Nopalito's Winter Squash Tamal -- A Reworking of Mexico's Traditional Holiday Breakfast

J. Birdsall

A fusion of atole and tamal.

Source: Nopalito, 306 Broderick (at Oak), 437-0303

Breakdown: A silken single tamal, made from house-made masa, enriched -- like all of Nopalito's vegetarian tamales -- not with lard, but butter, and, in this case, kabocha squash. The filling is butternut squash. The tamal is scattered with bits of pecan, plumped currants, and more squash, with a sauce that's an adaptation of atole, the masa-thickened drink that's a breakfast standby in Mexico. Here, the sauce contains ground pecans, piloncillo, and cinnamon. A collaboration by co-chefs Jose Ramos and Gonzalo Guzman, the tamal showed up on Nopalitos' menu last weekend, and will stay there at least through November. Starting today, the kitchen is putting currants in the butternut squash filling, too.
Note: Our pic omits the crema, which is normally squeeze-bottled over the tamal in a crisscross (we ordered it on the side). By the way, Nopalito approximates its own crema (a cultured cream, like crème fraîche) with a mixture of Greek yogurt, lime juice, and salt.

Backstory: "The dulce tamal is popular in regions all over Mexico, but mainly from the north. This is typical of something served around Christmas, a sweet tamal served with atole as a beverage. It's kind of a play on a holiday breakfast, only we made it more lunch-friendly. " --Allyson Jossel, Nopalito manager and co-owner