Who knew the legendary James Beard would have a tamale pie recipe? And of course it’s wonderful. It must be over 60 years old, so I hope he will forgive me from his heavenly kitchen if I suggest a couple of updates. By today’s standards it could use a bit more heat, so I suggest upping the chili powder according to your taste. Or perhaps a 4 oz. can of diced green chilies and a bit of minced jalapeno? And his cornmeal crust made of cornmeal, water and butter would have been fine with me if I hadn’t come upon one years ago in a newspaper contest that won third place. Marlene Carey’s Tamale pie recipe was good, but it was her unusual crust that made me keep the clipping all these years. She adds white wine, eggs and Parmesan cheese to the cornmeal, making this more like polenta. I think it’s just wonderful combined with James Beards classic recipe.
Wait for a rainy day to make this…it takes awhile and messes up your kitchen. This serves 8 (lumberjacks) and provides great leftovers.
Crust:
3 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups cornmeal
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup water
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Filling:
1/2 pound sausage, casing removed
2 Tbs. chili powder
3/4 tsp. ground cumin
3 celery stalks, diced
2 large onions, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 small green pepper, seeded and diced
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
One 28-ounce can whole-peeled Italian tomatoes
2 1/2 cups fresh corn cut from the cob (or use canned or frozen whole-kernel corn with juice)
1 cup pitted ripe olives, roughly chopped
8 ounces medium or sharp Cheddar, grated.
For the crust: Bring to a boil chicken broth. Mix together 1 1/2 cups cornmeal, white wine, water and 1 tsp. salt. Stir cornmeal mixture into chicken broth and stir until thick. Remove from heat and mix in beaten eggs and Parmesan cheese. Spread about 2/3 of the mixture on the bottom and up the sides of a 9-by-13″ pan reserving about 1/3 for topping. Place on a rimmed baking sheet in case the dish bubbles over. Cover to prevent drying while you prepare filling.
For the filling: In a large saute pan, brown the sausage over medium heat, breaking up with a wooden spoon. Once browned, transfer sausage to a bowl and set aside. Add the chili powder and cumin to the saute pan; let spices toast for several minutes while stirring. Add the celery, onions, garlic, green pepper and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Stir and cook until the vegetables are soft and the browned bits are scraped off the bottom of the pan. Add the beef into the pan and break up the meat; cook until the raw color disappears. Add the tomatoes, breaking them up with your hands over the pan and pour in the juices. Add sausage back in and stir in the corn; bring to a boil and let the mixture simmer for 15 minutes.
Spoon the filling into your cornmeal lined pan and distribute the olives evenly around. Spoon the remaining cornmeal evenly over the top and sprinkle with the cheese all over. Bake in a 375 degree oven until browned and bubbly, about 1 hour.
Serves: 8 to 10
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