Christmas tamales · The tamalada

Rajas con queso filling for tamales

45 minutes · makes enough for about 2 dozen tamales

A photo like it · Ivette Degollado, CC0, Wikimedia Commons

The vegetarian one everyone eats: strips of roasted poblano and soft onion with melting cheese. Make the masa with shortening and veg broth and they're fully vegetarian.

You need

• 5 poblano peppers
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 white onion, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1/4 cup Mexican crema or sour cream
• 10 oz (280 g) Oaxaca cheese or Monterey Jack, cut in thin sticks about 2 inches long

How to make it

1. Char the poblanos directly over a gas flame or under the broiler, turning with tongs, until black all over, about 8 to 10 minutes.
2. Put them in a bowl, cover with a plate and let them steam 10 minutes, so the skins loosen.
3. Rub off the blackened skin with your fingers or a paper towel (don't rinse them; you'll wash off the flavor). Pull out the stems and seeds and cut the peppers into strips about 1/4 inch wide.
4. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium. Cook the onion with the salt for 8 minutes, until soft and starting to brown. Add the garlic for 1 minute, then the poblano strips for 2 minutes more.
5. Take it off the heat, stir in the crema and taste for salt. Cool.
6. Keep the cheese separate: at the table, each tamal gets a spoon of rajas and one or two sticks of cheese on top.

Good to know

• Wear gloves if your skin is sensitive; poblanos are mild but some run hot.
• A few kernels of corn in with the rajas is a good Mexico City move.

Then fill and steam them: the masa, and how to fill, fold and steam.

The rest of the tamalada

Or order a dozen: 25 makers

Chef Amazing's own recipe. Save it and it opens in Chef Amazing with a timeline, mise en place and what you already have.