I have fond memories of the beef tamale pie that Mom made us as children (yes, there was a time when Mom cooked beef!) Thick, meaty filling with a crispy corn bread topping. In continuance of my quest to find filling, tasty vegetarian meals, I decided to try to recreate this dish without meat. Turns out plenty of other folks on the internets have tried this before. I used this recipe from the blog "eggs on sunday" as a jumping off point. Basically, I used her topping/baking instructions but riffed on the filling a little. Here's what I used:
Heat 2T EVOO
Add 1 chopt onion, saute ~5 min until soft
Add a handful of frozen peppers or one chopt pepper and a chopt jalapeno, seeds removed.
Saute a few more minutes to allow the peppers to melt and soften.
Add 1/2 package soyrizo and additional EVOO if needed.
Sprinkle 1T chili powder, 2t cumin, and 1/2t cinnamon. Allow the spices to toast for a minute or two.
Stir in 1c tomato sauce, 1/2c water, 1c corn, 2c black beans, and a sprinkle of salt (next time I might use tomato paste & water for a stronger flavor, or also add 1 can chopt tomatoes).
Bring to a low boil. Add 1/2 pkg spinach, torn, and cover to allow the spinach to wilt.
Uncover and stir in 1/3c chopt cilantro.
Top with 1c grated cheddar and 1c monterey jack.
Top with cornbread mixture as described in the link above.
Enjoy with additional cilantro and hot sauce.
Serves 4-6. We ate about 2/3 in one night, which may have been ill-advised.
A note about the topping: perhaps we didn't bake it long enough, but our topping ended up being more of a soft polenta than a crispy cornbread. I liked it that way (A LOT), but it was not very cornbready. I might try cooking it longer or changing recipes if I wanted more of a cornbread texture next time.
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7 comments:
I'm touched that your memories of meals in your childhood have led to what looks like a great success! I looked for my tamale pie recipe in the 2 predecessors of the current looseleaf notebook, with Post clippings which must go back to the late 70s. Didn't find it (although in the oldest book I saw a recipe for kale with tamari, sweet potatoes and sesame seeds that I should try). I think that the topping you used has much more liquid than what I used, and I am not sure I recall an egg, although you'd think an egg would contribute crispness. I remember cooking it at 400 or maybe 425, and just for 30 min or less.
I remember loving it as a child, then eating it once when I came home for the weekend from UVa after not having had beef for a while and feeling sick. Sorry, I don't know why I felt compared to share that story. I guess I just have lots of vivid memories of it, even the orange casserole dish Robin would bake it in.
Anyhoo .... Suzanne you are clearly a completely superior person than me. I haven't cooked in forever. I had Lisa over for dinner for her bday on thursday and I bought a pizza (a good one, at least).
I also have a tupperware full of about two dozen egg from Emina's backyard chickens and I have absolutely no idea how to deal with it. Please don't write me back telling me to make a souffle because that's not going to happen. I would like one of you to come here make me one. Preferably parmesean.
I want a souffle!
You should make a frittata. I never have before but they sound easy and are all over the internets (including Libby's blog).
Have you ever made egg sandwiches? I love them--fry two eggs, drop some rosemary onto moist egg as it cooks, top with fried onions and cheese. Add ketchup and bread and you have a meal.
I will try it because those eggs aren't going anywhere and another one of my friends just got chickens. Seriously, north oakland is teeming with hipster/hippy chicken owners.
Egg update - the tupperware full of eggs still remains in my Fridge. Liz might come over on Sunday cook them for us and Andrew for easter brunch (I may not be into J.C. but I never pass up an excuse for brunch).
Do kids ever eat the hard-boiled eggs that those Easter Bunny Impersonators hide?
I've seen recipes for "leftover easter eggs," but let's keep it real--who's going to boil and hide nasty real eggs when you can fill adorable plastic eggs with candy?
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