El Cholo Famous Green Corn Tamales
24 ears yellow corn
8 ounces cornmeal
4 ounces shortening
4 ounces butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup half-and-half or cream
1 teaspoon salt
12 (1 ounce) strips Cheddar cheese
1 (24 ounce) can green chiles, cut into strips
12 squares parchment paper
String
Cut both ends of the corn, remove husks and save for wrapping. Cut
the corn kernels off the cob. In a food processor, grind the kernels
with the cornmeal.
Beat the shortening and butter together until creamy. Add the sugar,
half-and-half and salt. Add the corn mixture and mix well.
For each tamale, overlap two cornhusks. Spread some of the corn
mixture onto the husks. Place one cheese strip and one chili strip
on top of the corn mixture. Top with more corn mixture. (Use
approximately 8 ounces of corn mixture per tamale.) Bring the edges
of the cornhusks over the filling to cover completely.
Place each tamale on a square piece of parchment paper. Fold ends of
cornhusks, then fold sides of parchment over tamale and fold up
ends. Tie a string around the ends to hold in place.
Place tamales on a rack and steam for 35 to 40 minutes.
Makes 12 (8 ounce) tamales. Source: El Cholo |