Until last week I had never eaten much less made a Tamale Pie and neither had Dan. Over the years I have looked at a few recipes but they never captured my interest. Most of the recipes I saw were pretty much the same. A couple of weeks ago, I saw yet another recipe pop up. I carefully read it and immediately said ” This sounds pretty ho-hum, I think I can do better.” Apparently I was successful because not only did Sparky really enjoy it, I took a casserole dish up to my neighbors and this is what happened. Tom told me that he loved Tamale Pie and had not had one in years. Many, many years ago, his grandmother often made them and it was one of his favorites. I was immediately intimidated because here I was a rookie and I had to compete with the memory of his Grandmother’s! I was truly surprised and humbled when Tom told me my Tamale Pie was the best he had ever eaten. Much better than his Grandmothers! The ingredient list is lengthy but it is easy to put together. Soooo…….here’s what I did. I cut back on the beef and added a can of black beans. Anaheim peppers have much more flavor depth than a green bell pepper so that is what I used. I added a can of diced green chilies, cilantro, cumin and shoepeg corn which is so much more tender than regular corn.
This is what we’ll need.
Beef and Bean Tamale Pie
Ingredients
Tamale Pie
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 15 oz can Black Beans rinsed and drained
- 1 Tbsp cooking oil like canola
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 2 large Garlic Cloves minced
- 1 cup chopped Anaheim Pepper about 1 whole pepper
- 2 14 oz cans diced Tomatoes I used a quart of my home canned tomatoes
- 1 can Shoe Peg Corn
- 1/4 cup chopped Cilantro
- 1 -4 oz can diced green chilies
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp Chili Powder
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup Black Olives sliced in half
- 1/2 cup Yellow Cornmeal
- 1 cup water
Cheesy corn bread topping
- 1-1/2 cups Whole Milk
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup Yellow Cornmeal
- 1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- 2 large eggs lightly beaten
- Cilantro for serving
- Sour Cream for serving
Instructions
- Prep the onion, olives, peppers and garlic.
- In a LARGE 12 inch skillet, brown the ground beef with the onion, Anaheim pepper, green chilies and garlic. Pour off any extra fat. If using lean ground beef there should not be much, if any extra fat.
- That's looking just like we want it!
- Stir in the tomatoes, corn and black olives along with the salt, pepper, chili powder, cilantro and cumin. Simmer for 5-10 minutes while you are cleaning up, etc.
- Stir the first 1/2 cup cornmeal into 1 cup of water. Add this to the ground beef mixture and stir in well. Cover and cook over low heat for about 10 minutes. Looking good!
- Spoon the beef and bean mixture into the prepared 9x13 inch pan. Or, in my case, 2 smaller pans. Use whatever works for you.
- In a medium size sauce pan, combine the milk with the 1 tsp salt and the butter. Heat until hot but not boiling. Gradually stir in 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal.
- Cook and stir until thickened, anywhere from 2-4 minutes.
- Remove from heat and quickly stir in the cheese and the beaten eggs. Stir and stir and stir until well incorporated.
- Pour and spread the cornmeal topping over the bean and beef mixture. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes or until the cornmeal is golden brown.
- Cut into squares and serve with Sour Cream and fresh chopped Cilantro.
- Thanks for stopping by today! It is vital to us to look far beyond politics and pandemics. Who, beyond me looks for "normal?" We go to work, to school, shopping, creating, cooking, golf, hockey and more. There is so much more to life than what is going on in Washington. Sooooo much more! I ask you to join me in "life goes on" and sharing your hopes, dreams and good times here on The Journey Girl. I can not tell you how much I appreciate your support. I encourage all of my followers to support each other, live, laugh and love. Hugs and MUCH love from me, Karen, TJG
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