Mama's Yeehaw Tamale Pie
Why I Love This Recipe
"Imagine tamales without the cornhusks; you're halfway to tamale pie.
Nobody knows where tamale pie originated. It is made with the same things used for actual tamales, but in this preparation the ingredients are layered and baked in a dish instead of wrapped in cornhusks. For a shortcut, just top it with broken-up corn chips."
Don't ask me where the name for this recipe came from (I little odd of you ask me!), but I got this out of our local newspaper quite some time ago. The statement in the quotes "..." are from the newspaper article. I've never tried this using broken-up corn chips, but it's very good using the directions using the corn meal.
Ingredients You'll Need
1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce
4 large tomatoes, roughly cut up
1 cup whole kernel corn
1/4 cup ripe olives, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Ground black pepper, to taste
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
For the Topping:
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 cups cold water
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese, optional
Directions
Brown the ground beef with the onions and green pepper; drain well. Add the tomato sauce, tomatoes, corn, olives, garlic, salt, cumin, chili powder, cilantro, and black pepper. Heat to boiling, reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, for about 20 minutes or until thickened. Add cheese and stir until cheese is melted. Set filling aside.
In a saucepan, combine the cornmeal, salt, cumin, water, and chili powder. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thick. Stir in butter. Spread half of the mixture into a baking dish (about 12x8-inches). Spoon filling over the bottom crust; spoon remaining cornmeal mixture on top of the filling.
Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. If desired, sprinkle cheddar cheese over the crust about 5 minutes before casserole is done.