homemade spicy shrimp tamales with roasted tomatillo sauce

Ingredients for Sauce

1 lb tomatillos, husked

1 med. size white onion, peeled, cut in half

4 cloves of garlic, peeled

2 med size anaheim green chiles, stems removed

1 small jalapeno chile

1 small serrano chile (only use half)

2 teaspoons cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup cilantro

Ingredients for Masa

2 c. prepared masa

6 oz goat cheese, set at room temp

1 bag dried cornhusks, cleaned and soaked (use the medium size)

cheese cloth or cloth to cover tamales in steamer

Ingredients for Shrimp

2 lbs jumbo shrimp, shelled and cleaned

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon coriander

salt and pepper, to taste

2 T olive oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 400*

Place tomatillos, onion, garlic, and green chiles, jalapeno and serrano on a roasting pan and bake for 15 mins. Transfer the roasted vegetables to a food processor. Add the cumin, salt, and cilantro. Pulse the mixture until combined but still chunky. You can add a little water to the mixture if is too thick. Reserve half the sauce to serve over the shrimp with the tamales.

In a large bowl, add the masa and remaining half of the tomatillo sauce. Mix well until the masa is green. Fold in the softened goat cheese.

Place the cornhusks on a sheet pan covered by a damp towel. Lay the husk flat on a cutting board or flat surface with the smooth side up and the narrow end facing you. Spread a 1/2” layer of the masa mixture over the surface of the husk with a tablespoon leaving a 1/2” margin on the sides. Fold the narrow end of the husk up to the center then fold both sides together to enclose the filling. Then fold the wide top closed.

Stand the tamales up in a large steamer with the top end up. Make sure the bottom of the pot has 2” of water. The water should not touch the tamales. Lay a damp cloth/cheese cloth over the tamales and cover with lid. Keep the water at a low boil, checking periodically to make sure the water doesn't boil away. Steam the tamales for 2 hours.

When the tamales are done, in a large bowl, mix together cumin, chili powder, cayenne, coriander, salt, and pepper and coat shrimp. Heat oil in a large pan and cook the shrimp for 5 mins until pink. You do not want to cook shrimp ahead of time nor overcook shrimp.

To serve, unfold the tamales on a plate, top with the spicy shrimp and spoon the heated remaining reserved tomatillo sauce over the top.

Optional: top with sour cream and chopped cilantro.