After making a new friend in college, Michael became a frequent guest at his home and fell in love with his mother’s signature dish she called Tamale Pie. I never had the pleasure of meeting Mrs. Blue or her homemade dish, but she was kind enough to share the recipe with Michael’s mother years ago and it’s one of the first given to me after we were first married. It then became a tradition in our family.
I usually make a small one for the two of us using a pound of ground beef, but below are the list of ingredients as it was presented to me:
- 1 dozen corn tortillas
- 2 pounds lean ground beef
- 4 small cans tomato sauce
- 2 cans water (from rinsing out sauce cans)
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 2 to 3 Tablespoons seedless raisins
- 1 small jar Manzanilla olives
- cayenne pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup or more grated parmesan cheese for sprinkling on top
After preheating your oven to 375, brown the beef in a large skillet. Add the onions and peppers to cook for a couple of minutes. Then the seasonings and the remainder of ingredients, except for the cheese. Simmer 15 minutes or until sauce has reduced a bit. Line a greased casserole dish with tortillas and then fill it with the meat sauce. Sprinkle with cheese and bake 45 minutes. Let rest 10-15 minutes before serving.
Intuitive Adaptations
I heard that Mrs. Blue sometimes added corn to this, so I often toss in a handful of frozen roasted corn and I also add some smoked paprika. I don’t think Mrs. Blue would mind because she also was an intuitive cook, always adapting and using what she had on hand. In fact, she had never written down this recipe until requested by Michael’s mother on his behalf.
Because I make this with half the amount of ground beef, obviously I also adapt the proportions of other ingredients and make it my own. I use a 15 ounce can of tomato sauce with one can of water to rinse the can. I baked this small tamale pie for 30 minutes. You will know when it’s ready by the consistency. Shells should be crispy and the filling not too saucy nor too dry.
You could serve this with a salad, but we had a salad for lunch after a vegetable smoothie for breakfast, so I decided on rice and asparagus instead. What will you serve with this legendary dish?
Ready to try another savory pie? My Simple and Comforting Shepherd’s Pie is another favorite.