Tamale Pie

This is a way to turn leftover Chilli or Picadillo into a one-dish meal.

The pre-cooked chilli is topped with a quick-mix cornbread batter, and then thrown in the oven to bake.

I initially came across this sort of thing in Laurel's Kitchen, where it is called Tennessee Corn Pone. However, this dish is apparently more commonly called Tamale Pie across America.







Preheat oven to 200C.

Dump your precooked chilli, picadillo - or even just tinned beans in chilli tomato sauce - into a casserole dish. It should about half-fill the dish.

For the Cornbread batter:

These amounts are enough for 3-4 people depending on hunger.
Scale up the recipe to feed more.

• 1 cup polenta cornmeal
• optional 1/4 cup wheatgerm or fine oatmeal - or just use extra polenta
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tbsp sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup milk

Put dry ingredients into a bowl.
Beat egg, oil and milk together in another bowl or jug and then pour them into the dry ingredients.
Beat the batter together until well combined.
Pour the batter over the chilli in the casserole evenly, then pop into the oven to bake.

It will take somewhere between 45 mins and an hour to bake depending on how deep your cornbread layer is.

Serve with a dollop or two of yoghurt or soured cream on top, and some Mexican Carrot Pickles on the side.



Categories: American