Roasted carrot tamales by Chef Rudy Smith

masa harina

🥗Healthier: whole grain masa harina

💰Cheaper: cornmeal

Whole grain masa harina offers more fiber and nutrients, while cornmeal is often less expensive.

filling (meat, cheese, or vegetables)

🥗Healthier: lean turkey or beans

💰Cheaper: pork

Lean turkey is lower in fat, while pork can be a more budget-friendly option.

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Roast heirloom carrots, poblano Chile, and white onion with olive oil, salt, and pepper for 30 to 45 minutes until tender.

Once cooled, pulse the roasted vegetables in a food processor to a coarse consistency and adjust seasoning to taste. Set aside.

Wash, peel, and cut orange carrots into medium dice, saving the peels for broth.

In a saucepan, combine diced orange carrots, diced habanero Chile (seeds and stems removed), and Mexican oregano.

Add prepared nor professional Calo de vitales to the saucepan and bring to a boil, then simmer until the carrots are very tender.

Remove the vegetables from the broth and blend until smooth, using broth to adjust consistency.

Simmer the carrot peelings in prepared nor professional Calo de vitales for 15 minutes to extract flavor, then strain and reserve the broth.

In a stand mixer, beat vegetable shortening with a couple tablespoons of carrot broth until fluffy.

In another mixing bowl, combine masa harina, baking powder, and salt.

Add the masa mixture to the shortening mixture and combine to form a soft dough, adding additional broth if needed to achieve a soft paste-like texture.

Cover the dough and set aside.

Soak corn husks in warm water for 30 minutes until pliable.

Place a corn husk shiny side up and spread about 1/4 cup masa dough on the husk about 1/4 inch thick.

Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of carrot filling down the center of the dough.

Roll up the tamales and repeat until all corn husks are filled and rolled.

Steam the tamales for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

To check if the tamales are done, unroll one and see if the masa still sticks to the husk; if it does, cook for an additional 15 minutes.

Once cooked, cover the bottom of the serving plate with prepared hot ki, drizzle with crma, and place a tamale in the center of the ki, topping with micro greens.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Dietary

Allergens