Humitas

This is a traditional pervian restaurant that has been around for generations. It is often compared the tamales that the Mexican culture made so famous.

References:

• Servings- 10 humitas
• Preparation Time- 2 hours

Ingredients:

• 8 fresh ears of corn
• ¼ cup of either vegetable shortening or lard
• 2 teaspoons of salt
• 1 tablespoon of aji amarillo paste
• an additional 4 tablespoons of either vegetable shortening or lard
• 4 ounces of cream cheese
• ½ teaspoon of cumin

Preparation Instructions:

• Take the ears of corn and cut the ends off. Then very carefully remove the different layers of the husk. Try to keep the big pieces of the husk as well together as you can. Then scrape the corn kernels off the cobs and into a bowl.
• Take a large pot and cover the bottom of it with some of the corn cobs that you have. Add an inch of water into the pot.
• Take the corn kernels and put them in either food processor or blender. Then blend or process until you get a smooth texture. If the corn is to dry and is giving you a difficult time to blend it then simply add 1 or 2 tablespoons of milk.
• Melt the lard or vegetable oil in a skillet with medium heat. Then put the onions in the skillet to sauté them until they are transparent. Then add the cumin and aji paste and continue to sauté for 3 more minutes. Season all of the ingredients with salt and pepper to your liking.
• Take the corn mixture and put it with the sautéed onions. Continue to cook for 2-3 more minutes. Remove the mixture from the heat and then stir in the 4 ounces of cream cheese.
• Now bring the pot of water with the corn cobs to a light boil. Once the water is boiling place the corn husks in it for just 2 minutes to allow them to soften some.
• Now take one husk, lay it flat and spoon roughly 3 tablespoons of the corn mixture in the wide area of the cornhusk. Fold one of the corn husk sides over the corn mixture. Then take the pointy end of the husk and tuck it inside where you folded the other side.
• Put the husks seam side down in the pot of boiling water on top of the cobs that are already there. Then layer the humitas over the corn cobs . Make sure the humitas is not touching the boiling water.
• With the unused husks cover the humitas and then cover the pot with its lid.
• Continue to steam for 25 minutes occasionally adding a little water so that the pot doesn’t go dry.
• After you are finished steaming the contents remove the pot from the heat, let it cool down a bit and put on a serving plate to eat!