Corn, Green Chile, and Cheese Tamales

Make the Filling

1. Gather the ingredients.

2. In a large bowl, place the corn kernels and the diced chile peppers.

3. Add the queso fresco cheese, cream cheese, chili powder, 1 teaspoon of cumin, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

4. Mix the ingredients thoroughly with a large spoon.

5. Cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge until ready to use.

Prepare the Corn Husks

1. Go through the corn husks, removing any debris. Separate the larger usable pieces from the smaller bits and pieces.

2. Place all the usable husks (whole leaves, without tears) into a large bowl. Cover with warm water. Place a heavy plate on top of the husks to keep them submerged.

3. Soak the husks until they have rehydrated and become pliable, about 1 hour or more.

4. Remove the husks from the water and pat dry.

5. Place them into a covered dish or a large plastic bag to prevent them from drying out. Use only the larger and medium-sized husks to wrap the tamales; the smaller ones can be used for ties or patches.

Make the Dough

1. In a large bowl combine the masa harina and warm water. Stir gently to combine. Let the it sit until the masa softens, about 20 minutes.

2. Vigorously stir the masa mixture with a wooden spoon or with an electric mixer on low speed until a dough forms. You can also use your hands, in the traditional way, to mix well, ensuring that there are no dry bits of corn flour left.

3. Add the chile pepper and onion powder. Sprinkle the remaining 5 teaspoons of cumin and remaining 1 teaspoon of salt over the dough as you mix it.

4. In a separate bowl, whisk the lard with by hand or with an electric mixer until fluffy, about 3 minutes.

5. Slowly and patiently add the whipped lard to the dough a bit at a time, mixing well until combined and uniform. The masa should be similar in consistency to peanut butter—dense but malleable—and, most importantly, not sticky. Add more masa harina or liquid as necessary until you can press the dough with your open hand, remove it, and not have any dough remaining in your palm.

Assemble the Tamales

1. Lay a large hydrated husk on a flat surface.

2. Spoon 1 to 2 tablespoons of dough onto the husk, depending on the size of the husk.

3. Using the back of a spoon, spread the dough onto the husk, keeping it at an approximately 1/4-inch thickness. Leave a space of about 4 inches from the narrow end of the husk and a space of about 2 inches from the opposite end. Spread the dough up to the edge of one of the long sides and 2 inches away from the opposite long side.

4. Spread a couple of spoonfuls of filling down the center of the dough with an offset spatula or butter knife, leaving at least 1-inch border of dough around each side.

5. Locate the long side with the 2-inch space with no masa. Fold that end over, slightly overlapping the other side so the edges of the dough meet.

6. Wrap an extra husk around the back. Then fold the broad end over the top and then the longer narrow end over the broad end to enclose the dough and filling, making a sealed package.

7. Cut or tear long 1/4-inch-wide strips using some of the smaller husks. Tie these strips across the middle of each tamale to hold the flaps down.

8. Repeat the process until you're out of masa and filling.

Cook and Serve

1. Before you start the cooking process, check that all the tamales are tightly tied and that there are no large tears or cuts in the husks. If so, use smaller husks to cover the tears up, like a patch, and tie again.

2. Meanwhile, prepare a large steamer pot with enough boiled water for steaming. Set tamales upright in the steamer and steam for 90 minutes.

   Although there are tamale steamers on the market, you can steam them without one by boiling a small amount of water in a large pot and placing a colander or mesh strainer on top, being sure the tamales are not touching the water. Cover the colander with the unused husks and place the tamales on top. Cover with a lid to steam.

3. Check the steamer pot occasionally to maintain the water level.

   Boil water in a kettle to keep on hand to continue to refresh the bottom of the steamer pot with water as necessary.

4. Once cooked, let tamales cool while covered in the steamer for 1 hour before serving. This time allows the masa to firm up.

5. Traditionally, tamales are served with the husk. But if you are new to tamales and find them messy, simply unwrap and serve on a plate.

6. Serve with pico de gallo, and avocado slices.