Tamale Pockets
Team: Red Team
Host School: Mount Anthony Union Middle School
Age Group: Middle School
Ingredients
MAUMS RED TEAM
Tamale Pockets
4-6 Tablespoons Olive Oil
3 cups shredded sweet potato
1 large onion chopped
2 Cup black beans
3 Cups Masa Harissa
3 ½ cups water divided
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 Cup Cheddar Cheese
2 cups MicroGreen/ lettuce mix
Spicy Marinara Sauce
1 ½ cups canned or frozen tomatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tsp red wine vinegar
1 clove fresh garlic
½ tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp black pepper
Preparation Instructions
MAUMS RED TEAM
Tamale Pockets
Scrub then grate your sweet potatoes
Combine 3 cups of Masa Harissa with 2 - 2 ½ cups water and a pinch of salt. Mix until a soft ball of dough has formed. Roll out into a long rectangle about ¼ of an inch thick on a piece of waxed paper.
Start a large pan on medium heat, then add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, heat for 1 min, then add your onions then sweet potato and seasonings.If the pan in dry add another dash of olive oil.
Add the black beans to the pan of vegetables and heat through.
Tamale Pockets: Cover ½ of your rolled out Masa with the sauteed vegetable bean mix and the cheese, then fold over the remaining dough to cover them. Press down lightly then cut into 1x2 inch pieces. Gently squeeze the edges of each piece together.
Add another tablespoon of olive oil to your medium heat pan and gently saute your tamale pockets for 3 minutes. Flip the tamales then add ½ cup of water to the pan, cover quickly and let them steam for 4 minutes. Be sure not to overly crowd tamale pockets in the pan. You may need to do multiple batches for the fry/ steam process.
Serve with spicy marinara sauce and micro green lettuce mix to garnish the plate.
Spicy Marinara Sauce
Directions
Use a blender to bend the tomatoes until smooth.
Add olive oil and garlic to a small pot and saute for one minutes
Add tomato puree and all remaining spices and simmer on medium heat until it becomes a thickened sauce. Stir occasionally.