Sweet Blackberry Blue Corn Tamale

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Sweet Blackberry Blue Corn Tamale

Source: Native American Foods (adapted to vegan)

 

Try to get blue corn masa harina for this; white or yellow will do, but blue

looks prettier. Don't use ordinary corn meal; masa harina is treated with

lime water and cooks differently. If you have dried corn husks, you can

steam the tamales in them, otherwise use aluminum foil.

 

Tamale dough:

 

3/4 cup strained blackberry puree

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup sugar (Florida Crystals is vegan)

1/2 tablespoon maple syrup or molasses

1 cup blue corn masa harina

2 tablespoons softened vegan margarine

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

8 big dry husks, or 10 " aliminum foil squares

 

Filling:

 

1/2 cup finely chopped pecans or black walnuts

2 tablespoons maple candy rolled into crumbs OR 2 tablespoons almond paste

 

Topping:

 

3/4 cup soy sour cream

1/4 cup tofu whipped cream

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp almond extract

2 cups fresh blackberries " destemmed " and washed

2 TBS sugar (Florida Crystals is vegan; powdered stevia may also work well

here)

 

Bring puree, water, sugar and molasses to a boil. Whisk in masa harina and

stir mixture over low heat at a slow-popping bubble for 10 minutes. Stir in

margarine and lemon juice off heat. Mixture should be a firm, dry dough. not

sticky, not crumbly.

 

Roll and pat dough into 8 squares on the foil or husks, leaving 1-inch edge

margin at the sides and slightly more at the ends (to tie up or twist-flod

closed). Use about 4 TBS per tamale. The dough should be about 1/2 inch

thick or less. Now lay out a row of filling along the long center of the

tamale (parallel to long sides of husk if used). Fold up each edge around it

to meet in the middle -- a fat rectangle, rather than a roll -- and press

edges of tamale closed at ends and top. Fold up and tie husk ends (if

using),or fold up and seal shut foil. Steam tamales for 10 minutes in a

steamer or wok.

 

While steaming, blend soy sour cream and tofu whipped topping together,

adding sugar and flavorings. Remove tamales, cool slightly, open them up and

put on big serving plates. Pour a little juice from berries (if some has

formed) over each tamale, top with some berries (1/4 cup each) and the

cream, saving a few berries to garnish each dish.

 

If you can find blue corn masa harina, these tamales will be a very

interesting purple color from the corn and berries. It's prettier if you use

maple syrup, not molasses. Note that you can use several other kinds of

fillings: blackberry jam mixed with nuts, just nuts with sugar (but it tends

to fall apart), nuts with some sugar, etc. You can also use a different kind

of jam or jelly (strawberry, raspberry) with the nuts for a red color when

the tamale is broken open. In my opinion, using jam or jelly makes it too

sweet and overpowers the corn/blackberry flavors. You can also use

raspberries instead of blackberries, but they are more sour, so use jam or

jelly with the nuts, and don't use blue corn masa, use white or yellow corn

masa, so the tamale will be pink.

 

 

http://www.Christian-Vegan-Cooking

http://www.

http://www.VintageVeganTea

http://www.VeganMenus4HealthyLiving

http://www.AllNaturalSweetenerRecipes