Chorizo Tamales with Red Salsa

Spice up your next holiday party or family gathering with these flavorful chorizo tamales and homemade red salsa!

Serves: 16Prep: 30 minutesCook: 1 hour 25 minutesTotal: 1 hour 55 minutesDifficulty: Easy

Serves: 16

Ingredients

  • 4 large plum tomatoes, quartered
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1/4 cup onion
  • 1/4 cup cilantro
  • 2 cups Kroger Brand Beef broth, divided
  • 1 jalapeno
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 3 cups instant corn masa flour for tamales
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/3 cup lard, room temperature
  • 1 cup chorizo, cooked
  • 1 package (10 oz.) queso fresco, cut into 2” sticks
  • 16 corn husks, soaked in warm water for 10 minutes
  • Kitchen twine, cut into 32 strips (or corn strips made from husks soaked in water for 10 minutes)

Directions

  • In blender, blend tomatoes, garlic, onion, cilantro ½ cup beef broth, jalapeno and 1 teaspoon salt.
  • In saucepan, heat oil. Cook tomato salsa from blender 8 minutes, until salsa changes color to deeper red.
  • In bowl, mix instant corn tamale masa, baking powder, lard, ½ teaspoon salt, and 1½ cups beef broth until masa is well-combined and wet but not sticky. Add more beef broth if needed.
  • In center of each corn husk, place 3 tablespoons corn masa. Press gently to spread dough into a rectangle that runs along the long sides of the husk. In center, place 1 tablespoon chorizo, 1 teaspoon salsa and 1 queso fresco stick. Wrap tamales by folding towards the filling. Fold overlapping husk sides until completely enclosed. Tie ends with kitchen twine or strips of corn husk.
  • In deep steamer, add water to just below the bottom of the rack. To prevent water from touching the tamales, cover rack with a layer of husks cut into pieces.
  • Place tamales in steamer standing upright next to each other. Cover steamer and cook on medium heat 1 hour 15 minutes, until tamales are firm. Serve warm with remaining warmed tomato salsa.