Tamale pie is a great casserole that's a hell of a lot easier than making actual tamales is. Since I consider beef to be a Meat of Evil (except on occasion and in certain dishes) I decided it was time the flay the yardbird and transform it from fowl to delicious. Don't be afraid of the habaneros: it's spicy but not a gastronomic air-fuel bomb.
Preparation: recommended min. 9 hrs.
Cooking: 2 hours
Servings: 10 to 12
Est. cost: about $10
Today's Specimen
Ingredients
← Filling
- 1¼ lb. chicken, steamed and shredded
- 4 small habaneros, small diced (marinade)
- 2 tsp. chili powder (marinade)
- ¼ tsp. black pepper (marinade)
- ¼ tsp. salt (marinade)
- 2 cups yellow onion, small diced
- 1 cup poblano pepper, small diced
- 2 tbsp. garlic, fine diced
- 1 cup whole kernel corn, drained
- 1 (14 oz.) can black beans, with juice
- 1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes, with juice
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- ½ tsp. basil
- ½ tsp. oregano
- ¼ tsp. black pepper
- ¼ tsp. salt
- ¼ cup tomato puree
← Crust
- 1 cup corn meal
- 4 cups water
- 1 tsp. chili powder
- 1 pinch (⅛ tsp.) cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp. canola oil
- ½ lb. sharp or extra sharp cheddar, grated (topping)
- 1 (7 oz.) can green chilies (topping)
Directions
- Marinate the chicken with the habaneros, chili powder, salt, and pepper in a bag with just enough water to barely cover — mixing well — for at least eight hours.
- Boil three cups of the water for the filling with the butter and while doing that mix the corn meal, chili powder, salt, and cayenne in one cup of water and then slowly stir into the boiling water. A sauce pan is better than a pot for this. Stir the mixture and set aside to cool and set some.
- In a medium pot on medium-high heat cook the poblano, onion, and garlic filling ingredients for ten minutes and then add all the rest of the filling ingredients, including all the liquid from the marinade. Simmer for at least an hour uncovered. Drain thoroughly — leaving the filling still very moist — and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 375ºF. Oil the casserole pan with the canola oil and evenly spread half of the cornmeal with a fork. Add the drained filling and spread evenly, pressing down lightly with a fork to make even. Add the rest of the cornmeal and spread evenly as before with a fork.
- Bake uncoverd on the middle rack once the oven's preheated for 45 minutes then remove and top with the cheese and green chilies and replace to bake for an additional 15 minutes. Remove and let cool for fifteen minutes before serving. Sour cream tastes pretty good with this, too.
Next Time in the Lab
You know, the only thing I can think of to do to this is add some cilantro to the filling. Other than that this is pretty much just what I want in a tamale pie.
- Add ¾ cup fresh cilantro, chopped.
