WHB: Meatless Tamale Pie

I like tamale pie.  I generally make it with ground meat, but decided to make a meatless version that received high marks on Epicurious.   I thought tamale pie was pretty well known, but the check-out clerk at the grocery store was puzzled when told I was making it for dinner.  "How do you do that?"  She asked me, looking confused.  So, I explained it and she looked relieved. "I couldn't figure out why you would put tamales in a pie," she told me.  She's right, tamale pie is really a casserole, with a cornmeal layer on the bottom and the top.  Instead of meat, this recipe uses a mixture of corn, tomatoes, cheese, black beans, and poblanos.  It has oregano, cumin, and cilantro, which is my favorite herb.  So, I decided to feature it for Weekend Herb Blogging, the fabulous event created by the lovely Kalyn at Kalyn's Kitchen. This week WHB is being hosted by the talented Scott at Real Epicurean.  Make sure to check his site this weekend, when he may have the Roundup of herby recipes from bloggers around the world. 

Last year, cilantro was chosen favorite herb by WHB readers.  Not everyone likes it, often due to a genetic trait that makes it taste like soap. I don't have this affliction, but if you do, use another herb in place of the cilantro, like parsely.   

The recipe calls for poblano peppers, which were not available at my grocery store.   I could have used bell peppers, but I prefer poblanos. So, I bought a can of fire roasted poblanos and used that instead. Fresh roasted are better, but the canned variety tasted good, and was certainly easier to use.  I also used frozen corn, but fresh would have been wonderful. 

This was a cursed effort. Right off the bat, I broke my food processor as I was grating cheese.  That sent me rummaging through my cabinets, trying to find the hand grater.  Later, I dropped cornmeal batter all over my cooktop burners and didn't notice until it hardened into tenaciously hard lumps.  But, it wasn't hard to assemble the dish, which has a layer of black beans on top of the bottom cornmeal crust, then a layer of cheese, the corn/tomato layer, and topped with cornmeal polenta, tomatoes and cheese.

But the really annoying thing was that my tamale pie was very slumpy. I probably didn't cook the cornmeal mixture long enough.  Although it was a sprawler, the dish tasted very good. The cornmeal crust was light and fluffy, and the corn and tomato filling was delicious.  And this dish will feed a lot of people. It claims to serve eight people, and it would. 

The pie did firm up after sitting out on the table for 30 minutes.  But, I think the better path is to cook the "polenta" until it's quite thick (but not rubbery).  However, I must say that my fluffy cornmeal layers were very nice, even if they sprawled. 

Meatless Tamale Pie

(Bon Appétit, January 1999)

Serves 8.

ingredients

1 pound poblano chilies or 2 cans roasted poblanos or green chilis (use only one can, if you prefer)
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels
1 to 2 jalapeño chilies, seeded, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 14 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice, drained, 3/4 cup juice reserved
3/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 15 ounce can drained black beans (About 2 cups)
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
7 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 cups yellow cornmeal
1 cup plain yogurt or sour cream
Tomatoes, sliced
Fresh cilantro sprigs

preparation

Roast poblano chilies over gas flame or in broiler until blackened on all sides. Enclose chilies in paper bag. Let stand 10 minutes. Peel, seed and coarsely chop chilies.   If using the canned chilis, drain and clean out the seeds, then chop coparsely.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add corn kernels (don't bother to defrost) and cook until beginning to brown, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add jalapeño chilies, garlic, cumin and oregano; sauté 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Mix in roasted poblano chilies, canned tomatoes, 1/2 cup reserved juice from canned tomatoes, green onions and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly oil 15 x 10 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Combine 5 cups water and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in heavy large saucepan. Bring to boil. Combine cornmeal and remaining 2 cups water in medium bowl. Gradually whisk cornmeal mixture into boiling salted water. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook until cornmeal is very tender and mixture is thick, stirring often, about 14 minutes. Remove from heat and mix in yogurt.

Spread 2/3 of cornmeal over bottom of prepared dish (cover remaining cornmeal to keep warm). Arrange black beans over cornmeal in dish. Sprinkle beans with salt and pepper. Sprinkle 2 cups cheese over beans. Spoon corn kernel mixture evenly over cheese, spreading with spatula. Spread remaining cornmeal evenly over corn kernel mixture. Arrange tomato slices atop cornmeal, pressing gently. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle remaining 1/4 cup juice from canned tomatoes over. Sprinkle remaining cheese evenly over casserole.

Bake casserole uncovered until heated through and top is golden, about 1 hour. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool slightly. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm, covered with foil, in 350°F oven until heated through, about 30 minutes.)

Let casserole stand 15 minutes. Garnish with cilantro sprigs and serve.

Serves 8.

Comments

[Anh]

Oh Sher, this dish looks so yummy! I have tagged it to make soon. Thanks for sharing.

[Tanna]

Ahhh, Tamale Pie, it's been way to long since I last had Tamale Pie. Fresh roasted peppers are way so much better than canned . . . unless you turn them into totally crispy critters light as air as I did.

[Kalyn]

It looks just wonderful. I love your descriptions, calling the pie as "a sprawler!" Too funny. It sounds to me like all these other flavors would be just perfect with cilantro. Wish I had some!

[anne]

I don't mind the "slumpiness" at all - it looks delish! My stomach grumbled at the sight of it. Would you mind Fed-Exing some to upstate NY?

[whaleshaman]

if i've done the math right, there should be leftovers.

i'll be over. :-)

[Butta Buns]

Sprawley and cursed or not, it looks delicious.

[Melly53]

Okay..I have to go make bkfst now. Your food photo's always make me hungry.

[Callipygia]

Sher I was just looking this morning at Jimtown in Napa for their recipe for a corntortilla casserole. This looks so much better. Did you miss the meat?

[Deborah]

I love tamale pie! I am always surprised, because my tamale pie blog entry is one of my most visited - and my photo is horrible!! I have never tried a meatless version, but this sounds wonderful!

[mandira]

Sher, the tamale pie looks delicious - hearty and ready to eat. Also, I read about the little ones... sorry to hear about them. How are you doing now? We are still settling down in Ann Arbor.

[DaviMack]

Yum! I especially like that it's meatless.

[katiez]

I'm like the clerk - never heard of tamale pie... which is too bad, 'cause it really looks good!
Now I can make my own! Great Recipe!
So that's what poblano peppers look like! Here I was using them all the time I lived in Andorra and didn't know. There they were 'pepper'... the Spanish are masters of nondescriptive nouns...

[kristi]

Mmm... delicious. I've never heard of tamale pie, but I may have to try this!

[Katoe]

Hey there :) I just wanted to say hello, I'm a fellow foodie and cat lover, and I really love your blog. This recipe looks especially delicious, thanks for sharing!

[Patricia Scarpin]

This pie looks great, Sher! And being meatless, I'd eat half of it. ;)

[Lydia]

I love tamale pie, but I've never tried to make it. Now that I have your great recipe to follow, I definitely will!

[Dee Light]

I've made tamale pie in the past, but never this one!!! I'll have to give it a try!!!

[Kevin]

I was wondering how one did a tamale pie. This looks good. I don't think that I have ever seen fresh or canned pablano peppers here. I will have to look more closely for them.

[Zipporah]

Looks fantastic! I've marked it to try and sent it along to my recipe exchange group at work (we all belong to the same CSA and always need good recipes to use up the bounty).

[Belinda]

Sher, this sounds so good...and looks really pretty with the red tomatoes on top adding the finishing touch. And how interesting about cilantro tasting like soap to some people...I'm happy to say, its not the case for me! :-)

[Rosa]

Oh yummy! I love Tex-Mex food and that dish makes me hungry just to look at it! Gorgeous and very pretty...
A pity that I've never been able to find poblano and jalapeño chillies here.

[Julie]

That looks delicious. It's not quite baking season here (I do my best not to turn on the oven in the summer) but soon, very soon! This looks like the perfect meal for a cool fall day.

[sher]

Anh,

Thank you! I love your everyday noodle soup! It looks fabulous.

Tanna,

I agree. Fresh roasted poblanos are so good. I much prefer them to bell peppers.

Kalyn,

Even though it is a sprawler, it sure tastes good. And the leftovers are even better. :)

Anne,

Darn! It's all gone! I'll send you some the next time! :):)

Whaleshaman,

Well, there were leftovers, but I gave some of it away! Now I wish I hadn't! :(

Butta Buns,

Thank you, sprawling doesn't seem to affect the taste. :)

Melly53,

Thank you--it is one of the perils of looking at food blogs--the ensuing hunger!

Callipygia,

It was a little strange at first, without the meat. But, it tastes so light and yummy. I didn't miss it after a few bites. :):)

Deborah,

It is a comforting dish, isn't it? And a lot easier to make one of these casseroles than making real tamales!

Mandira,

I hope you are enjoying Ann Arbor. I have friends who love it there. Thank you for your kind thoughts. I'm trying to stay busy--it helps. :)

Davimack,

It is very good without the meat. And it ages nicely. :)

Katiez,

I love the canned piquilla peppers from Spain. Heaven!!! I could use them everyday.

Kristi,

Oh good! Hope you enjoy it!

Katoe,

Thank you for stopping by and leaving the comment! Hope to hear from you again. :)

Patricia Scarpin,

Because it has no meat, and is light, it fools you into eating extra servings--so you might eat half. Well, maybe 1/4! :)

Lydia,

Great! I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Dee Light,

(Love your name.) This one is different. It's light and almost creamy.

Kevin,

You should find them in the Mexican section. Sometimes they are called "fire roasted green chilies". Good luck. :) They aren't hot--just a little tangy.

Zipporah,

Ah, great! I love CSA's--and this recipe would be very good. You can add other vegetables of your choosing too.

Belinda,

Yes, I'm so glad cilantro tastes good to me. But, I understand that it can be quite nasty tasting to others.

Rosa,

You could just use bell peppers, roasted and skinned. Poblanos taste a little better, to me at least. But, bell peppers would be quite nice too. :):)

[mandira]

There is an award waiting for you Sher at my blog. Congratulations :)
http://ahaar.blogspot.com/2007/08/awards-new-place.html

[Susan from Food Blogga]

It's funny how many foods we call "pie," isn't it? In RI, we always called spinach calzones "pies," even though they were made the same way as all other calzones. Your tamale pie looks fabulous, and I really like the addition of pablanos; they are so flavorful.

[Alisha]

Oh goodness, Sher, that looks really, really, really good. I'm sorry you had such trials getting to the final product, but it sure looks like it was worth it!

[aria]

ahhhhh yum looks awesome! i just has the most delicious tamales last night and a chili relleno. the el cholo #3 combo, wachelay!

[Valli]

Tamale Pie would work around here. It sounds delicious vegetarian or sans meat. This time of the year I could always use the gas BBQ with indirect heat to bake it.

[Glenna]

Yum! I'd love to eat soem of that for breakfast right now. Looks super good. So sorry about your food processor and having to clean up burners though. That's not fun.

[Rosie]

I just made Tamale Pie for the first time about 3 weeks ago. We never had anything like this growing up in my house, but I had seen recipes around for years and years. I think next time I grill some nice fat sausages the veggie version would be a great side dish.

BTW how the heck did you break your processor grating cheese? I certainly hope that you didn't burn out your motor!