1 teaspoon ground cumin
teaspoon salt, or to taste
Canned chipotles in adobo sauce, corn husks, and masa harina can be found nowadays in most large groceries with an "ethnic" section. Larger Latin American groceries may have everything in broth, too, as well as gourmet stores. Be sure to get masa harina mix (ground corn flour specially treated with lime water); don't substitute cornmeal. Its mysterious properties are not the same and it will not work! Listen to us!
Tamales freeze well after steaming; just wrap tightly in paper and pack in freezer bags. To reheat: steam again in a steamer basket or microwave, loosely wrapped, for 2 to 3 minutes on high. It might be worth your while to double the recipe and you'll always have fresh tamales on hand.
PLACE THE corn husks in a large pot (no need to separate them just yet). Cover them completely with warm water and allow to soak for at least 20 minutes until husks are soft and pliable. Keep covered in water the entire time the recipe is prepared, until ready to use.
Prepare the tamale dough: In a large bowl, combine the masa harina, broth, salt, baking powder, and oil. With an electric hand mixer, beat until a dense, moist, fluffy dough forms and the side of the bowls are clean. Cover the bowl containing the dough with plastic wrap or a damp towel and set aside.
Prepare the filling: In a large heavy-bottomed skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Saute the onions and garlic for 5 minutes, until softened. Add the pepper and carrot, and saute for 3 minutes, then add beans, corn, broth, chipotles (the more chipotles and sauce the hotter) and adobo sauce, tomato paste, and cumin. Saute and simmer until most of the liquid evaporates, about 5-7 minutes. Salt to taste and allow to cool before assembling tamales.
To assemble: Depending the size of the corn husks, you will need to use 1 to 2 husks per tamale. There are a billion ways to wrap a tamale; we like this way since it's simple and makes super-cute traditional tamale shapes.
Take a corn husk and lay it flat; spread about 2 tablespoons of dough off center, leaving a 1-inch margin from the top and bottom of the husk. Spread a heaping tablespoon of filling in the center of the dough, then top with about 1 tablespoon more of dough. Carefully roll up the tamale, making sure to completely encase the filling in the corn husk. Tie both ends securely with either heavy-duty kitchen string (maybe try different colors for different flavors), or simply tear a corn husk lengthwise into thin strips and use that.
Loosely pack the tamales into a large steamer basket. Steam for 35 to 40 minutes. The tamales will expand and feel firm to the touch when done. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly before serving (they will be really hot when unwrapped!). Serve with your favorite salsa and guacamole or make a whole extra-steamy affair out of it and serve with sides of rice and beans.
SAMOSA STUFFED BAKED POTATOES.
MAKES 8 POTATO HALVES.
TIME: 20 MINUTES, ONCE POTATOES ARE BAKED.
When you want all the spicy goodness of a samosa but don't want to go through the trouble of making a dough, enter Samosa Stuffed Baked Potatoes. Serve these as a precursor to the Red Lentil-Cauliflower Curry (page 186) or really any Indian dish. You can also have two halves for an entree and serve with Sauteed Spinach and Tomatoes (page 106). Top with 5-Minute Mango Chutney (page 212) and you've got yourself a meal!
TO bake a potato, in case you don't know how: Preheat the oven to 400F. Poke the potato with a fork about eight times and wrap in aluminum foil. Bake for about an hour, until easily pierced with a fork. When done, unwrap and let cool.
4 large Russet potatoes, scrubbed, baked, and cooled
cup unsweetened soy milk or vegetable broth, or
water
3 tablespoons peanut oil
1 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds (or whatever kind you've got)
1 teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed
1 small yellow onion, cut into small dice (about a cup)
1 medium-size carrot, cut into small dice (about cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
2 teaspoons ground cumin
teaspoon turmeric
teaspoon salt
cup frozen peas, rinsed
Juice of lemon
Extra oil for brushing or spraying the potatoes
SLICE THE cooled baked potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop out the insides, leaving about inch of potato in the skin. The easiest way is to hold the potato in the palm of your nonwriting hand and use a teaspoon to scoop the potato into a bowl. Go slowly and carefully so as not to break the potato, but you don't have to be a perfectionist about it. Mash the potatoes up with the soy milk and set aside the skins.
Preheat the oven to 400F.
Heat the peanut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mustard and coriander seeds. The mustard seeds should begin to pop; if they don't pop in a minute or two, turn the heat up. Let the seeds pop for about a minute (put a lid on them so you don't get splattered), add the onions and carrots, and saute for 7 to 10 minutes, until the onions begin to brown.
Add the garlic and ginger, and saute for a minute more. Add the cumin, turmeric, and salt with a splash of water, stir well, then add the potatoes, mixing everything well. Add a little extra water if it looks too dry. Cook until the potatoes are heated through, then add the peas and cook until those are heated through. Add the lemon juice to taste and stir to incorporate.
Brush the inside of the potato skins with a little bit of oil. Then scoop the filling into the skin, pressing gently to hold the filling in place.
Line the potato halves on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. You can garnish with some chopped fresh cilantro, if you are so inclined, and serve.
CREOLE STUFFED PEPPERS.
SERVES 8 AS A SIDE DISH OR 4 AS A MAIN.
TIME: 55 MINUTES.
These peppers are stuffed with a mildly spicy mixture of black-eyed peas and veggies. We don't know that much about Southern cooking besides what we've gleaned from too many hours of watching the Food Network, but we used the basic herbs and spices from Creole cooking-paprika, oregano, and thyme-so we think these earn the right to be called Creole. Choose peppers that aren't oddly shaped and that look like they would be good for cutting in half and stuffing. Serve with Messy Rice (page 118) and Hot Sauce-Glazed Tempeh (page 129). They also go well with mashed potatoes and Jalapeno-Corn Gravy (page 216).
4 large bell peppers
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium-size yellow onion, chopped finely
2 jalapenos, cut in half, seeded (if you don't want too much heat), and sliced finely