Tamale pie

After making shepherd’s pie last Sunday according to Amanda’s recipe, I promised her a recipe for tamale pie. This is it.

I’m a native St. Louisan and St. Louis is a great city to learn to cook in. It’s a real melting-pot kind of town. It was founded in the early 18^th century (yes, that’s 18^th) by the French and still retains French influences. When I was a kid there were still a few people around who spoke St. Louis French, an odd creole-sort of dialect that I’m sure no Parisian could recognize. My high school was founded in 1818. It was the capitol of Spanish Louisiana and there are still a few families of Spanish descent down in Carondelet from those days.

In the 19^th century it had big influxes of Germans, Swiss, English, Irish, Bohemians, and African Americans. There’s a vibrant Italian community on The Hill not to mention a solid Lebanese community (who run the construction trades or at least used to).

It’s the northernmost southern city, the southernmost northern city, the westernmost eastern city, and the easternmost western city. And every single one of those influences are in the cooking. There’s a St. Louis cookbook and a huge number of Americans own it: The Joy of Cooking. Yes, Irma Rombauer, the original author of Joy was a St. Louisan and the book reflects that. French, German, country, African American, and lots of other influences all mix together in something that’s obviously St. Louis cooking to me.

This recipe is very liberally adapted from the one in Joy and it’s something my mom used to fix for us when we were kids. This recipe has been very Americanized. I doubt you’d find it in any self-respecting Mexican cookbook.

Tamale Pie

Serves 6

1 lb. ground beef (that’s minced to you, Amanda)
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
12 oz. can chopped tomatoes
1 cup water or stock
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. chili powder
1 cup whole kernel corn (canned or frozen)
1 medium Bell pepper, deveined, seeds removed, and chopped
1 Tbsp. cooking oil

1. Saute the onion and Bell pepper in the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat until the onion is transparent.
2. Add the beef and saute until the meat is browned.
3. Mix in the salt and chili powder and saute one more minute.
4. Mix in the remainder of the ingredients and let it simmer for 15 minutes.

Cornbread topping

¾ cup yellow cornmeal (medium grind preferred)
1 Tbsp. flour
1 Tbsp. sugar
½ tsp. salt
1½ tsp. baking powder
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup milk
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Mix all of the dry ingredients together.
3. Mix in the egg, milk, and vegetable oil.
4. Place the meat mixture in a greased 2-quart casserole and cover with the cornbread topping. Don’t worry if it sinks. It will rise again!
5. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the cornbread is browned.