Beef Tamale Pie

Beef Tamale Pie

1 T vegetable oil

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef

1 medium onion, minced

1 medium jalapeno chile, seeds and ribs removed, chile minced*

salt

2 T chili powder

4 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press

1 T tomato paste

1 t dried oregano

1 t cumin

1/4 t cayenne pepper

1   28 oz. can diced tomatoes**

1   15.5 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained

1   1/4 cups frozen corn (do not thaw)

8  oz. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)

1/4  cup fresh cilantro leaves, minced ***

4 t juice from 2 limes****

ground black pepper

1 recipe homemade cornbread topping (recipe follows)

1.  Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat until shimmering.  Add the beef and cook, breaking up large clumps of meat with a wooden spoon, until it is no longer pink.  Stir in the onion, jalameno, and 1 t salt and cook until softened and lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes.  Stir in the chili powder, garlic, tomato paste, oregano, cumin, and cayenne and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

2.  Stir in the diced tomatoes with their juices, scraping up any browned bits.  Off the heat, stir in the black beans, corn, cheese, cilantro, and lime juice and season with salt and pepper to tasste.

3.  Transfer the beef mixture to a greased 13 x 9 inch baking dish.  Spread the cornmeal topping evenly over the filling, pushing it to the edges of the baking dish.

4.  To store:  wrap the dish tightly with plastic wrap that has been sprayed with vegetable oil spray and then foil and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 1 month.

5.  To serve:  adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees.  Unwrap the dish.  If refrigerated, bake, uncovered, until the filling is bubbly and the crust is baked through and golden, 50 to 60 minutes.  If frozen, unwrap the dish and let the casserole sit at room temperature for 30 minutes while the oven heats, then cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for about 30 minutes.  Remove the foil and bake until the filling is bubbly and the crust is baked through and golden, 50 to 60 minutes longer.

To serve right away:  bake, uncovered, as directed in step 5, reducing the baking time to 45 minutes.

* I was surprised to learn that I have a reaction to cutting up the jalapeno.  It kind of hurts my throat and makes me cough.  I buy packs of 100 rubber gloves (throw away kind, but I reuse them) and always wear them when I mince a jalapeno.  Then wash your hands with the gloves on before you reuse them.  I once made the mistake of not doing this, and I touched my eye with an unwashed finger and it stung badly for a long time.

** I always buzz my tomatoes in the food processor before adding them to a dish.  I don't totally puree them, but almost do.  I don't like big chunks of tomato in things, and I've found that even the petite diced are too big of pieces for my taste.

*** I hate cilantro and never use it.  Sometimes I substitute fresh or dried parsley in a smaller amount.

**** I always try to have that frozen lemon juice in my freezer, and I just use that in place of lime.

Homemade Cornbread topping

1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 cup yellow cornmeal

6 T sugar

2 t baking powder

3/4 t salt

1/4 t baking soda

1 C buttermilk

8 T (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

2 large eggs

1.  Whisk the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda together in a large bowl.

2.  In a separate bowl, whisk the buttermilk, butter, and eggs together.  Stir the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture until uniform.  Use as directed in Beef Tamale Pie.

-Mom