Thursday, March 18, 2010

Pinto Bean and Queso Fresco Tamales

Tamales are so good. It had been so long since I had some, and when I saw recipes online, I just knew I had to try to make some.

After a family powwow, we decided to go for Pinto Bean and Queso Fresco Tamales, a recipe from Chow.com.

To start, we had to make our own from-scratch masa dough (which we also used from Chow.com). It's pretty simple: Mix masa harina and water with hands and then add lard or shortening into a mixer with the dough.

The filling was easy, too: Lard or shortening, chopped onions, garlic, salt, pinto beans and queso fresco, all cooked together in a pan.


To build, we laid down the rehydrated corn husks, then put on a layer of masa, topped with some of the filling and then rolled. Once they were all ready, we steamed them for about 1 1/2 hours.



The tamales were very good, and they reheated well since the recipe made about 3 dozen and we were serving for just 2. I'll be making tamales again, but next time I'll be using a filling of our own concoction.

3 comments:

Clementina said...

My friend Maria just loves bean tamales, but I have never had them myself. I just posted a recipe for chile-cheese and potatoe tamales. Perhaps you'd like to take a peek?
"A Little Cup of Mexican Hot Chocolate"

Lo said...

Love tamales. They can be a bit time-consuming, but I love the fact that you can make extras for freezing!

So, what sorts of fillings will you make next time?

Dan said...

I think we would make several. I would love a black bean one. And I would want to spice up one with some jalapeno.