Black Bean Chipotle Oaxaca Cheese Tamales

For the masa

Soak the dried corn husks in a large bowl filled with hot water. Place a heavy pot on top of the corn husks to submerge them in the water, and soak them for at least one hour prior to using them. Once pliable, rinse each corn husk under running water to remove debris.

In a large bowl, mix the masa harina, baking powder, and sea salt together, then add the warm vegetable broth to the flour mixture. Mix in the broth using your hands to incorporate the broth into the flour to make a firm dough. In a mixer, cream the butter and shortening until fluffy, then add the masa dough little by little into the mixer until well mixed. Continue mixing the masa at a low-medium speed for about 5 minutes, scraping the masa off the sides of the mixing bowl during mixing. Add 2 tablespoons of TABASCO^® Chipotle Sauce to the masa and mix sauce in with your hands until completely mixed in. Set masa aside while preparing the filling.

For the filling

In a medium pan, heat the olive oil and add the cooked black beans with some of its broth. Once beans begin to boil, add sea salt and mash the beans until creamy. Transfer the beans to a bowl and let them cool.

To assemble the tamales, take each corn husks and using a spoon or spatula, spread two tablespoons of the masa onto the wide end of the corn husk. The masa should extend across the corn husk, except for 1 inch on the sides, and about 3 inches from the narrower top. Next, scoop about 1 tablespoon of the black bean filling and place in the middle of the masa from top to bottom. Add ½ ounce of Oaxaca cheese on top of the beans, then add 1 teaspoon of TABASCO^® Chipotle Sauce on top of the filling. Then, fold the right side of the corn husk over the filling, and seal with the masa on the side and top of the filling. Fold over the left side of the corn husk tightly around the other side, and fold the narrow end of the corn husk up. You may cut strips from the corn husks to tie around each of the tamales for a more secure wrapping.

Place the tamales in a steam pot with enough water to steam for about 40-45 minutes. The tamales should be placed into the pot standing tightly upright, filling-side up. You can secure the tamales with crumpled up aluminum foil so they don’t fall over in the pot. Cover the tamales with extra corn husks to trap in the steam, and place the lid on top of the pot. The tamales are ready once the masa separates easily from the husk. If they need more time to cook, make sure to add more water to the pot before steaming longer.

Let the tamales rest for about 10 minutes before unwrapping them. Remove corn husks from tamales and enjoy!