Green Corn Tamales

Green corn tamales traditionally were made when local corn was ripe and chile was harvested. In recent years they have become a year-around dish thanks to corn trucked up from southern Mexico and chilies frozen at harvest time. Fresh corn on the cob is essential because when the kernels are scraped off, enough juice comes with them to make a moist, full-flavored tamale filling. Roasted chilies are laced into it (often with cheese), and the combo is tightly rolled inside a green (not dried) corn husk that is steamed until the taste of earth and fire within are exuberantly married.