Vegetarian Tamales

Tamales are fun for celebrations. These would be great for New Years. This recipe makes a small batch. You may need to double the dough part if you are feeding a crowd.

First start by fire grilling some of your veggies. These will be used in the filling and the sauce.

• 5 tomatos 
• 1 large white onion
• 2 poblano peppers
• 3 jalepeno peppers
• drizzle of olive oil
• salt and pepper

Cut the tomatoes in half and quarter the onion. Cut the tops off of the peppers and scrape the seeds out. Drizzle a little olive oil over the vegetables and add a dash of salt and pepper. Throw everyting on the grill and cook to give the vegetables a good smoke charred flavor. The onions may take a little longer than the other veggies.

After you have the grill going you will need to start soaking the corn husks that will be used to wrap the tamales. Just cover them with warm water and let them sit for 30 minutes.

For the tamale dough:

• 1 1/2 cup masa herina flour
• 1 cup vegetable stock
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1/4 tea sp salt

Mix all the ingredients together to form a dry dough ball.

For the filling:

• 3/4 of a grilled onion
• 2 grilled tomatoes
• 1 1/2 grilled jalepeno pepper
• 1 cup corn
• 1 tea sp olive oil
• 1/4 tea sp cumin
• 1 tbsp vegetable stock
• 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 cup crumbled queso fresco cheese
• salt to taste 

Dice the onion tomatoes and jalepeno. Add the olive oil to a saute pan and begin to cook the corn for about three minutes. Then add the grilled diced vegetables and the cumin. Continue to stir and cook the mixture for another few minutes. Add the vegetable stock and allow it to reduce. When the liquid has thickened add salt to taste and remove from heat. Finish by mixing in the fresh cilantro and queso cheese.

Drain the corn husks and lay flat. Use a small amount of dough and form into a flat rectangle. Place a spoon full of the filling on top of the dough and then seal with another piece of dough on top. Wrap each tamale with a corn husk folding over the ends to form a package. When you have all the tamales wrapped use a steamer over a few inches of water to cook for about 30 minutes.

For the sauce:

• 1 1/2 grilled jalepeno peppers
• 2 grilled poblano peppers
• 1/4 of a grilled onion
• 3 grilled tomatoes
• 1/4 cup vegetable stock
• 1/4 tea sp salt

Combine ingredients in blender until smooth.

Remove the corn husks when you serve the tamales and you can top with any extra filling you have left over.