Tamale Pie Recipe and Pictures

[whitewhiskers]

Made this over the weekend.
Ingredients:

2 pounds lean ground beef – fresh not frozen
15 ounce can kidney beans
15 ounce can whole kernel corn
24 ounce jar medium heat picante sauce
small can sliced black olives – optional
1 pound block sharp cheddar cheese, enough for 2 cups loosely shredded
1 box cornbread mix for 8”x8” or 9”x9” square pan
13” x 9” three quart baking dish

Directions: Cook in large skillet ground beef with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Remove any fat after cooking. With a colander, drain and rinse under water the kidney beans, corn, and olives. Add to skillet with picante sauce. Stir well. Cover and set burner to medium heat.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees f. Grate the cheese. Prepare cornbread batter per box directions. Spray baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

Assembly: The beef filling should be hot and bubbling. Spoon evenly into baking dish until 3/4 full. There may be some filling left, that’s for the cook to eat later. Pour evenly the cornbread batter on top of beef filling, leaving room for the cornbread to rise. Evenly place shredded cheese on top of cornbread batter. The baking dish should be quite full now.

Place baking dish in oven for 30 minutes. Serve immediately. Have some sour cream, guacamole, and extra salsa on the table for your dinner guests. A large side bowl of a fresh garden salad also makes for an excellent part of this meal. Enjoy and happy times for all!

 

[mikael3]

That looks good.  I remember something like that from when I was a kid.  I haven’t seen it in decades.

 

[appnut]

The beef base is almost exactly like what I used to make a enchilada casserole for Cinco de Mayo. About the only difference is being layers of tortillas, beef mixture, and cheese.

 

[ea56]

I use the Albers Corn meal recipe from the back of the box for Tamale Pie whenever I make one.

 

 I will often substitute about 2-3 cups of  cooked shredded or diced chicken for the ground beef.  I also put the cheese on top of the meat mixture before putting on the top crust.  This way the cheese melts nicely into the filling instead of getting hard on top of the crust.

 

When I make the top crust I place the reserved cornmeal mush mixture on a large piece of waxed paper and press it out to the size and dimensions of the pan and then turn it over on top of the filling and carefully  peel off the waxed paper.  I then cut about 6 small vent holes in the top crust and crimp the bottom and top crusts together around the edges to seal it before baking the Tamale Pie.  Let the Tamale Pie rest at least 15 mins after taking it out of the oven and it will cut and serve nicely without running all over the plate.

 

 I prefer the cornmeal mush type of crust rather that the cornbread type of crust because it more closely replicates the flavor of a Tamale.  BTW, the photo in the link is NOT what the finished Tamale Pie looks like made this way.  That photo is clearly of a Tamale Pie topped with a cornbread topping, not a cornmeal mush topping.  The evaporated milk called for in the topping recipe gives the crust a very rich flavor.

 

Reading this thread makes me want to make a Tamale Pie soon.

 

Eddie

http://alberscorn.com/tamale-pie/

 

[whitewhiskers]

Muy Picante

Here's another version of my tamale pie we had for dinner last night. I was thinking spicy so used a different cornbread with jalapeno. Also notice the Tapatio Hot Sauce on the table, so much better than Tabasco. That stuff is like liquid fire, a little goes a long way. Overall it was a great dinner, my lips and tongue were burning!

 

[mopar65]

Tabasco

Is nasty! Tapatio is definitely the way to go.