Thread: Critique a recipe I just made up

On 12/16/2010 1:16 PM, zxcvbob wrote:
> I'm not sure about the sesame seeds; I've never used them before, but
> I see lots of them in the Mexican market. Also don't know if I have
> the proportions right -- they should be close, but 2 moritas might be
> too much or not enough (they are pretty powerful) and the amount of
> salt or cumin (etc) might not be right.
>
> Moritas if you don't know, are the cheaper black dried chipotles you
> can buy at a Mexican market. True chipotles are larger and brown, and
> kind of look like a cigar butt, They are seldom available because
> Mexico consumes most of them instead of exporting them.
>
> *Vegetarian Tamales #1*
>
> 1 pkg (14 oz) Firm tofu, diced small
> 1 can (15 oz) Black beans, drained and rinsed
> 3 Dried ancho chiles
> 2 Dried morita chiles (can substitute dried chipotles, which are
> smokier and not as hot)
> 1 (large) Maggi vegetable bouillon cube
> 2 1/2 cups Boiling water
> 1 1/2 tsp Ground cumin
> 3 Garlic cloves, peeled
> 2 Tbsp Dried chopped onions
> 2 Tbsp Sesame seeds
> 1/2 tsp Salt
> 1/4 tsp Pepper
> 1 tsp Dried oregano
>
> Tear chiles apart, discarding stems and most of the seeds. Dissolve
> bouillon cube in boiling water; add chiles and soak until soft. Drain,
> reserving the liquid. Set 1.5 cups of the liquid aside and pour the
> rest in blender. Add soaked chiles, cumin and garlic, and blend until
> smooth (add additional water as necessary to make a paste.) Combine
> the tofu and beans. Stir in the chile paste, dried onions, sesame
> seeds, oregano, salt and pepper. Allow flavors to blend while you
> make the masa dough, then taste and adjust seasonings.
snip...


That recipe sounds good, how were they?

Becca

Ema Nymton wrote:
>
> That recipe sounds good, how were they?
>
> Becca


I haven't made them yet. :-) It's so much work, I wanted to know if
anybody saw any obvious flaws first. I will probably try them next
week while I'm taking some leftover vacation days.

Bob

Ema wrote on Thu, 16 Dec 2010 16:46:07 -0600:

> On 12/16/2010 1:16 PM, zxcvbob wrote:
>> I'm not sure about the sesame seeds; I've never used them
>> before, but I see lots of them in the Mexican market. Also
>> don't know if I have the proportions right -- they should be close,
>> but 2 moritas might be too much or not enough (they
>> are pretty powerful) and the amount of salt or cumin (etc)
>> might not be right.
>>
>> Moritas if you don't know, are the cheaper black dried
>> chipotles you can buy at a Mexican market. True chipotles
>> are larger and brown, and kind of look like a cigar butt,
>> They are seldom available because Mexico consumes most of
>> them instead of exporting them.
>>
>> *Vegetarian Tamales #1*
>>
>> 1 pkg (14 oz) Firm tofu, diced small
>> 1 can (15 oz) Black beans, drained and rinsed
>> 3 Dried ancho chiles
>> 2 Dried morita chiles (can substitute dried chipotles, which are
>> smokier and not as hot) 1 (large) Maggi vegetable
>> bouillon cube 2 1/2 cups Boiling water 1 1/2 tsp Ground cumin
>> 3 Garlic cloves, peeled
>> 2 Tbsp Dried chopped onions
>> 2 Tbsp Sesame seeds
>> 1/2 tsp Salt
>> 1/4 tsp Pepper
>> 1 tsp Dried oregano
>>
>> Tear chiles apart, discarding stems and most of the seeds. Dissolve
>> bouillon cube in boiling water; add chiles and soak until soft.
>> Drain, reserving the liquid. Set 1.5 cups of the
>> liquid aside and pour the rest in blender. Add soaked
>> chiles, cumin and garlic, and blend until smooth (add
>> additional water as necessary to make a paste.) Combine the tofu and
>> beans. Stir in the chile paste, dried onions,
>> sesame seeds, oregano, salt and pepper. Allow flavors to
>> blend while you make the masa dough, then taste and adjust
>> seasonings.
> snip...

> That recipe sounds good, how were they?

It looks worth trying but my view on tofu being what it is: a tasteless
protein additive, I can't really argue except to wonder if cooked animal
protein like chicken would taste better *to me*

--

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

Email, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

James Silverton wrote:

> It looks worth trying but my view on tofu being what it is: a tasteless
> protein additive, I can't really argue except to wonder if cooked animal
> protein like chicken would taste better *to me*
>


I have a vegetarian in the house for the holidays, and took it as a
challenge. (that's why they have vegetable fat instead of animal fat)

I usually use turkey or chicken when I make tamales (instead of tofu
and beans) and I use goose fat in the masa. I should really do pork
and green chili tamales sometime, with freshly rendered pork fat.

Mmmmm... Pork fat. <drool>

Bob

"zxcvbob" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]..
> I'm not sure about the sesame seeds; I've never used them before, but I
> see lots of them in the Mexican market. Also don't know if I have the
> proportions right -- they should be close, but 2 moritas might be too much
> or not enough (they are pretty powerful) and the amount of salt or cumin
> (etc) might not be right.
>
> Moritas if you don't know, are the cheaper black dried chipotles you can
> buy at a Mexican market. True chipotles are larger and brown, and kind of
> look like a cigar butt, They are seldom available because Mexico consumes
> most of them instead of exporting them.
>
> *Vegetarian Tamales #1*
>
> 1 pkg (14 oz) Firm tofu, diced small
> 1 can (15 oz) Black beans, drained and rinsed
> 3 Dried ancho chiles
> 2 Dried morita chiles (can substitute dried chipotles, which are smokier
> and not as hot)
> 1 (large) Maggi vegetable bouillon cube
> 2 1/2 cups Boiling water
> 1 1/2 tsp Ground cumin
> 3 Garlic cloves, peeled
> 2 Tbsp Dried chopped onions
> 2 Tbsp Sesame seeds
> 1/2 tsp Salt
> 1/4 tsp Pepper
> 1 tsp Dried oregano
>
> Tear chiles apart, discarding stems and most of the seeds. Dissolve
> bouillon cube in boiling water; add chiles and soak until soft. Drain,
> reserving the liquid. Set 1.5 cups of the liquid aside and pour the rest
> in blender. Add soaked chiles, cumin and garlic, and blend until smooth
> (add additional water as necessary to make a paste.) Combine the tofu and
> beans. Stir in the chile paste, dried onions, sesame seeds, oregano, salt
> and pepper. Allow flavors to blend while you make the masa dough, then
> taste and adjust seasonings.
>
> 2 dozen Corn husks, soaked
>
> 2 1/2 cups Masa harina mix
> 1 1/2 cups Chile soaking broth, cooled
> 1 cup Coconut oil or vegetable shortening
>
> Stir together masa harina and broth and set aside. Beat shortening until
> fluffy. Add in the masa dough a little at a time, beating until very
> light and fluffy.
>
> To assemble: Drain corn husks and pat dry. Spread 2 or 3 tablespoons of
> dough on center of husks forming a rectangle and spreading to right or
> left edge. Spoon a tablespoon of filling lengthwise down center of
> rectangle. Fold the masa-to-the-edge side over the filling and allow the
> plain part of the husk to wrap around. Fold the bottom end up. Secure
> (optional) with string or a strip of corn husk and place standing-on-end
> in steamer basket. Put any leftover corn husks loose on top. Steam
> tamales for about an hour or two, until done.
>
> Note: you can fold both ends, but I find it a lot easier to roll the tamal
> with a taper to it and only fold one end. I only tie the first few that I
> make. After that, they hold themselves folded in the steamer.
>
> --
> Bob


Poncho Villa is turning in his grave. ( and may come after you)

Just kidding - Why do this?

Dimitri

On Dec 16, 3:10*pm, zxcvbob <zxcv...@charter.net> wrote:
> James Silverton wrote:
> > It looks worth trying but my view on tofu being what it is: a tasteless
> > protein additive, I can't really argue except to wonder if cooked animal
> > protein like chicken would taste better *to me*
>
> I have a vegetarian in the house for the holidays, and took it as a
> challenge. *(that's why they have vegetable fat instead of animal fat)
>
> I usually use turkey or chicken when I make tamales (instead of tofu
> and beans) and I use goose fat in the masa. *I should really do pork
> and green chili tamales sometime, with freshly rendered pork fat.
>
> Mmmmm... Pork fat. <drool>
>
> Bob

Why even put in the tofu? Go with something more "authentic" like
corn or another type of bean or squash. If they are not vegan, you
could include hard boiled egg, if protein is a concern.

It also sounds pretty bland, setting aside the heat from the chiles.
There's nothing to provide a zing taste to it. With meat, you don't
need a zing because you have all that pork fat to satisfy your
tongue. How about including raisins or substituting pepitas for the
sesame seeds?

Susan B.

On 12/16/2010 6:47 PM, sueb wrote:
> On Dec 16, 3:10 pm, zxcvbob<zxcv...@charter.net> wrote:
>> James Silverton wrote:
>>> It looks worth trying but my view on tofu being what it is: a tasteless
>>> protein additive, I can't really argue except to wonder if cooked animal
>>> protein like chicken would taste better *to me*
>>
>> I have a vegetarian in the house for the holidays, and took it as a
>> challenge. (that's why they have vegetable fat instead of animal fat)
>>
>> I usually use turkey or chicken when I make tamales (instead of tofu
>> and beans) and I use goose fat in the masa. I should really do pork
>> and green chili tamales sometime, with freshly rendered pork fat.
>>
>> Mmmmm... Pork fat.<drool>
>>
>> Bob
>
> Why even put in the tofu? Go with something more "authentic" like
> corn or another type of bean or squash. If they are not vegan, you
> could include hard boiled egg, if protein is a concern.
>
> It also sounds pretty bland, setting aside the heat from the chiles.
> There's nothing to provide a zing taste to it. With meat, you don't
> need a zing because you have all that pork fat to satisfy your
> tongue. How about including raisins or substituting pepitas for the
> sesame seeds?
>
> Susan B.

That's just the kind of comments I was looking for.

I like the pepitas idea. Would some grated cojita (sp?) cheese help? I
thought the tofu would absorb and carry the chile and garlic better than
corn is why I added it.

I also have some fake chicken TVP that I bought from the Mexican market.
(I add it to bouillon and hotsauce at work sometimes for a light lunch
that's healthier than ramen.) It might make a good filling.

Bob

Susan wrote:

> Why even put in the tofu? Go with something more "authentic" like corn or
> another type of bean or squash. If they are not vegan, you could include
> hard boiled egg, if protein is a concern.

....or cheese.


> It also sounds pretty bland, setting aside the heat from the chiles.
> There's nothing to provide a zing taste to it. With meat, you don't need
> a zing because you have all that pork fat to satisfy your tongue. How
> about including raisins or substituting pepitas for the sesame seeds?

If you think *that's* bland, you must absolutely hate chiles rellenos!

I think the sesame seeds sound good, and there should be zing from the
cumin, chiles, and garlic. Cheese would also provide an extra flavor, but
I'm not sure whether the "special" diner is vegan or not. One other thing
which I'd do to perk it up is to squeeze lime juice onto the tamales at
serving time.

Bob

James Silverton <[email protected]> wrote:

>It looks worth trying but my view on tofu being what it is: a tasteless
>protein additive, I can't really argue except to wonder if cooked animal
>protein like chicken would taste better *to me*

I personally like tofu (it is not without taste), but I don't think it
would go well in the interior of a tamale for texture reasons -- even
firm tofu.

On the other hand, I often will smother a tamale with tofu in enchilada
sauce. Everyone I've prepared that for really likes it. It is also
semi-common for veggie-oriented Mexican restaurants around here to
put tofu on top of (as opposed to into) rolled enchiladas.

I think the issue is that tofu does not compactify very well --
it crumbles. For something like a tamale filling you want a mixture
that can stand up to a little pressure, blending its flavors in
with the masa but staying in place rather than spreading out.

Steve

In article <[email protected]>,
zxcvbob <[email protected]> wrote:

> Ema Nymton wrote:
> >
> > That recipe sounds good, how were they?
> >
> > Becca
>
>
> I haven't made them yet. :-) It's so much work, I wanted to know if
> anybody saw any obvious flaws first. I will probably try them next
> week while I'm taking some leftover vacation days.
>
> Bob

For a start, I'd personally lose the Tofu and substitute Zucchini or
Mushrooms.

But that's just me!
--
Peace! Om

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>
"One man's theology is another man's belly laugh."
--Robert Heinelien

zxcvbob;1561274 Wrote:
> James Silverton wrote:
> -
> It looks worth trying but my view on tofu being what it is: a tasteless
>
> protein additive, I can't really argue except to wonder if cooked
> animal
> protein like chicken would taste better *to me*
> -
>
>
> I have a vegetarian in the house for the holidays, and took it as a
> challenge. (that's why they have vegetable fat instead of animal fat)
>
> I usually use turkey or chicken when I make tamales (instead of tofu
> and beans) and I use goose fat in the masa. I should really do pork
> and green chili tamales sometime, with freshly rendered pork fat.
>
> Mmmmm... Pork fat. drool
>
> Bob

No tofu, bud. Yuck! Think of raisins (you'd be surprised) or something,
ANYTHING, but tofu. I'm with Mr. Silverton here.

A little extra color/flavor if you infuse a bit of achiote color/flavor
into the pork fat or broth. Deep red color for the holidays with a mild
flavor that will please all tastes (at least in my experience). Go ahead
and tofu a sauce with it. I've never tried that. I just like a simple
tomatillo/chile salsa on my stuff. Pepitas are nice along with some
sesame might be a nice twist. Mexicans that live around me use raisins,
and they turn out beautifully.




--
Gorio

On Thu, 16 Dec 2010 13:16:33 -0600, zxcvbob wrote:

> Moritas if you don't know, are the cheaper black dried chipotles you
> can buy at a Mexican market. True chipotles are larger and brown, and
> kind of look like a cigar butt, They are seldom available because
> Mexico consumes most of them instead of exporting them.

We have plenty of both here. The Mexican markets themselves only
carry the cigar butts but the moras and moritas are available at
the White people stores.

I stopped reading the recipe after I saw tofu, so no comment. not
fair I know. I do make ma po tofu, but that's it for tofu for me.

-sw