Grilled Corn Tamales del Elote
Fresh corn, green chile, and lots of butter.
Tamales del Elote.
Because we missed Fucking Delicious Friday this week, today is going to have to be Super-awesome Sunday. And boy is this one special: Tamales del Elote, or sweet corn. These are my favorite tamales, which is sort of like saying, “My favorite ice cream,” or, “My favorite Christmas ever,” or, “My favorite million-dollar lottery win.”
Tamales represent tremendously important part of world cuisine. They have a long history that I can’t even begin to touch on - they are nine thousand years old, after all. They are a symbol of family and celebration and community to millions of people.
Tamales are not a part of my cultural history. But I love them and thank the brilliant Mesoamericans who invented them, and all their descendants who perfected them, because they are wonderful, glorious little packages of All My Favorite Flavors.
For this particular recipe, I also have Mark Miller and the Coyote Cafe of Santa Fe to thank. It’s not 100% traditional. I mean, butter instead of lard in your tamales: Sacrilege? Brilliance? You be the judge. One thing no one can debate is that they are fucking delicious.
It starts will a little masa and a lot of fresh grilled sweet corn. Add some green chiles for heat and a little monterey jack to bind it all together.
Peel back the husks and de-silk those bastards - they’re going on the grill.
Yep, I am going to make you grill sweet corn. It’s not that hard. Don’t whine or I will make you roast your own goddamned green chiles.
Besides, roasting corn might be the hardest part of the whole recipe. These tamales don’t have any filling, you see, just masa batter. Plunk that shit unceremoniously on your corn husk and fold it like a Christmas package…full of butter.
And if butter isn’t on your Christmas list, get thee back to Google. You’re dead to me.
Shit You Need
15-16 Dried corn husks, for rolling. For some recipes you can use fresh corn husks, leftover from whatever you’re doing with your fresh corn. But in this case, you are going to char the shit out of those husks, so you gotta go with the backups in your pantry.
4 ears of fresh corn
1 cup milk
2 cups masa harina
1 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup roasted, finely diced green chiles.
Options, from most to least hard-core: 1. Buy fresh Hatch green chiles (I like the Big Jim variety), roast, peel and dice. 2. Buy frozen green chiles and have them shipped from New Mexico. 3. Use jarred Hatch green chiles, or a can of Hatch branded green chile. 4. Use whatever canned green chile you can find. I won’t judge. Much.
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
This is what your dough looks like after mixing: fluffy, and studded with all sorts of yummy.
You had me at Tamale.
Keep Calm and justeffingcook
Soak two dozen large corn husks in warm water until pliable. Leave them in water until you need them. (You’re soaking in it!)
Start your gas grill, or prepare your charcoal grill. Peel back the husks from the ears of sweet corn, and remove the silks. Fold the husks back in place, then soak the ears in cold, salted water for 10 minutes. Grill over medium heat for 20 minutes, turning every five minutes. Let cool, and remove husks.
Cut the kernels off the cobs: Holding by the narrow end, stand the cob upright in a large bowl. Using a large chef’s knife and starting halfway down the cob, slice the kernels off at the base. Rotate the cob to go the full circumference, then invert the cob and repeat on the other side. Easy peasy, corncob squeegee.
Place the corn in a medium saucepan, add the milk, and simmer until the corn has softened, about 10 min.
Remove 2 cups of corn kernels and set aside. Puree the remaining corn with the milk. Add to the masa harina and mix.
In a large bowl, whip the butter, baking powder, and salt until light and fluffy. Incorporate the masa one heaping tablespoon at a time, and keep whipping until even lighter and fluffier. I usually do this with a stand mixer, so I can walk away and prep my corn husks.
Fold in the reserved corn kernels, green chile, and cheese.
Select 15-16 of your favorite corn husks (large and pliable), dry them, and line them up on your counter.
Divide the dough between the corn husks ( a solid palmful in each, maybe 3 tablespoons) and fold into a little buttery package.
Use a steamer insert over a pot of boiling water. Place the tamales into the steamer, open ends up, and cook for 30 minutes.
Serve with salsa verde.
Buttery Tamales del Elote on a bed of bright, spicy salsa verde.
