Instructions: With a sharp knife or cleaver, remove about 1/4 inch from ends of each ear of corn, cutting through husk, corn and cob. Peel off husks without tearing them; rinse; if soiled. To keep moist, put in plastic bags and seal; set aside. Pull silk from corn and discard; rinse corn.

With a knife or corn scraper; cut kernels from cobs to make 4 cups, lightly packed. Put corn through a food chopper fitted with a fine blade or whirl in a food processor until finely ground. Mix with lard and sugar; season to taste with salt. stir in cheese and chilies.

For each tamale, select a wide, pliable husk. Center 1 1/3 tablespoons of the corn filling near stem (firmer) end. Fold a side of husk over to completely cover filling, then fold over other side. Fold up flexible end to seal. Gently stack tamales, folded ends down, on a rack in a steamer, supporting them against other tamales so ends stay shut.

Steam as you would regular tamales until centers are firm to touch; unwrap to test ( about 1 hour ). Serve at once or keep warm in steamer over low heat for up to an hour.

To freeze, let cool completely. Place in a single layer or baking sheets and freeze; when frozen. Transfer to plastic bags and store in freezer for up to 6 months. To reheat, let thaw; then steam for about 15 minutes.

Makes 3 dozen
tamales.

If you would like to email yourself the recipe for later use, or share the recipe with your friends or family, enter the email addresses below and this recipe will be emailed to you and others as well.