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Which also happens to be the recipe I’ve adapted for this article. There is a section in the back of the book for all-time favorites from 1946. We use homemade salsa to spice ours up.
Making tamale pie is a two-step process. First make the filing, then make the corn bread topping.
Here is how I make Tamale Pie. Start with the filling.
First, gather the ingredients.
Cook 1 pound of ground beef, drain the fat and set aside.
Add the following to another sauce pan.
- 1 medium chopped onion
- 1 medium chopped red or green pepper
- 1 1/2 cup frozen or fresh corn
- 1 12 oz jar of salsa of your liking
Cook the onion, pepper and corn until soft.
Add the jar of salsa. This happens to be a medium salsa my wife canned.
Add the following to the pot.
- 1 pound cooked meat
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 teaspoons chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Measure 2 cups shredded cheese.
Add the cheese.
Pour mixture into a 9 x 13 baking dish and set aside.
Prepare the corn meal topping.
Gather the ingredients for the toping.
Bring 2 cups of water to a boil.
Measure 3/4 cups cornmeal 1/2 teaspoon salt and add to the boiling water.
You will need to stir this pretty well otherwise it just sticks together and gets lumpy.
Measure 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter and add to the cornmeal.
Pour toping over the meat filling and spread.
Bake on 375 degrees for 45 minutes.
The finished product!
Serving suggestion. Note, did not make the corn chips shown in the image above. What do you serve with your tamale pie?
- 2 medium onions chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- 1 (28 oz) can tomatoes, undrained
- I don’t use the olives. but add a can if you desire
- I don’t use raisins in mine either.
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 3 cups shredded, cooked roast beef or lean ground meat
- 1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup shredded American or cheddar cheese
- Brown the meat, drain and set aside.
- Cook the onion and garlic in oil
- Stir in the tomatoes.
- Add the olives and raisins if desired.
- Add the chili powder, salt.
- Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15-20 minutes.
- Stir in the cooked meat cheese.
- Pour this into a 9 x 13 baking dish.
- For the topping
- Boil 2 cups water and add the cornmeal.
- Cover and let sit for 10 minutes.
- Add 2 tablespoons butter and mix into the cornmeal.
- Pour the cornmeal over the meat mixture and spread evenly.
- Bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes.
- Let cool and serve.
