Tamales in my family, are always what can be only be referred to as ‘bien dados,’ a phrase with no literal translation but that can only mean large, chunky, well proportioned, will not leave you hungry. If you have to eat more than two or three of these tamales, they are decidedly not bien dados.
Making corn tamales with American corn is a much different experience than when using Mexican corn, requiring more time and work. The corn is smaller, sweeter and filled with moisture. The husks are usually useless, and there is usually no point in reserving them to wrap the tamales. Usually.
Thankfully, heirloom varieties of American corn haven’t forgotten how to be proper corn. They’re still slightly too sweet and too wet, but occasionally, with careful cutting rather than forceful pulling, the husks will still be large enough to once again wrap the corn it originally contained.
To deal with the excess of moisture in the corn, plan ahead and allow the corn to drain for a few hours and press out any excess moisture. Mixing in a bit of maseca (or corn masa flour) will absorb any remaining moisture and help bind the ground corn.
This is a recipe for which I do not recommend under any circumstances using frozen corn, as it would simply have too much moisture to it and would be a wasted effort.
If the corn has husks large enough to use as wrappers for the tamales, approximately 8″ wide and at least as long, cut all the way around the base of the ear with a sharp knife. Peel off the husks, stacking and pressing them flat to ease working with them. Cover loosely with a damp kitchen towel and refrigerate until ready to use. If the husks are not usable, tear away. The silk of the corn can be reserved and dried if desired. Consumed as tea, corn silk has many health benefits. Working over a large shallow container lined with a clean kitchen towel, hold the corn vertically and carefully cut away the grains. Cut deep into the corn, even cutting into the cob itself, which holds a lot of flavor begging to be taken advantage of. Depending on the size, each ear of corn should produce approximately one to one and a half cups of cut grain. Use a food processor or meat grinder to coarsely grind the corn. Roast the peppers under the broiler or on a grill lightly charred. The skin on anaheims is very thin and can burn quickly. Sweat the peppers in a covered container at room temperature until cool enough to handle. Remove the skin, stem and seeds from the peppers. Cut into 1/4″ strips, or rajas. Cut the cheese into 1/4″ by 2″ long pieces. Whip room temperature butter until very fluffy, approximately 5 minutes, mixing in the baking powder. Mix in the corn, seasoning with kosher salt to taste, and combining well. If the batter should have the consistency of cake batter. If too runny, add in the maseca one tablespoon at a time, mixing in completely before adding more, as needed. If using fresh corn husks, rinse well with hot water. If using dried husks, rinse well under running water and soak in boiling hot water for approximately 15-20 minutes, or until soft and pliable. Drain before using. To assemble the tamales, hold a corn husk at the widest part. Spread an approximately 1/4″ thick layer of the corn mixture on the husk, measuring around 7″ wide by 4″ high. Place cheese and pepper strips in the center of the tamal and fold to enclose them. It is usually necessary to use more than one husk to completely enclose the tamal. Place a steamer basket inside a deep pot just big enough to hold the tamales and line with a layer of corn husks. Be sure there are at least 2″ of room to fill with water between the pot and the steamer basket. The tamales will cook best if standing vertically in the pot without too much overlap between them so they cook evenly. Cover the top of the tamales with more corn husks and cover the pot. Cook over medium heat for approximately 40 minutes. Tamales should feel set yet still soft when done. Be very sure to not run out of water in the pot. Scorched corn husks absorb an acrid burnt smell and taste. Not being vigilant about your water level means all the effort in making the tamales will be completely wasted. Keep a kettle of warm water handy in case it is necessary to add more water. Allow the tamales to cool for ten minutes before eating. If you can wait that long.Corn Tamales
Cucumbers and limes 
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