Hot Tamale Pie

 




I saw a recipe on the cover of a cooking magazine that inspired this dish. I get inspired by dishes I see and never seem to be able to follow a recipe completely....it's more fun that way! Here you have a spicy filling that is topped with a soft, sweet corn bread that helps tune down the heat. 

Tips:

Short cuts - a few options to save some time here would be using a frozen onion and pepper mix in place of the fresh version, a taco seasoning packet in place of the seasonings, or a boxed corn muffin mix in place of the topping.

Make it veggie - to make this a vegetarian friendly dish, replace the meat with a hearty vegetable like eggplant, summer squash or cooked rice.

Oven Temperature: 400 degrees

Prep Time: 10-20 minutes

  Cook Time: 35-40 minutes

Servings: 8-10 servings or 1,  8x8 - inch pan

1 lb ground beef or turkey 
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 jalapeno, minced
2 teaspoons (3-4 cloves) garlic, minced
1, 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
1, 15 ounce can black eyed peas or black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup whole kernel sweet corn, frozen
1 Tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon cilantro, dried
1 teaspoon oregano, dried
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Topping:
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup milk
1 egg
2 tablespoons oil
Shredded cheese (if desired)


Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Prepare an 8x8 inch pan by spraying it lightly with cooking spray. Set aside.

2) Preheat a large skillet over medium heat and brown the ground meat. 

3) Transfer the browned meat into a large dish and set aside.

4) Drain all but 1 Tablespoon of fat from the pan. Saute the peppers, onions over medium heat until translucent. Add to the pan the jalapeno and garlic and cook for another 3 minutes.

5) Add to the pan the tomatoes, peas/beans, corn and all of the seasonings.

6) Cook for 2-3 minutes or until the corn is heated through and remove from heat. Pour the meat mixture in to the prepared 8x8 inch baking dish.

7) In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir until mixed and set aside.

8) In a separate small bowl, whisk together the milk, egg and oil.

9) Pour the wet ingredients into the cornmeal mixture and stir just until combined (20-25 strokes).

10) Pour the topping over the meat filling in the prepared baking dish. 

11) Bake for 35-40 minutes until the topping is golden brown. Serve and top with shredded cheese (if desired).