Recipe by Amalia Martinez

Tamales de Rajas con Queso Recipe. Makes 20 tamales.

FOR THE DOUGH

• ⅔ cups of Lard (can sub with Vegetable Oil)
• 1 lb Maseca - corn masa flour
• 1 ¾ cup warm chicken broth
• Salt to taste

FILLING:

• 3 Jalapeno Peppers (can increase depending on how spicy you prefer your food) 
• 1 Queso de Frier (Tropical brand)
• Onion
• 3 garlic cloves
• Tomato
• Epazote
• 30 Corn Husks (includes extra to tie the tamales and for the steaming pot)

OPTIONAL:

• Siberian Select Caviar

STEPS:

1. Carefully rinse off the dried corn husks and soak in cold water for an hour. Do not use warm or hot water as this will result in broken and split husks. Set this aside while you prepare your filling.
2. Dice your onion and garlic and fry with canola oil until golden and set aside.
3. Wash and slice the jalapeno peppers vertically to make long strips. Fry in the same oil/frying pan used for onion and garlic. Once fried, remove, set aside and add in the initial onion/garlic mixture.
4. Peel the skin off raw tomatoes and dice. Add in the diced tomatoes, epazote and salt to be reduced in oil with onion and garlic. Remove once combined. 
5. Combine Corn Masa flour (Maseca) in a large mixing bowl with lard (or vegetable oil), warm chicken broth, and salt to taste. 
6. Slice up Queso de Frier into rectangular strips roughly 3” by 1’. 
7. Time to assemble your tamales! Drain corn husks and open one flat in your palm. Add a scoop of corn dough to the center of your tamale and spread flat. Be sure to spread evenly and not too thin, this is essential for a perfectly wrapped tamale. To the center of this you’ll add the tomato sauce filling from step 4. Now, add a slice of jalapeno and a slice of cheese. Finally, you’re going to want to wrap your tamale carefully so as to not spill the filling. For extra support, you can take a corn husk and pull into strips to tie the tamales with. Watch this informative video to walk you through this step.
8. Next, fill the base of a tall stock pot with water and add in a stainless steel steamer basket insert. Then, carefully add in your tamales and cover with aluminum foil and the stock pot lid. Leave the pot on medium high heat for 1 hour and allow the tamales to cook by steam.
9. Finally, once your tamales are ready, unload the stock pot and plate your tamale. For this special recipe we've added about 12g of Siberian Select caviar for a delightful culmination of flavors.

Happy Holidays from the team at PSC!