VEGETARIAN TAMALE FILLINGS

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VEGETARIAN TAMALE FILLINGS

 

CHILE AND CHEESE

 

Use either Anaheim peppers or poblano peppers. Use one chile per tamale. Broil

or grill peppers and skin when cooled down. Stuff with cheese of choice or a

blend.

 

Surround stuffed chile with tamale masa and wrap. Steam for a couple of hours.

 

I like goat cheese myself, like a basque or any medium hard. A lot of cheeses

work here, even mozzarella. A blend works too. Using a smoked cheese as part

of the blend will taste wonderful too.

 

Apologies that I have not come up with a good vegan version of this. The rest

of the fillings are vegan.

 

 

MIXED VEGETABLES IN SOFRITO

 

Sofrito:

1 large onion, minced

3 large fresh tomatoes, chopped. Some folks peel the tomatoes, I do if I have

time (dip in boiling water and cool, peel slips right off)

6 garlic cloves, minced

2 bay leaves

olive oil (about 1 tbsp) and salt to taste.

 

Sautee onions in olive oil with bay leaves until golden. I do this in cast

iron. Add tomatoes and cook until they are a sauce. (cook for a while) Add

garlic towards the end of the cooking.

 

Now add:

 

3 cups of mixed vegetables, in cubes or chunks.

 

This can be a mix of olives (green and black) grilled red peppers, grilled

poblanos, summer squash, corn, peas, black beans, artichoke hearts, cauliflower,

green beans, carrots, baby lima beans, your ideas?

 

Cook until veggies are just done, they will cook more when the tamales are

steaming, so do not overcook.

 

This recipe is easier on the tamale assembling end since you simply mix the

veggie mixture with the dough until uniform and form square patties and wrap.

Steam a couple of hours.

 

Double or triple the recipe depending on how many tamales you are making.

 

 

MOLE AND SEITAN (AND/OR TOFU)

 

1 lb prepared seitan, cut into small bite size chunks,

 

or,

 

1 lb defrosted and thawed tofu, with the water all squeezed out – and minced,

 

or a mix of the two.

 

about two cups of favorite mole sauce (buy or make – look out for lard if you

buy though),

 

 

Simmer seitan or tofu in enough mole sauce to moisten and make it saucy but

still not too runny. A few minutes is enough usually. You can do this the day

before and refrigerate to let the flavors mingle.

 

Use seitan in mole as tamale stuffing. Surround seitan chunks in masa and wrap

in banana leaves or softened corn husks. Steam for a couple of hours.

 

VARIATION: if you do not care for mole or like a variation, use your favorite

cooked salsa to simmer the seitan or tofu instead of the mole sauce.