Makes: 8 to 10 Tamales
Serves: 4 to 5
This is another of the “Here today, gone tamale” explorations from the global tamale book I never wrote. (I did teach a class on tamales once: The final course was a dessert tamale, chocolate-mocha with a raspberry sauce, which is not included in this book!) You can explore tamales on your own. Although this recipe looks complicated, it’s really a skeleton with total flexibility. In place of the ratatouille filling, try any cooked vegetable mixture: leftover Roasted Eggplant Caponata (page ) would be a great substitution. And there are numerous sauces throughout the book that you could use in place of the Pepper-Corn Cream: Ancho Chile Sauce (page ) or Smoked Tomato Sauce (page ). Have fun!
8 large dried corn husks soaked for 2 hours in warm water
Polenta Dough (recipe follows)
Ratatouille Filling (recipe follows)
Pepper-Corn Cream Sauce (recipe follows)
To Assemble The Tamales: Remove the husks from the water, drain, and pat dry. Spread out the corn husks on a dry work surface. Pinch off an egg-sized piece of the polenta dough mixture. Pat it onto the corn husk, flattening the dough to approximately 4 inches square and 1/4 inch thick, leaving a border of husk at least 1/2 inch wide around the perimeter of the dough. Spread a tablespoon of the Ratatouille Filling lengthwise in the center of the dough. Fold the husk together until the edges overlap and the polenta and its filling are completely enclosed by the husk.
Gently flatten the top and bottom of the husk and fold the ends up to enclose. Place the tamales folded side down in a steamer over boiling water and steam for 25 minutes. Remove and cool for 10 minutes or so for the dough to set up. To serve, open the husks to reveal the tamales and spoon on some of the Pepper-Corn Cream .
Polenta Dough
2 cups water
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup polenta (coarse cornmeal)
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons minced red bell pepper
1/4 cup unsalted butter
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
In a medium saucepan, bring 2 cups water to a boil. Slowly pour in the cornmeal and polenta, stirring constantly. Lower the heat and continue stirring until very thick, about 5 minutes. Fold in the Parmesan, minced pepper and butter. Stir and cook until the butter melts. Season with salt and pepper. Let the dough cool a little.
Ratatouille Filling
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup diced eggplant
1 cup diced zucchini and/or yellow squash
1 cup diced red onion
1 cup chopped mushrooms of your choice
1/2 cup halved red or yellow pear tomatoes
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil
1 teaspoon minced shallots or scallions
Kosher or sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Add the oil to a large sauté pan and over moderately high heat sauté the eggplant, squah, onions and mushrooms until lightly colored but still holding their shape. Place mixture in a bowl and toss with the tomatoes, basil, shallots and season to taste with salt and pepper. Roughly chop so that all ingredients are about ¼ inch in size.
Pepper-Corn Cream Sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup minced shallots
1 teaspoon seeded and minced serrano chiles (or to taste)
1 cup dry white wine
2 1/2 cups rich vegetable or chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream
!/4 cup finely diced red, yellow or poblano peppers or a combination
1/2 cup fresh or frozen sweet corn kernels
Kosher or sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Drops of fresh lemon or lime juice
In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil. Add the shallots and serrano and sauté until soft but not brown. Add the wine and stock. Bring to a boil and reduce the liquid by half. Add the cream and continue to boil until reduced to a light sauce consistency. Stir in the diced peppers and corn. Season with salt, pepper, and drops of lemon juice. Keep warm.
Recommended wine: A number of wines can work here. A buttery Chardonnay goes wonderfully with the sweet corn and cream in the sauce. A grassy-herbal Sauvignon Blanc would highlight those flavors of the filling.
John Ash © 1994
Rev 2/06
