Recipe by Chef Dustin Hilinski; recipe and photo courtesy of California Walnuts (walnuts.org)
Makes 16 tamales
The Wrappers:
16 dried corn husks
Separate corn husks and place in a bowl of warm water to soak for 20 minutes or until pliable.
The Walnut Chorizo Filling:
2 T. olive oil
1 c. Walnut Chorizo Crumble (recipe below)
1 c. ¼-inch diced zucchini
½ c. ¼-inch diced yellow squash
½ c. ¼-inch diced red bell pepper
1 t. kosher salt
Heat olive oil over medium heat in a medium skillet. Add all Walnut Chorizo Filling ingredients to pan and sauté for 3 minutes (vegetables should not be soft). Let cool to room temperature.
The Walnut Chorizo Crumble:
2 ½ c. raw California walnuts
1 ½ c. (or 15 oz. can) black beans, rinsed and drained
3 T. olive or vegetable oil, divided
1 T. white vinegar
1 T. smoked paprika
1 T. ancho chili powder
1 t. dried oregano
1 t. kosher or sea salt
1 t. chipotle, ground
1 t. ground cumin
1 t. ground coriander
Place walnuts and beans in a food processor; pulse until coarsely chopped. Add 2 tablespoons oil and remaining ingredients to food processor and pulse again until mixture is finely chopped and resembles ground meat, stirring several times and moving the mixture from the bottom of the food processor bowl to the top to evenly mix. Heat remaining oil in a very large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add “chorizo” mixture to skillet and cook for 10 minutes or until mixture is nicely browned and resembles ground meat, stirring frequently. May be prepared several days ahead and stored tightly covered in the refrigerator.
The Walnut Tamale Dough (Masa)
2 ½ c. water, divided
1 c. California walnuts
2 t. garlic powder
2 t. cumin
2 t. kosher salt
1 t. onion powder
2 c. masa harina, divided
1 ½ t. baking powder
Place 1 cup water, walnuts, garlic powder, cumin, salt, onion powder and corn in a blender. Blend on high until smooth. Transfer to large bowl and add 1 cup masa and baking powder; mix with a hand mixer until incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add remaining water and remaining masa; continue to mix to make a thick, slightly sticky, but spreadable dough. Cover bowl with a wet paper towel to prevent dough from drying.
The Chipotle Walnut Cream
1 c. California walnuts
¾ c. water
2 T. fresh lime juice
½ T. minced garlic
½ t. kosher salt
1 to 2 chipotle peppers in adobo
Combine all ingredients in blender and blend on high for 2 minutes or until smooth
To prepare the tamales:
Remove soaked corn husks from water and pat dry, husks should be pliable. Place on work surface roughly equal amounts of tamale dough (masa) evenly across the large end of the corn husks, 3⁄4 the way toward the pointed end. Place equal amounts of filling over the masa. Fold one side of the corn husk over the tamale dough (masa) and continue to roll until masa and vegetable are enclosed leaving the large end open. Fold the pointed end of cornhusk up and behind tamale.
Place a large pot fitted with a steamer basket on stove and add enough water to almost touch bottom of steamer basket. Place tamales in steamer basket with the open end pointing up and cover pot. Cook for 50 to 60 minutes, checking after 30 minutes to ensure that there is still water in the pan. Remove tamales with tongs and let cool for about 5 minutes.
Heat walnut chipotle cream in a medium saucepan over low heat until hot. Remove tamales from husks and serve with chipotle walnut cream.