TAMALE PIE

Level of difficulty - Easy

Set oven to 250 (U S) 200 convection fan assisted (U K)

Ingredients

• 300 grams ground steak or beef (lean please)
• 1 large onion
• 2 stalks celery
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 red bell pepper
• 2 vine ripe tomatoes
• 3 med. jalapeno peppers (optional)
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro or corriander
• 3 sprigs fresh basil and 3 sprigs fresh oregano (dried will suffice)
• 3 sprigs fresh parsley
• 2 small minced chiles (hot) (optional)
• 1 large jar favorite spaghetti sauce
• 3 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp mild chili powder
• 1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese
• 1/8 cup sugar
• approx. 400 grams canned chopped tomatoes
• 1/4 cup red wine (Italian)
  

For Topping

• 2 cups yellow corn meal
• 2 cups reg. flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 table spoon ground cumin
• 1 table spoon salt
• 1 table spoons sugar
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• splash cooking oil 2 teaspoons
  

Dice vegetables and herbs, chiles, saute in large skillet with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, don't forget garlic! Saute untill tender, add spices, cumin salt,pepper. then add meat ( for vegans, Quorn makes a lovely soy based mince, a dead ringer for ground beef). Cook fo 20 min or so giving it a good stir (your kitchen should be smelling pretty good by now). Now dice those vine ripened tomatoes, add spaghetti sauce, add can tomatoes, sprinkle sugar (to cut the sharpness of the tomatoes) and a healthy splash of wine. Simmer for about 20 min, stirring occasionally and please TASTE as you go along, it makes perfect sense to me. Cover and set aside.

In separate large bowl, combine corn meal (polenta), plain flour, cumin, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, eggs, milk and cooking oil. Give a good whisk, your batter should be of a thickish consistency.

In a deep casserole dish pour meat sauce evenly in the bottom, sprinkle cheese liberally over
meat sauce. Pour cornmeal batter over the top, spreading evenly. You should have 1 layer
of delicious Mexican meat sauce, a layer of cheese, and the cornmeal batter on top. For good measure (and I believe in good measure) sprinkle a handful of yellow cheddar cheese on top!

Pop in the oven and bake until golden brown and the meat sauce is bubbling around the edges.
Remove and let it sit for 15 to 20 min and serve with plain yogurt or sour cream. I find it works best when cut into chunky squares. As always serve with a green leafy salad and a nice glass of Cabernet or Kool Aid with ice! Can't top it people!

THIS DISH IS EASY TO MAKE, QUICK TO MAKE AND REALLY REALLY GOOD!
ENJOY!
any?s
hit me up
good eating
taka






.