Pork Tamales Topped with Cilantro Cream Sauce

Today is National Soft Taco Day. While Pork Tamales are a far cry from Soft Tacos, I’m asking you to stick around anyway. After all, tamales are a Mexican Dish. And when you use Tamales found in the freezer section of your local grocery store, or fresh Tamales from the local Mexican Market, this dinner will come together in a snap.

Now I know what you are thinking – hey, were are all the step by step photos? There is a story behind this. The long and the short of it is that Hubby and I decided to do some home improvements. Okay, so we are the tenants but it’s still our home. The first thing we did was to clean up the side yard out front. The fence was covered in ivy. The ground littered with pine and the massive pine tree hadn’t been trimmed in ages. What began as a simple clean up project grew into a massive undertaking.

Once the area around the pine tree was cleaned up, the corner of the property looked terrible. The junipers were out of control, choking off the Spanish Daggers to the point that you really could not appreciate the beauty and characteristics of a Yucca. Our landlord also takes care of the yard work. He does the minimum required by the homeowner’s association which is to cut the grass and trim along the walkways. Everything else is wild. So we asked if he would mind if we did some improvements. After all, he had remarked how much he liked the little cactus garden, and could not get over the clean up we had done around the pine tree.

Sure, whatever you like – treat this as though it’s your home. Which, in reality, it is. We might not own it on paper, but we live here, so that makes it home.

It took seven days over the course of a month to dig up all the shrubs, along with their roots, to the point that we were down to bare ground and Yuccas. Then the landscapers came in to finish with rock, which was another three days to complete. During that time, the house continued to need attention. Laundry needed to be done, floors vacuumed and mopped, weekly chores, and most importantly, meals needed to be prepared. Call it lazy or just plain bushed, but by the time we were finished inside and out, it was all I could do to prepare our supper. The last thing on my mind was taking the time to stage and snap step by step photos. All I wanted to do was cook, then eat, then sleep. And not necessarily in that order.

On top of these home improvement projects, Hubby and I (along with Kiddo some of the time) were at the church, working on the Eucharistic Experience. Our parish was presenting a Eucharistic Revival of sorts, with visitors first entering a media immersion room, then walking through the “story” of the true presence of Christ in the Eucharistic throughout time. Needless to say, we’ve had a lot on our plates.

Mexican Foods, and most of all, those Margaritas, have been a nice reprieve from the hard physical demands of all we have taken on. What can I say – sorry about the missing photos, but I know you will love this dish just the same. Enjoy and have a blessed day!

Pork Tamales Topped with Cilantro Cream Sauce
Tamales
6 Pork Tamales
1 recipe Cilantro Cream Sauce (below)
3 tablespoons Sour Cream

Note: If using frozen Tamales, thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

Place about 2 cups of water in the bottom of an Instant Pot. Arrange tamales inside the steamer basket, standing up-right. Place in the insert of the Instant Pot.

Select STEAM, CUSTOM, 30 Minutes. Lock lid in place, start. While the tamales steam, make the Cilantro Cream Sauce.

Cilantro Cream Sauce
2 bunches Cilantro
2 large or 4 small Jalapeno Peppers
1-1/2 cups Heavy Cream
1/4 cup Mexican Melting Cheese

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Trim cilantro stems, blanch leaves in boiling water for about 30 seconds. Reserve blanching water. Place cilantro in a blender.

Remove stems from Jalapeno Peppers. Dice peppers, place in the blender. Blend until a smooth puree.

Heat heavy cream in a saucepot over medium heat until reduced by half. Add cilantro puree, stir to blend. Add cheese, let melt into the sauce. If the sauce appears too thick, thin with a little of the reserved blanching water to desired consistency. Keep warm, thin with reserved water as needed.

When tamales are ready, spoon a small amount of the Cilantro Cream Sauce on each plate, spread into a circle. Place a dollop of sour cream in the center of the Cilantro Sauce, drawing outward with a paring knife. Place two tamales in the center of the sauce, one slightly overlapping the other. Top with more Cilantro Cream sauce.

This is delicious with Black Refried Beans and Mexican Rice. Don’t forget the Margarita!

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God is with us.