I had a load of spinach to cook last night, and I had a strong craving for
tamales. I decided to make a spinach filling. I started by sauteeing in olive
oil the following: onion, mushrooms (including some nice huitlacoche, a fungus
that grows on corn and is used in Mexican cooking), garlic, jalapeños, fresh
thyme and oregano, salt and pepper. When that was all nice and soft, I added the
spinach and cooked it down over high heat until there was very little moisture left.

The rest of my procedure for making tamales can be found here (I used the above
filling instead of the TVP one in my recipe):
http://snipurl.com/6oi1

The spinach is a different flavor and texture than most veggie fillings I use,
but the tamales were pretty good. I normally use some kind of mix of squash,
mushrooms, kale, beans, etc., and even TVP.

I served them with small red beans (aka Colorados; they look like dark pintos
when they finish cooking), mixed greens and sprout salad, fresh guacamole, and
fresh cut fruit with a cinnamon dipping sauce for dessert.

"usual suspect" > wrote in message
...
> I had a load of spinach to cook last night, and I had a strong
craving for
> tamales. I decided to make a spinach filling. I started by sauteeing
in olive
> oil the following: onion, mushrooms (including some nice
huitlacoche, a fungus
> that grows on corn and is used in Mexican cooking), garlic,
jalapeños, fresh
> thyme and oregano, salt and pepper. When that was all nice and soft,
I added the
> spinach and cooked it down over high heat until there was very
little moisture left.
>
> The rest of my procedure for making tamales can be found here (I
used the above
> filling instead of the TVP one in my recipe):
> http://snipurl.com/6oi1
>
> The spinach is a different flavor and texture than most veggie
fillings I use,
> but the tamales were pretty good. I normally use some kind of mix of
squash,
> mushrooms, kale, beans, etc., and even TVP.
>
> I served them with small red beans (aka Colorados; they look like
dark pintos
> when they finish cooking), mixed greens and sprout salad, fresh
guacamole, and
> fresh cut fruit with a cinnamon dipping sauce for dessert.

Oh man, this sounds great. Thanks for the link to your tamale recipe.
I actually thought about trying them the other day and meant to ask
you for the link. Do you get the huitlacoches fresh or canned? I've
never seen them fresh up here in PA and canned only once in awhile at
one of our few hispanic stores. And what is in the cinnamon dipping
sauce?

C. James Strutz wrote:
<...>
> Oh man, this sounds great.

Thanks.

> Thanks for the link to your tamale recipe.

No problem.

> I actually thought about trying them the other day and meant to ask
> you for the link.

You can always search the Google groups archives for "author:suspect tamales".

> Do you get the huitlacoches fresh or canned?

Fresh/dried. It's available in cans, too. It may be labeled "cuitlacoche" or
huitlacoche.

> I've
> never seen them fresh up here in PA and canned only once in awhile at
> one of our few hispanic stores.

That's probably going to be your best source for it without going the mail-order
route. You can always ask them if they have any fresh huitlacoche.

> And what is in the cinnamon dipping sauce?

I should've said it was non-vegan. I used freshly ground cinnamon, turbinado
sugar, fresh vanilla bean, Butter Buds, and fat-free half-and-half. Cooked it
down until it a thicker consistency and the sugar was dissolved. I suppose the
same could be made with soy or rice milk and some kind of thickening agent like
corn starch. I only tasted a little of it and it was really good (it was for my
girlfriend, who consumes dairy, and her friend who came over to join us).

Correction...

usual suspect wrote:
<..>
>> Do you get the huitlacoches fresh or canned?
>
> Fresh/dried.

Forget the dried part. They'll either be fresh or canned. I haven't tried canned
ones because we get them fresh down here.

<...>

As a little sidenote to anyone using a recipe calling for spinach, a
good (and possibly better) substitute might be found on your next
field hike: Lamb's Quarters
http://www.cloudnet.com/~djeans/FlwP...bs-quarter.htm , actually
a quite common "weed" that was originally an escaped garden plant.
It's quite tasty and doesn't have the bitterness of spinach. (Read
the page for more informative info.)

usual suspect > wrote in message >...
> I had a load of spinach to cook last night, and I had a strong craving for
> tamales. I decided to make a spinach filling. I started by sauteeing in olive
> oil the following: onion, mushrooms (including some nice huitlacoche, a fungus
> that grows on corn and is used in Mexican cooking), garlic, jalapeños, fresh
> thyme and oregano, salt and pepper. When that was all nice and soft, I added the
> spinach and cooked it down over high heat until there was very little moisture left.
>
> The rest of my procedure for making tamales can be found here (I used the above
> filling instead of the TVP one in my recipe):
> http://snipurl.com/6oi1
>
> The spinach is a different flavor and texture than most veggie fillings I use,
> but the tamales were pretty good. I normally use some kind of mix of squash,
> mushrooms, kale, beans, etc., and even TVP.
>
> I served them with small red beans (aka Colorados; they look like dark pintos
> when they finish cooking), mixed greens and sprout salad, fresh guacamole, and
> fresh cut fruit with a cinnamon dipping sauce for dessert.

Auntie Nettles wrote:

> As a little sidenote to anyone using a recipe calling for spinach, a
> good (and possibly better) substitute might be found on your next
> field hike: Lamb's Quarters
> http://www.cloudnet.com/~djeans/FlwP...bs-quarter.htm , actually
> a quite common "weed" that was originally an escaped garden plant.
> It's quite tasty and doesn't have the bitterness of spinach. (Read
> the page for more informative info.)

Fresh spinach isn't bitter.

> usual suspect > wrote in message >...
>
>>I had a load of spinach to cook last night, and I had a strong craving for
>>tamales. I decided to make a spinach filling. I started by sauteeing in olive
>>oil the following: onion, mushrooms (including some nice huitlacoche, a fungus
>>that grows on corn and is used in Mexican cooking), garlic, jalapeños, fresh
>>thyme and oregano, salt and pepper. When that was all nice and soft, I added the
>>spinach and cooked it down over high heat until there was very little moisture left.
>>
>>The rest of my procedure for making tamales can be found here (I used the above
>>filling instead of the TVP one in my recipe):
>>http://snipurl.com/6oi1
>>
>>The spinach is a different flavor and texture than most veggie fillings I use,
>>but the tamales were pretty good. I normally use some kind of mix of squash,
>>mushrooms, kale, beans, etc., and even TVP.
>>
>>I served them with small red beans (aka Colorados; they look like dark pintos
>>when they finish cooking), mixed greens and sprout salad, fresh guacamole, and
>>fresh cut fruit with a cinnamon dipping sauce for dessert.

Hmmm, I see your little pal is so a-skeered of my pointing out his
theft of my account, he's gone so far as to
nuke all my posts from Google, including a harmless and educational
one about food.

Anyways, where were we? ...Let's try again:

usual suspect wrote:

>Auntie Nettles wrote:
>
>> As a little sidenote to anyone using a recipe calling for spinach,
a
>> good (and possibly better) substitute might be found on your next
>> field hike: Lamb's Quarters
>> http://www.cloudnet.com/~djeans/FlwP...bs-quarter.htm ,
actually
>> a quite common "weed" that was originally an escaped garden plant.
>> It's quite tasty and doesn't have the bitterness of spinach.
(Read
>> the page for more informative info.)
>
>Fresh spinach isn't bitter.

To some people, it might be. Certain vegetables contain substances
that taste differently to different people, depending on the
individual:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbo...ertaster.shtml

>> usual suspect > wrote in message >...
>>
>>>I had a load of spinach to cook last night, and I had a strong
craving for
>>>tamales. I decided to make a spinach filling. I started by
sauteeing in olive
>>>oil the following: onion, mushrooms (including some nice
huitlacoche, a fungus
>>>that grows on corn and is used in Mexican cooking), garlic,
jalapeños, fresh
>>>thyme and oregano, salt and pepper. When that was all nice and
soft, I added the
>>>spinach and cooked it down over high heat until there was very
little moisture left.
>>>
>>>The rest of my procedure for making tamales can be found here (I
used the above
>>>filling instead of the TVP one in my recipe):
>>>http://snipurl.com/6oi1
>>>
>>>The spinach is a different flavor and texture than most veggie
fillings I use,
>>>but the tamales were pretty good. I normally use some kind of mix
of squash,
>>>mushrooms, kale, beans, etc., and even TVP.
>>>
>>>I served them with small red beans (aka Colorados; they look like
dark pintos
>>>when they finish cooking), mixed greens and sprout salad, fresh
guacamole, and
>>>fresh cut fruit with a cinnamon dipping sauce for dessert.
>

Prick wrote:
> Hmmm, I see your little pal is so a-skeered of my pointing out his
> theft of my account, he's gone so far as to
> nuke all my posts from Google, including a harmless and educational
> one about food.

Liar.

> Anyways, where were we? ...Let's try again:
>
<...>
>>Fresh spinach isn't bitter.
>
> To some people, it might be. Certain vegetables contain substances
> that taste differently to different people, depending on the
> individual:
>
> http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbo...ertaster.shtml

Cooking vegetables reduces the amount of PROP. Besides, spinach is lower than
cruciferous veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, and (especially) cabbage.