75 tamale recipes

Pateles are Puerto Rican green banana tamales: grated green banana and potato dough wrapped around achiote-spiced pork in banana leaves, then boiled until tender. Holiday tradition across the Caribbean and beyond.

This traditional bread served in Mexico celebrates the Epiphany! Usually hidden inside is a coin or toy baby and whoever finds it gets to make the tamales for Candelmas!

Homemade red chili sauce from dried red chili pods, garlic, and salt. Just three ingredients blended smooth for enchiladas, tamales, burritos, and any Mexican dish that needs real chile flavor.

A Tex-Mex tamale-style bake with seasoned ground beef, green chilies, melted Monterey Jack, and a golden cornbread crust. Pantry ingredients, one baking dish, and dinner is on the table.

Sole or cod steamed in corn husks with poblanos, roasted red peppers, tomatoes, and garlic. A Mexican-inspired fish preparation that cooks like a tamale with bright chile flavors and zero cleanup.

Beef tamale pie with seasoned ground beef, peppers, salsa, and black olives sandwiched between two layers of golden cornbread, topped with melted Colby Jack. A potluck-sized 9x13 crowd-pleaser that serves 12.

No-bean beef chili with cornmeal dumplings simmers slow-cooker style with enchilada sauce, tomatoes, and black olives, then gets crowned with soft cornmeal mounds and melted cheddar. Tamale-pie meets chili in one pot.

I've been making Headquarters Chili since before leaving Philly for Vegas in 1991. I use turkey meat, sometimes over rice, sometimes as Sloppy Joes, sometimes as a Tamale Pie. Traditionally I make it for Presidents' Day, but this year I'm doing it for Super Bowl Sunday. It keeps me off the Vegas Strip that replaces our lost Las Vegas Zoo.

Try making the French version of apple pie today that's both scrumptious and healthy for you.

Onion vetha kozhambu, a tangy South Indian tamarind gravy simmered with small onions, sambar powder, and a hit of hing, thickened with rice flour. A bold, sour-spicy Tamil curry to spoon over hot rice. Vegan.

Asafetida, mango powder, and black salt distinguish the chat masala from other masalas, giving the blend a sourness that makes it a welcome accompaniment to fresh fruit and other snacks. 'Chat' refers to various snacks and to the North Indian cafes that serve them. Fresh fruit often is sprinkled with lime juice and chat masala. Black salt (which is actually reddish gray), available at Indian food stores, has a distinctive flavor that's quite different from sea salt or table salt. The garam masala is the wild card in this recipe; either one of the (Tamil Nadu Curry Powder or Punjabi-Style Garam Masala) masalas may be used.