Tamale Pie          



INGREDIENTS:

Cornmeal Mush:
1 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup cold water
31/2 cups boiling water or chicken stock
2 teaspoons salt

Tamale Pie:
1 stick butter
4 cups cooked cornmeal mush
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 green bell pepper
1/3 cup chili powder or to taste
3 tablespoons butter or oil
4 cups cooked hamburger
2 pimientos, chopped
11/2 cups black pitted olives, roughly chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

To cook cornmeal mush: stir 1 cup of cornmeal into 1/2 cup cold water to moisten it, in the top of a double boiler. Then add 31/2 cups boiling water or chicken stock and 2 teaspoons salt and mix well. Set the top over the bottom of the boiler, filled with 1 to 2 inches of boiling water, put a lid on the top and steam the cornmeal for 30 to 45 minutes until the water is all absorbed. For tamale; Beat the butter into the hot cooked cornmeal and set aside. Fry the onion, garlic and bell pepper with the chili powder in 3 tablespoons butter or oil until the vegetables are just slightly softened, 2 or 3 minutes. Add the cooked meat, pimientos, olives and season to taste. Put a layer of cornmeal mush in a baking dish, add the layer of meat filling and cover with another layer of mush. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven until the mush is crusty on top, about 30 minutes.

Yield: 8 servings