Tamale Pie

Friends, it's been a while, and for that, I apologize.  Quick updates for the absence.  For the month of May and beginning of June, I was in crazy Step 1 study mode where I did not cook anything worth writing about on here.  Once that madness was over, I was basically traveling for all of June, eating at great restaurants and my siblings' apartments.  Now I'm a little over two weeks into my third year rotations, and I've started with Surgery.  Suffice it to say, a lot of learning is packed into the long days at the hospital.

To survive Surgery, I knew I would need to have food already prepared rather than spend time cooking each night.  Translated: I'll be posting casseroles and the like for the next two months.  Not boring casseroles that have you guessing the monochromatic ingredients, but things like tamale pie that make you want to jump up and down shouting about how wonderful dinner is after you've only eaten granola bars all day between cases in the operating room.  Seriously though, it is delicious.

Tamale Pie

Serves 6
Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:
Filling

2 teaspoons canola oil
1 onion, minced
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound 91% lean ground beef
1 15-oz can black beans, drained
1 14.5-oz can diced tomatoes, drained
1 cup of corn (freeze-dried or frozen, thawed)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro (optional)
Salt and pepper

Cornbread topping
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
3 tablespoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 large egg
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

Directions:

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 450º.  Heat the oil in a 12-in skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion, bell pepper, and chili powder, and cook until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

2. Stir in the ground beef, beans, tomatoes, and corn, and allow to cook until the meat is browned.  Remove the skillet from the heat, and stir in the cheese and cilantro.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Transfer the mixture into a greased 9 x 13" baking dish.

3.  In a large bowl, whisk the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda together.  In a separate small bowl, whisk the buttermilk and egg together.  Add the wet to the dry and stir until just combined.

4.  Using a rubber spatula, spoon small amounts of cornbread over the meat mixture.  The topping will be thick, so be sure to space it out as it does not spread that much.  Spread into an even layer, covering the entire filling.  Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.  Allow the pie to stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Recipe adapted from America's Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook