Shrimp And Poblano Chile Tamales Recipes

Steps:

• Put the lard in the bowl of a mixer and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, 5 minutes. Add the masa harina and beat for 2 minutes more. Add the baking powder and salt and continue to beat until incorporated, about 5 minutes. Add the broth and continue to beat until the masa is soft and fluffy (the masa should come off the bowl easily). Set aside, cover with a damp towel and let rest for about 10 minutes, or until ready to use.
• Put the corn husks in a large pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Simmer, uncovered, until soft, about 8 minutes. Drain.
• To fill the tamales: Holding an open softened corn husk in one hand, spread about 2 tablespoons of the dough on the husk beginning 1 inch from the wider top and ending at least 1 1/2 inches from the narrower bottom, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border on either side. Sprinkle about 1 tablespoon of filling down the center of each tamal. Fold the sides of the husk up and over the filling, tucking the ends under. Continue with the remaining dough.
• Put the folded tamales in the steamer basket of a large pot. Add enough water to cover the bottom of the pot by several inches, but not enough to touch the tamales themselves. Bring to a boil, cover with a towel and lid and steam over medium-low heat for 1 hour, adding additional water to the pot as necessary; do not allow the pot to boil dry. Open a tamal and check for doneness; the tamal should be firm and pull away from the husk without sticking. If still sticky, continue steaming until done, up to another 15 minutes.
• Char the poblanos directly over a gas flame on the stove or under the broiler until blackened on all sides. Enclose in a plastic bag and let steam for about 10 minutes.
• Peel, stem, seed and devein the chiles. Slice into 1/4-inch strips lengthwise and season with salt. Place 2 to 3 rajas (pepper strips) and 1 tablespoon shredded cheese in each tamal.
• For the guajillo chicken filling: Put the chicken, 3 cloves of the garlic, the halved onion and the bay leaves in a large heavy saucepot and add enough water to cover the chicken. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes, then skim and cover the pot. Continue to simmer until the chicken is fully cooked, 30 more minutes. Set aside until the chicken is cool enough to handle.
• Add the chiles, remaining 4 cloves garlic and the quartered onion to a pot with 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil and remove from the heat. Transfer the ingredients to a blender. Add the cumin and cloves and process until smooth.
• Heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat in a large heavy saucepot. Transfer the chile mixture to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and simmer for 15 minutes.
• Shred the chicken, discarding the bones and excess fat. (Reserve the cooking liquid for another use.) Transfer the shredded chicken into the simmering salsa. Cook until reduced by two-thirds and the flavors are incorporated, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• When blending hot liquids, first let cool for 5 minutes or so, then transfer to a blender, filling only halfway. Put the lid on, leaving one corner open; this will prevent the vacuum effect that creates heat explosions. Cover the lid with a kitchen towel to catch splatters and pulse until smooth.

Steps:

• Warm 3 teaspoons of the oil in a frying pan over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, stirring gently. Add the garlic and continue to cook for 3 minutes. (If, at any time during the cooking process, the items in the pan dry out at all, deglaze the pan with some lime juice, scraping up the browned bits with a wooden spoon, and continue.) Turn the heat to medium and add the chiles. Cook for 10 minutes, or until the chiles are thoroughly cooked.
• At this point, warm a separate frying pan over medium heat and add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil. Interleaved with finishing the rest of the recipe, heat each tortilla in the oil-coated pan for about 20 seconds per side, just long enough to make them the slightest bit golden but still pliable, and put between two towels to stay warm and wick away any excess oil.
• Once the chiles have cooked for 10 minutes, pour the lime juice on the ingredients in the pan. Add the diced bacon to the pan and turn the heat to medium-high. When the pan has heated up and the bacon has started to turn color, add the shrimp and use the salt to season everything in the pan. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring and flipping the shrimp as necessary to cook them evenly. The shrimp should be bright pink and white and opaque. If they are still translucent, cook them a little longer.
• Sprinkle the cheese over everything in the pan and turn the heat to low. Continue stirring until the cheese is melted. Remove the pan from the heat. Distribute the cheesy shrimp mixture equally among the tortillas, making a plate full of tacos. Serve along with the lime wedges and red salsa, if desired.

Steps:

• Place corn husks in a bowl, cover with boiling water, and soak for 30 to 60 minutes. Drain, place on a work surface, and cover with a clean, damp towel.
• Line a heavy cast iron grill pan or griddle with aluminum foil and place over high heat. Arrange poblano peppers in a single layer on top. Grill until chiles are blackened, turning as necessary, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer into a resealable plastic bag and let them steam, 10 to 15 minutes. Peel off skin, seed, and cut them into strips.
• Place tomatillos in a pot and cover them with water. Bring to a boil and cook until they change color, about 5 minutes. Drain and place in a blender. Blend until smooth.
• Heat 1 tablespoon lard in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add blended tomatillos and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until flavors are well combined, about 5 minutes. Add poblano peppers and cilantro and boil for an additional 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool, about 10 minutes.
• Beat remaining lard in a large bowl with an electric mixer until creamy. Add salt and continue beating for a few minutes. Add masa harina and baking powder and beat well until combined. Add chicken broth, 1/4 cup at a time, until the dough has a smooth and workable consistency that is not too wet, similar to cookie dough. Test if the masa is ready by dropping a small ball of masa into a glass of cold water; if it floats, it's ready, if not, keep working the dough a little longer.
• Select 1 wide corn husk or 2 small ones. Spread about 2 tablespoons masa mixture onto the corn husk, filling it up to 2 inches from the bottom and 1/4 inch from the top. Add 1 tablespoon of the tomatillo sauce and a piece of Monterey Jack cheese in the center of the masa mixture. Fold sides of husk together, one over the other. Fold the bottom of the husk over the seam of the 2 folded sides. Repeat with remaining husks.
• Place a steamer insert into a saucepan and fill with water to just below the bottom of the steamer. Bring water to a boil. Add tamales with the open side up and cook until filling is heated through and separates from the husk, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Let tamales rest for 15 minutes before serving.

Steps:

• For the seafood stuffing: Roughly chop the shrimp up into chunky pieces. Set a large saute pan over high heat. Add the olive oil and garlic. Once the garlic begins to sizzle, add the shrimp. Saute until just pink, about 2 minutes, and then add the crabmeat. Season with the cumin, paprika and some salt and pepper. Gently fold the mixture together, and then shut off the heat and add the lime juice. Allow to cool. Divide the mixture; you will use one half to stuff the tamales, and one half for the seafood sauce.
• For the tamales: Mix the masa, 1 1/4 cups water, butter and salt into a thick paste. To prepare the tamales, set a corn husk out on a flat surface (double up or shingle 2 husks if they are small or have tears). Add 5 tablespoons of the masa mix into the center of the corn husk. Push the mixture to 1 inch from the side of the husk. Add 2 tablespoons of seafood stuffing to the center. Fold one edge of the husk to the center, and then fold the other side to cover the entire tamale. Fold the ends over by 2 inches and tuck under to hold in place.
• Place a colander in large pot of boiling water, but do not let the colander touch the water. Place the tamales in the colander, cover and steam the tamales for 30 to 40 minutes.
• For the red seafood sauce: First, rehydrate the chile pepper. Place the dried chile in a cup of hot water and let sit for 10 minutes.
• Set a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add a drizzle of olive oil and saute the fennel, onion and garlic until translucent and fragrant, 5 to 7 minutes. Deglaze with the white wine, and then simmer to evaporate some of the wine, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the cumin, chile pepper, the water from the chile pepper and the can of tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Cook until the liquid reduces and the flavors come together, about 20 minutes. Blend until smooth with a stick blender, and then fold in the remaining half of the seafood stuffing. Taste and season once more if needed. Serve the red seafood sauce over the crab and shrimp tamales.

Steps:

• Cut peppers in half lengthwise and discard seeds. Place peppers, cut side down, in an ungreased 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Brush with 1 tablespoon butter; sprinkle with pepper and salt. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 10-15 minutes or until tender., Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute onion and celery in remaining butter until tender. Stir in cream cheese until melted. Add the shrimp, cheese blend, rice, lemon juice and seasonings; heat through. Spoon into pepper halves. , Place in an ungreased 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Combine topping ingredients; sprinkle over peppers. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 10-15 minutes or until topping is golden brown.