Of the three different tamales on my Hot Tamale Dinner Menu, these Mushroom and Kale Tamales are my favorites. That is quite the accolade too, because they’re all amazing. The strong mushroom and kale flavor is perfectly balanced against the dark chile rojo salsa. Even when we make all 30 of each kind, and we’re eating them for months, I never get tired of these Mushroom and Kale Tamales. The only modification I make from the original recipe is to omit the cheese and cilantro. While I’m sure they’re really good as conceived, I’ve never made them that way. To be sure, they are plenty rich without the cheese and it’s nice to have options for guests who are lactose intolerant. This is important to me because one of my favorite tamale builders tends to stay away from cheese. I’m glad I skipped it the very first time, because now I make it cheese free every time. So, so good. That’s all you need to say. While tamales are truly a lot of work, these Mushroom and Kale Tamales will make you incredibly glad you put in the time and your freezer is full of leftovers.
Mushroom and Kale Tamales
Ingredients
- 1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
- 2 cups boiling water
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion; finely chopped
- ½ pound shiitake mushrooms; stems discarded and caps thinly sliced
- ½ pound cremini mushrooms; thinly sliced
- 2 serrano chiles; minced
- 1 garlic clove; minced
- ¾ pound kale stems discarded and leaves finely chopped (4 cups)
- Salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- 1 ½ cups chicken stock
- ½ cup dry white wine
- ½ teaspoon finely grated lime zest
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Instructions
- In a heat safe bowl, soak the porcini in the boiling water until softened, 15 minutes; drain (reserve the soaking liquid for another use).
- Rinse the porcini, then finely chop.
- In a large, deep skillet, melt the butter in the olive oil. Add the onion and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until softened, 5 minutes.
- Stir in the porcini, shiitake and cremini. Add the chiles and garlic and cook, stirring, until tender and lightly browned, 10 minutes.
- Add the kale, season with salt and pep-per and cook until wilted.
- Add the stock and wine and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat until the kale is very tender, about 30 minutes.
- Add the lime zest and juice and cook over high heat until the liquid evaporates. Season with salt and pepper.
Let the filling cool. Reserve for Tamale Assembly.
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