TAMALE PIE

Many words come to mind when I think of comfort foods: hot and spicy, meaty, creamy and cheesy. My tamale pie recipe falls into all of these categories. It's a casserole with a spicy and meaty filling, layered between a cheesy cornmeal crust. The lower crust retains a creamy polenta-like texture, while the top becomes crispy and crumbly like cornbread.

The recipe is quite flexible, in that you can add a variety of vegetables and spices to the meat mixture. I highly recommend topping with all of the optional ingredients below, to truly bring out the flavors in this dish.

TAMALE PIE

Filling
1 lb ground turkey or beef
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 7oz. can green chiles, diced
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
2/3 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
1 t chili powder
1 t cumin
1 t oregano
1 T olive oil
Salt and Pepper

Cornmeal Crust
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
3 cups milk
1/2 t salt
1/2 T butter
2 eggs
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated

Optional Toppings
Sour Cream
Black Olives
Avocado
Salsa

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Grease a 2 quart casserole dish.

Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Add turkey or beef and cook until browned on outside about 5 minutes. Add onion and garlic and continue to cook until meat is cooked through and onions are translucent, another 5-7 minutes. Add green chiles, chili powder, cumin and oregano and stir to combine. Add diced tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper.

To make the cornmeal crust: In a bowl, combine the cornmeal with 1 cup of the milk. Stir to combine.

In a saucepan, combine the remaining 2 cups milk, salt and butter Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Gradually add the cornmeal mixture, whisking constantly. Reduce heat to very low, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Beat the eggs in a bowl. Stir a little of the hot mixture into the eggs and stir quickly, then stir this back in the cornmeal mixture. (This technique is 'tempering' and prevents the eggs from scrambling). Stir in the corn kernels and 1/2 cup of the cheese.

Spread half the cornmeal mixture on the bottom of the prepared casserole. Spoon in all the filling, then spread the remaining cornmeal on the top, entirely covering the filling. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese.

Bake for 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit about 15 minutes before cutting. Cut into slices and add toppings as desired.