Skillet Tamale Pie

In the middle of a busy week, I was pleasantly reminded of how great cooking is at reducing stress. One morning I woke up dazed from a restless night of strange dreams: after falling asleep reviewing how blood circulates through the heart (the result of an intense night spent studying for the GRE subject test in Biology), I dreamed about never-ending pages of confusing words and numbers that didn’t make any sense (reminiscent of my statistics textbook) that I was trying to memorize. Talk about stressful.

The next morning was dreary and gray and I felt a little down all morning. But at lunch time I had an extra hour at home before class and I decided to make a stir-fry for lunch instead of heating up leftovers like usual. It was really mostly to avoid more studying, I never thought about it improving my mood. As soon as I started peeling carrots I began to relax. Lingering worries about classes and the GRE triggered by those strange dreams drifted to the back of my mind and I concentrated only on chopping. It was very therapeutic. I relished the smells of soy sauce, freshly grated ginger, minced garlic, and rice vinegar while mixing up a sauce for my vegetables. Consciously deciding to take the time to make lunch that day, instead of trying to cram in a little reading for class, was probably one of the better decisions I made for myself all week. It was a much needed brain break from reality, something that I need to remember to do more often when things are getting a little stressful.

And this skillet tamale pie is a tasty, easy-to-make comfort food for busy times. This is a great recipe that I learned in high school when I took a class called Gourmet Cooking. It was one of my favorite classes in high school–we got to spend every class period learning food preparation techniques and cooking delicious food, so naturally I loved it. The only problem with this recipe is that I’m not crazy about the name. It’s not especially tamale-like and it’s not very pie-like. It’s actually not much like anything else, which is why I couldn’t come up with a better name. Any suggestions would be appreciated :)

Anyway, I dug out my binder of recipes from Gourmet Cooking this summer, specifically looking for this tamale pie recipe because I knew my housemates would love it. It’s another one of those dishes that fed me for several days in a row, which is always a bonus when you’re in college. It’s easy to substitute or omit ingredients; for example, the other week I made it without cilantro and I think a handful of frozen corn would be a great addition.

 

Skillet Tamale Pie

Recipe adapted from America’s Test Kitchen

Filling

1 onion, minced
2 – 2 1/2 Tbsp chili powder
2 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
1 lb ground beef or turkey
1 15 oz can black beans, drained
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, drained
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
2 Tbsp fresh cilantro, minced (optional)
~ 1/2 c./one handful of frozen corn (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Topping

3/4 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. yellow cornmeal
3 Tbsp sugar
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 c. buttermilk or regular milk
1 egg
3 Tbsp butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 450.

Heat a tablespoon or two of oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Saute the onion, chili powder, and a little salt until the onion is soft. Then add the minced garlic, stirring for just under a minute to cook the garlic before adding the next ingredients. Add the ground meat, beans, and tomatoes. Simmer for about 5 minutes.

When the meat is thoroughly cooked, stir in the cheese, cilantro, and corn if you’re using it. Season with salt and pepper.

To make the cornbread topping, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a different bowl,whisk together the buttermilk or regular milk and egg. Combine the milk and egg mixture with the flour mixture. Then stir in the melted butter.

Spread the cornbread mixture evenly over the filling (which is still in the skillet). Then bake the whole thing for 10-15 minutes, until the cornbread is done in the center.