Tamalitos Recipes

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, mix together the margarine, masa flour, and sugar until light and fluffy. In a food processor or blender, blend one cup of the corn kernels with the water and cornmeal just until smooth. Stir into the masa mixture. Mix in the remaining corn, baking powder, salt, and milk until the batter is smooth. Pour into a double boiler.
• Place the tomalito over a large saucepan of simmering water, and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Steam for 50 to 60 minutes, or until firm. Check water occasionally, and refill if necessary. Stir pudding before serving to give it a consistent texture. Serve in small scoops.

Steps:

• In a small bowl, mix the margarine, masa and sugar with mixer until light and fluffy, about 1 minute.
• Blend 1/2 the corn kernels with the water in a blender until smooth.
• Combine with margarine mixture, stirring well.
• Add the remaining corn, cornmeal, baking powder, salt and milk.
• Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil.
• Pour the mixture into an 8-inch baking dish.
• Tightly cover with plastic wrap and set atop the saucepan of boiling water.
• Keep pan tightly wrapped and steam for 50 minutes to 1 hour.
• Check water level often, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
• I have also made this in the oven, setting the pan in a water bath.
• I do not know the temp I had the oven on, or how long I kept it inches If anyone tries it, please add that info.

Steps:

• Prepare husks:
• Soak corn husks in a large bowl of hot water, weighting with an inverted heavy plate to keep submerged, turning husks occasionally, until soft, about 30 minutes. Rinse husks under running water, separating them (and discarding torn, tough, or badly discolored husks). Pile best husks on a plate and cover with a damp kitchen towel. Tear some of the thickest husks into 1/2-inch-wide strips to use as ties. (Keep ties damp as well.)
• Prepare filling:
• Simmer corn in stock, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes. Stir in milk and purée in a blender until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and cool completely, about 25 minutes.
• Preheat broiler.
• Put chiles and, if using, fresh bell pepper on a rack of a broiler pan and broil about 2 inches from heat, turning them, until skins are blistered and charred, 8 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and let stand, covered with plastic wrap, until cool enough to handle. Peel peppers and remove veins if desired. Cut tops from peppers and discard with seeds. Separately chop chiles and fresh or bottled bell pepper.
• Sift masa harina with baking powder and salt into a bowl. Beat butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy. Alternately beat in corn purée and masa harina mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, beating until mixture forms a fluffy and moist but fairly stiff dough. Divide filling in half and stir chiles into one half and bell pepper and scallion into the other. Season both fillings with salt.
• Assemble tamalitos:
• Put 1 husk on a work surface, pointy end facing you, and, spreading it flat, mound 2 tablespoons filling (about the size of an egg) in center. Bring pointy end of husk up and over mound of filling and fold sides of husk over filling, overlapping. Now gather the protruding end of husk and tie it with a corn-husk strip. (This little purse will expand slightly as the tamalito is steamed.) Assemble remaining tamalitos in same manner.
• Stack tamalitos, in a crosshatch pattern so steam can move freely around them, in a large steamer basket. (Tamalitos can also be steamed in batches.) Set steamer over boiling water in a deep heavy pot, without tamalitos touching water, and cover with a folded kitchen towel. (Towel absorbs condensation so tamalitos don't get soggy.) Steam tamalitos, covered with lid, adding more boiling water as necessary, until filling is tender but no longer mushy, about 45 minutes. (If any part is still gummy, steam 10 to 15 minutes more.)

Steps:

• In a small mixing bowl, mix the margarine, masa and sugar using an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. In a blender container, blend half the corn kernels with the water until smooth. Combine this mixture with the margarine mixture, stirring well. Add the remaining corn kernels, corn meal, baking powder, salt and milk and mix well. Pour the corn mixture into an 8-inch square baking pan. Tightly cover with plastic wrap and steam by setting atop a medium saucepan of water on top of the stove. Bring water to a boil and steam corn mixture for 50 minutes to one hour (check to see whether you might need to add more water), until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Tomalito should have a smooth, moist texture. Note: The pan must be tightly wrapped at all times.