metal steamer that expands out, place it in pot. Fill bottom of pot with about 5 cups of water. Arrange all of your tamales standing up (open side up) around the metal steamer. Insert a smaller, heat-proof bowl in the center of pot to keep the tamales upright. Cover with foil paper, add lid, turn heat to high to get a quick boil going. Reduce heat and steam tamales for one hour. Set the timer for 30 minutes at which time you will add another 2 cups of hot water to the pot. Remove from heat and let them sit, covered, until ready to serve. As they cool, they will become more firm. Yields up to 10 servings, 4 tamales per person. Serve with your favorite salsas and toppings for garnish.
• 8. Notes & Tips: To check if tamales are done, after steaming for an hour pull one tamale out and let it cool. If the corn husk pulls away easily from the masa, your tamales are done. Whenever I prepare tamales filled with cheese, I like to wrap them in deli paper or foil paper individually as I fill them. This will prevent the cheese from running into the pot. It's optional, but it works well for me.

SWEET FRESH CORN TAMALES RECIPE BY TASTY

Steps:

• Remove the husks and silk from the corn, reserving the tender green leaves for wrapping.
• Using a large, sharp knife, remove the kernels from the cob and place into a high powered blender. Blend the kernels until smooth and then pass the corn puree through a fine-mesh strainer set over a bowl to let the excess liquid drain.
• Place the strained corn puree in a clean bowl and stir together with the sweetened condensed milk, cane sugar and cinnamon. Slowly drizzle in the masa until a thick batter forms.
• Place a bamboo steamer over a pot of boiling water.
• Place a corn husk on a flat surface with the pointed end away from you. Spoon about ½ cup of the corn puree into the middle. Snugly fold over the two long flaps like a business letter, then fold over a few inches of the pointed end of the husk, creating a little bit of tension so that the tamales don't flatten while steaming. Repeat with the remaining filling and husks.
• Carefully lay the tamales in the steamer in a single layer, working in batches if necessary. Cover the steamer basket and cook the tamales until they are slightly firm, about 15 minutes.
• Enjoy!

GRILLED TAMALES WITH POBLANOS AND FRESH CORN

Steps:

• Cover husks with hot water in an 8-quart pot or large bowl and soak, keeping submerged with an inverted plate, until softened, about 30 minutes. Rinse husks, 1 at a time, under running water, then pile on a plate. Cover husks with a dampened clean kitchen towel.
• While husks soak, roast chiles on their sides on racks of gas burners on medium-high (or on rack of a broiler pan about 2 inches from broiler), turning with tongs, until skins are blackened all over, 4 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, then cover and let stand 10 minutes.
• Peel chiles, then stem, seed, devein, and coarsely chop.
• Whisk together tortilla flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and 1 3/4 teaspoons salt. Stir in water and let stand 5 minutes. Add 1 cup lard and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until absorbed. Let dough stand until ready to use (dough will stiffen).
• Cook onion with 1/2 teaspoon salt in remaining tablespoon lard in a large heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 6 minutes. Add chiles and corn and cook, stirring occasionally, until corn is tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes, then stir into masa dough.
• Put 1 husk on a work surface, pointed end away from you, and, spreading it flat, mound 1/4 cup filling in center, leaving a 1-inch border on both sides. Bring wide end of husk over filling to cover, then fold in sides. Fold pointed end of husk over to form a packet and arrange, folded side down, on surface. Form more tamales in same manner.
• Arrange tamales in 2 steamer racks and/or pasta pot inserts, standing them up in 1 layer in rows so they resemble fallen dominoes. Set steamer racks (on top of each other) over boiling water in a pasta pot (use 2 pots if you can't layer your racks; water should not touch racks) and steam, covered tightly, until filling is firm, about 1 hour. (Replenish water as necessary.)
• To check for doneness, open 1 tamale to see if filling is firm and separates easily from husk; if it doesn't, steam 5 to 10 minutes more.
• Remove steamer racks from heat and let tamales stand 10 to 20 minutes while preparing grill.
• If using a charcoal grill, open vents on bottom of grill, then light a large chimney starter full of charcoal (preferably hardwood). When coals are lit, dump them out across bottom rack (do not bank coals). When charcoal turns grayish white (start checking after 15 minutes), grill will be at its hottest. The grill will be at the right heat when you can hold your hand 5 inches above grill rack over coals for 1 to 2 seconds.
• If using a gas grill, preheat all burners on high, covered, 10 minutes.
• Oil grill rack, then grill tamales, covered only if using a gas grill, turning over once, until grill marks appear on corn husks, 4 to 6 minutes total.

FRESH CORN TAMALES WITH CHANTERELLES

Steps:

• Place dried corn husks in warm water to cover for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat stock with 6 tablespoons oil to a simmer in a saucepan. Slowly pour in cornmeal, stirring constantly. Add 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste. Cook, stirring, about 30 minutes, until mixture is thick. Fold in fresh corn kernels, cook a few minutes, remove from heat and cover.
• Heat remaining oil in a skillet. Add chanterelles and sauté over medium heat until tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in chipotles. Season to taste with salt. Set aside.
• Drain soaked husks and pat dry on paper towels. Tear 16 long, narrow strips from fresh husks.
• Place a couple tablespoons of cornmeal mixture in center of a soaked husk. Place a scant tablespoon of chanterelle mixture in center of cornmeal. Fold husk up and over filling to make a neat package; tie with a strip of fresh husk. Repeat to make 16 tamales.
• Shortly before serving, line a steamer with fresh husks. Place tamales on husks and steam 20 minutes. To serve, snip ties and open husks. If desired, pass mayonnaise alongside.

FRESH CORN TAMALES IN THE MAYAN STYLE

Steps:

• Masa harina is a fine corn flour you can find in large grocery or specialty stores.
• You also will need a large pot of boiling water for blanching the husks and a setup for steaming the tamales, such as a bamboo steamer and wok.
• Shuck the corn carefully so as to preserve the husks. To do this, cut off the stem end of the ear close to the base. Carefully peel off the husks from the bottom of the ear, keeping them intact. Trim off any dried or discolored areas from the top of each husk. Blanch the corn ears in boiling water for 5 minutes. Remove and drain well. Blanch the husks in same water for 3 minutes. Remove and drain well. Discard the water. Remove kernels from the corn cobs. Discard cobs.
• To make the masa filling, beat the lard in a large bowl until light and fluffy, the same way you would cream shortening when making a cake. This may take as long as 3 minutes. Use an electric mixer on medium speed. Begin adding the masa, about 1/2 cup at a time while beating constantly. Scrape down the sides of the bowl often. If the mixture becomes too stiff, beat in some of the warmed chicken broth, a little at a time. Beat in the salt. The masa is ready when it is very delicate and light and has the consistency of buttercream frosting. Any leftover masa can be frozen.
• To assemble:
• Place a large, blanched husk on work surface, vertically, with the pointed end of the husk facing away from you. Spread the center of the husk with a generous 1 tbs of masa mixture. Add about 2 tsp of blanched corn and about 2 tsp cooked chicken on top of the masa. If you run out of large husks, lay 2 smaller husks side-by-side. Adjust the amount of filling according to the size of the husk. Fold the tamales like this:.
• First, fold the long sides of the husk inward over the filling. If these edges are curling, make sure they are flat when folding. Then, fold the top of the husk over the filling. Finally, fold up the bottom edge of the husk to make a square-ish packet, about 1 3/4 to 2 inches square. If the tamale is difficult to fold, trim off the thick, stem end of the husk. Some cooks tie the tamale closed with long, thin strips of husk or cotton kitchen twine.
• Lay each completed tamale, face up, carefully into the steamer. You can use a two-level steamer with no problem. Steam over vigorously boiling water for about 1 hour, adding additional water to the steamer as needed. Remove from steamer to a serving plate. Cool briefly.
• To eat, unfold the tamale, top with your favorite salsa or condiment, scoop out the filling and enjoy. Red and green salsa for serving, along with guacamole and sour cream are good choices. A good accompanying dish is Mexican red rice. Just search "mexican red rice" on Recipezaar. Discard the corn husk.

FRESH CORN AND RED PEPPER TAMALES

Steps:

• Remove the husks from the corn, saving the large inner ones and discarding the very outer and the small inside husks (you'll need 3 husks for each tamale). In a large bowl, cover the husks with enough hot water to cover and leave to soak.
• With a sharp knife over a large mixing bowl, remove the corn kernels from the cobs saving all the juices. You should have about 1 1/2 cups of corn. Add the red pepper, sour cream, milk, cornmeal, baking powder, salt and cayenne pepper to the bowl and stir to mix.
• Drain the husks thoroughly in a colander and pat dry with paper towels. Place approximately 1/4 cup of the filling onto 1 husk and spread it slightly lengthwise. Bring the top and bottom ends to the center, overlapping slightly. Wrap another husk around it lengthwise, forming a cylindrical shape. Use one more husk to seal and secure the shape by wrapping the opposite way. Using butchers twine, tie securely crosswise and make a knot.
• Place the tamales in a steamer over simmering water and steam for 1 hour. Remove with a slotted spatula. Cut the strings and remove. Cool slightly, then serve with a dollop of sour cream and a drift of paprika.

FRESH CORN TAMALES

Steps:

• 1. In a food processor fitted with the metal blade, place 3/4 cup of the corn kernels and grind until quite smooth. In a bowl using an electric mixer set on medium-high speed, beat the shortening until light and fluffy. I a a second bowl, stir together the masa harina, cornmeal, cayenne pepper, salt, cumin and baking powder. Gradually stir in the warm water or chicken stock until a thick dough forms. Then add the dough to the whipped shortening, mixing until well blended. Stir in the ground corn, the remaining 3/4 cup whole corn kernels and the cheese, green onion and chili, if using. Combine thoroughly; the mixture of this Mexican recipe tamales will be quite sticky. 2. Drain the corn husk and pat dry. Tear 2 of the husks lengthwise into 6 inch strips each, to use for tying the tamales. On a flat work surface, arrange the remaining 12 husks in pairs, with their large ends overlapping by about 2 inches. 3. Divide the tamale dough evenly among the 6 pairs of husks, spreading it to the center and leaving about 1 inch at each end uncovered. Toll the corn husks around the dough to enclose completely. Twist each end and then tie with the reserved corn husk strips. 4. Place the tamales on a steamer rack over boiling water, cover and steam until heated through and the dough separates easily from the husk, about 30 minutes. 5. Transfer the tamales to individual plates for diner to open at the table. Note: Masa Harina is treated and ground dried corn that , when combined with water, is used for making tamales and tortillas. Masa harina is sold in bags in Mexican markets and well stocked food stores.

FRESH CORN TAMALES WITH CHEESE & JALAPEñO RECIPE - (4.3/5)

Steps:

• Place a clean kitchen towel on the counter. Using a sharp knife, remove the kernels from ear of corn. Transfer the corn to the food processor and process until coarsely chopped. If you like it a little smoother, you can process a little longer, set aside. Combine masa harina, chile ancho powder, garlic powder, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Gradually add warm chicken broth and using your hand, work into a soft dough. In another glass bowl, melt the shortening or manteca in the microwave for a minute or so. Add the shortening and the reserved corn to the masa and work with hands until mixed well. If masa seems too thick add a little more chicken broth. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. While the masa chills, add the corn husk to a large pot or storage container. Cover completely with really hot water. Use a heavy bowl to weigh down the husk to make sure they stay immersed in the water. Let them soak for a good hour, rotating them halfway through soaking time. Slice the cheese (both kinds) into 2 inch x 1/4 inch strips, set aside. Remove the stems and seeds from the jalapeños and slice each pepper into 8 equal strips, set aside. When ready, take a few of the husks at a time, shake off excess water, if they are more than 4 inches wide, just tear off the side a little. Place the corn husk, smooth side up, in the palm of your hand with the wide side closest to you. With a spoon, spread about 3 to 4 tablespoons of masa all over the bottom half of husk. Add a strip of each kind of cheese and 1 strip of jalapeño lengthwise down the center of the tamale. Fold one side in first, then the other side (it should overlap a little on the first fold). Fold down the empty top section down and lay tamale seam side down until ready to cook. Repeat until all done. Prepare large pot to steam tamales, take a metal steamer that expands out, place it in pot. Fill bottom of pot with about 5 cups of water. Arrange all of your tamales standing up (open side up) around the metal steamer. Insert a smaller, heat-proof bowl in the center of pot to keep the tamales upright. Cover with foil paper, add lid, turn heat to high to get a quick boil going. Reduce heat and steam tamales for 1 hour. Set the timer for 30 minutes at which time you will add another 2 cups of hot water to the pot. Remove from heat and let them sit, covered, until ready to serve. As they cool, they will become more firm. Serve with your favorite salsas and toppings for garnish. NOTES: To check if tamales are done, after steaming for an hour pull one tamale out and let it cool. If the corn husk pulls away easily from the masa, your tamales are done. Whenever I prepare tamales filled with cheese, I like to wrap them in deli paper or foil paper individually as I fill them. This will prevent the cheese from running into the pot. It's optional, but it works well for me. This makes a big batch, but the tamales freeze well. Just make sure they cool completely before wrapping in foil paper and storing in freezer bag. I bundle only 6 tamales per bunch. It Makes for easy defrosting.