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I found my original recipe from Dec 1958. It was in the Ladies Home Journal. I am going to make it Friday or Sat with a few adjustments due to our changing appetite. Here it is and here are the changes I am going to make.
Cheese Tamale Pie
1 lb Slt Pork; diced or ground 2
2 sm onions chopped
1 c. chopped bell pepper
2 cups canned tomatoes
2 cups corn
1 C. Milk
1 C. yellow corn meal
1 8 oz pkg cream cheese: room temp
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp chili powder
2 eggs; beaten
1 cup grated cheese
1 C. pitted olives
Brown the salk pork, add onions and bell pepper in a large skillet. Add tomatoes, corn and milk. Heat thoroughly; when heated add corn meal, slowly stirring until mixture thickens. Add remaining ingredients, saving 1/2 the grated cheese. Pour into a large casserole dish, top with remaining cheese and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.
New recipe: replace salt and chili powder with a package of taco seasoning: replace bell pepper with jalapeno (unless you are serving it to people who do not like heat) and use chicken, ground pork or hamburger instead of salt pork if you can not find it.
I am really anxious to give it another try. it has been so many years.
My mom used to a make it with a frozen chili brick that I don't think has been available for a long time.
It's a layered casserole. Beef chili, well cooked loose corn meal mush, cheddar cheese, and it's always had black olives in it whenever I've had it, no matter who made it.
I've never had tamale pie made with masa harina. It is always made with corn meal, but the corn meal has to be precooked into mush and it is made with more water than usual, so it is a bit loose, not solid.
I just use my shredded beef/ red chili type of chili, but it can easily be made with a red chili hamburger type of chili and that would be a lot faster. In fact, you could fry up some burger and diced onion and add a can of red enchilada sauce to it and that would work.
Exactly what my Mom made. That "chili brick", interesting, my Dad and I were just talking about that. Haven't seen it in forever
4 tbsp. butter
Salt
2 1⁄4 cups coarse cornmeal
2 tbsp. bacon drippings or vegetable oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 small green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 1⁄4 lbs. lean ground beef
1 tbsp. chili powder
1⁄2 tsp. ground cumin
1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Rub a 2 1⁄2-quart casserole dish with 1 tbsp. of the butter; set aside. Put 1 quart water and 2 tsp. salt into a medium pot; bring to a boil. Gradually add cornmeal while whisking vigorously. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring often, until thick, 8–10 minutes. Add remaining 3 tbsp. butter and stir until combined. Spoon half the cornmeal mixture into the prepared dish. Spread out with the back of a wet spoon to cover the bottom and sides completely; set aside. Cover remaining cornmeal mixture to keep warm and set aside.
2. Heat drippings in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions, peppers, and garlic and cook, stirring often, until softened, 7–8 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high; add beef, chili powder, and cumin; cook until meat is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and salt to taste and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, 6-8 minutes.
3. Spoon filling into casserole, then top with remaining cornmeal mixture, spreading it out with the back of a wet spoon to cover the filling. Bake until top is crisp and sides are bubbling, 30–35 minutes.
Well we had it last night and I guess we must have liked it. Normally what I made would have been 4 to 6 servings, we ate every bite of it. I did adjust the milk as I thought the pie was a little to thick after I added the corn meal. I wish I had not added extra milk, it made it just a little to runny. It didn't affect the flavor but it did affect the appearance. The addition of the taco seasoning was the perfect touch.
My mom used to a make it with a frozen chili brick that I don't think has been available for a long time.
It's a layered casserole. Beef chili, well cooked loose corn meal mush, cheddar cheese, and it's always had black olives in it whenever I've had it, no matter who made it.
I've never had tamale pie made with masa harina. It is always made with corn meal, but the corn meal has to be precooked into mush and it is made with more water than usual, so it is a bit loose, not solid.
I just use my shredded beef/ red chili type of chili, but it can easily be made with a red chili hamburger type of chili and that would be a lot faster. In fact, you could fry up some burger and diced onion and add a can of red enchilada sauce to it and that would work.
I think they sell those here. I can't remember the name but it is a round plastic container in the frozen meat's section. The container is red and white.
I've used the chili in chili dogs and over baked potatoes.
Wow, that was exotic in 1958! My mother never made interesting food like that. I don't even think I had pizza until I was in my late teens, and that was only Appian Way from a box (a very sad introduction to pizza).
I found my original recipe from Dec 1958. It was in the Ladies Home Journal. I am going to make it Friday or Sat with a few adjustments due to our changing appetite. Here it is and here are the changes I am going to make.
Cheese Tamale Pie
1 lb Slt Pork; diced or ground 2
2 sm onions chopped
1 c. chopped bell pepper
2 cups canned tomatoes
2 cups corn
1 C. Milk
1 C. yellow corn meal
1 8 oz pkg cream cheese: room temp
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp chili powder
2 eggs; beaten
1 cup grated cheese
1 C. pitted olives
Brown the salk pork, add onions and bell pepper in a large skillet. Add tomatoes, corn and milk. Heat thoroughly; when heated add corn meal, slowly stirring until mixture thickens. Add remaining ingredients, saving 1/2 the grated cheese. Pour into a large casserole dish, top with remaining cheese and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.
New recipe: replace salt and chili powder with a package of taco seasoning: replace bell pepper with jalapeno (unless you are serving it to people who do not like heat) and use chicken, ground pork or hamburger instead of salt pork if you can not find it.
I am really anxious to give it another try. it has been so many years.
Interesting to see the differences in ingredients. This one (below) was sent in to the L.A. Times from a reader's request for Tamale Pie in the 1980s. I made it once (my kids liked the one I posted above better). I also have a vegetarian Tamale Pie recipe that was a bake-off winner, but it has so many ingredients that anyone who requests it had better LOVE Tamale Casseroles.
Tamale Pie Casserole
1/2 lb ground pork sausage
1 lb lean ground beef
1 clove garlic, minced
1 C chopped onion
2 C sliced cerlery
1 26-oz can tomatoes
2 C canned whole kernel corn
salt
2 t chili powder
1/2 C cornmeal
1 1/2 C pitted ripe olives
1 1/2 C shredded Jack or American cheese
Cook sausage until lightly browned, stirring to keep crumbly. Pour off excess fat, add beef and cook until browned. Stir in garlic, onion and celery and cook until vegetables are tender but not browned. Stir in tomaties, corn, salt and chili powder and simmer 15 min. Slowly stir in cormeal and cook until thickened. Stir in olives. Turn into greased 2-quart casserole and top with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 miutes. Serves 8.
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