Healthy Recipes From Fit City
Tamales with Anchos & Chipotle
| 3 | large dried ancho chiles |
| 2 | tablespoons canned chipotles in adobo sauce, chopped |
| 3 | cans low sodium chicken broth, or reserved from another recipe |
| 1 | pound tomatoes, chopped |
| 1 | large onion, chopped |
| 7 | large garlic cloves, chopped |
| 2 | teaspoons oregano, dried |
| 1 | teaspoon cumin seed |
| 2 | pounds boneless pork center rib |
| 1/2 | cup corn oil |
| 4 | cups masa harina |
| 1 | teaspoon salt |
| 1/2 | teaspoon baking powder |
| 2 1/2 | cups canned chicken broth |
Wash and seed anchos. Place in hot water for 5 minutes. Place anchos, chipotles, broth, tomatoes, onion, garlic, oregano, and cumin in large pot. Cover and simmer about 40 minutes. Working in batches, puree mixture in blender until smooth. Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate.
Heat large pot over med-hi heat. Season 2 pounds pork with salt and pepper. Add to pot and cook until brown, turning occasionally, about 12 minutes. Add 2 cups chile puree to pork. Cover and simmer until pork is very tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Cool. Shred pork and return to pot. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate. Can be prepared 1 day ahead.
Combine oil, masa harina, salt and baking powder. Beat to blend. Heat broth and add gradually to masa mixture, beating until thick, about 8 minutes. Chill at least three hours overnight.
Wash and soak corn husks; pat dry. Fill tamales and steam for about 1 1/2 hours.
Reheat remaining chile puree over low heat. Serve with tamales.
Assembly:
Select cornhusks that measure about 5-by-8 inches. If you
don’t have husks that wide, overlap two of them and
use a little of the masa to “glue”them together.
Place 2 tablespoons of the masa on the left and spread the
dough thinly and evenly into a 2-by-3 inch rectangle. Place
some of the filling down the center of the masa. Fold the
husk around the masa and filling, being careful not to squeeze.
Place folded husks on a rack in the bottom of a steamer or large pot. Make sure that the rack is high enough to keep the tamales above the water and also high enough to allow a good quantity of water. Place the tamales on the rack, folded side down, or if the pot is larger enough, stand them up. Do not pack tightly. Cover the tamales with a towel to absorb the moisture. Bring the water to boil, reduce to a gentle boil, and steam for 1 1/2 hours or until done. To test for doneness, open one end of the husk and if the masa pulls away from the wrapper, it is done.
Nutritional Information:
3.6 grams of fat per tamale
199 calories per tamale
Variations:
Beef. Prepare puree as directed. Use 1
1/2 pounds fully cooked, shredded beef instead of the pork.
Heat broth or a mixture of broth and chili puree equal to
2 1/2 cups and add to the beef. Refrigerate. Use as filling.
Follow directions for preparing masa and assembling tamales.
Meatless. Prepare puree as directed. Use two 16-ounce cans fat-free refried beans and one 8-ounce bag of Mexican blen shredded cheese. Combine and use as filling instead of pork. Flavor masa with puree as directed. Follow directions for assembling tamales.
Recipe adapted from Bon Apetit, December 1993. Submitted by Lisa Johnson, RD