Tamale Pie

So, the first time I made tamale pie (last week) it was NOT a success. It was quite horrible, actually. It was a big mess! We ended up ordering out. I followed a recipe exactly and it was not good!



Oh yes, it was THAT bad!

I'm not one to give in to failure so I tried again tonight. Huge success! Why? Well, I'll tell you why. I didn't follow a recipe. I read up on tamale pie from several different websites and made my own. It was a hit, a success, we all loved it!



So much better!!!



This is what I did. This, so I remember and if you would like to make it you can. I'm thinking it will be great for a cookbook entry. :)

Tamale dough:
2 cups masa harina
2 cups room temp vegetable stock
1 Teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup oil (I used canola)

Mix all these ingredients in a bowl, it will become like a paste. Cover with foil or saran wrap and let sit at room temp for 15 minutes. This will allow all the water to absorb.

Tamale filling:
1 medium or half a large onion, chopped
1 yellow, red, or green bell pepper, chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 14.5 oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 14.5 oz can great northern beans, drained and rinsed
1 14.5 oz can refried beans
1 pablano pepper, roasted and chopped
1 cup frozen corn

For seasoning I used the taco seasoning you can get at Trader Joe's then added about 1/2 tablespoon of garlic and 2 teaspoons oregano. (you can make this up as you want or use your favorite taco seasonings)
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oven to broil. Move a rack to the top. Roast your pepper until it turns brown/black on all sides. Take it out and place it in a ziploc bag for a few moments. Rinse the charred bits off the pepper under running water. Small dice the pepper.

Heat a sauce pan with 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil (or veg broth 1/4 cup if you prefer) and saute the onions, bell peppers, and garlic until translucent about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, beans, and corn and mix well. Let cook for 4-5 minutes. Add the seasoning and let cook for 10 minutes or until the mixture becomes thick. Be careful to not have too much liquid for baking.

Heat an oven to 350 degrees. Spray a rectangular baking pan with cooking spray. Put the bean mixture into the pan and spread evenly. Place the tamale dough on top as evenly as you can. I made little patties with my hands and pressed it on top of the filling. Bake for 45-60 minutes with foil on top. Remove the foil during the last 15 minutes of cooking. Remove from oven and let cool for a moment before serving.

If you make this let me know if this recipe is easy to use. :)

Cheers and happy eating!

***I edited this recipe, I forgot to add the roasted pepper***