Comfort food for the middle of winter.

Hi. I just realized something. A while back I promised to share my famous recipe for Marcycita’s South-of-the-Border Tamale Pie ... so here it is at last. This is extremely easy to assemble, feeds a crowd and TASTES TERRIFIC. If you decide to try it, feel free to comment and let me know what you think, okay? (Hardly anybody ever leaves a comment. You should give it a shot sometime. Thank you.)

• Vegetable cooking spray
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2¼ lbs. lean ground beef
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon crushed hot red pepper flakes (to taste)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 16 oz. can pinto beans (drained and rinsed)
• 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup corn niblets
• 1½ teaspoons salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1½ cups yellow cornmeal
• 2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
  

Coat a large nonstick skillet with vegetable cooking spray. Crumble the beef into the skillet, add the onions and cook over medium heat, stirring to break up any lumps of meat, until onion is lightly browned and the meat no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Add the oregano, red pepper flakes, cumin, pinto beans, tomatoes, corn, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and ¼ teaspoon of the black pepper. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350°.

In a medium saucepan, bring 3 cups water to a boil. In a mixing bowl combine the cornmeal with remaining ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Gradually whisk in 1 cup cold water until smooth. Slowly stir the wetted cornmeal into the boiling water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the cornmeal mixture gets very thick, about 3 minutes.

Lightly coat a 13" x 9" glass baking pan with cooking spray. Spoon the beef mixture into the bottom of the pan. Top with the cooked cornmeal and spread evenly to cover (a rubber spatula works great for this). Sprinkle the shredded cheese on top. Bake until the cornmeal crust is set and the cheese is golden brown, about 30 to 40 minutes.

Incidentally, I know this recipe looks like a lot of work, but it’s really just a spicy ground beef mixture with a cornmeal crust and cheese. One pan will serve 6 people with normal appetites or fewer people who like to eat a lot of food. Sam LOVES it. If this picture doesn’t make you hungry there might be something wrong with you. Have a nice day.