Tamale Pot Pie

I tend to think of pot pie as something to eat on a cold winter evening. Tasty crust, delicious filling...one of those dishes that warms you from the inside out. However, my plans for the perfect pot pie evening were somewhat dashed because it was absolutely *beautiful* and mild out today. Oh well, my pot pie desires were not dissuaded!

I had seen a cookbook while waiting on line for cold cuts at Wegmans one day, called, surprisingly enough, Potpies, which contains some pretty cool takes on pot pie. I've made the individual shrimp scampi potpie before, which was replete with lemony, garlicy, shrimpy goodness, topped with a panko crust. Tonight, tamale potpie. We were not disappointed.


Tamale Pot Pie
from Potpies, by Elinor Klimans

1 tbsp canola oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb lean ground pork
1/2 tsp cumin
3 tbsp chili powder (this is not bland cuisine)
1/4 tsp salt
a 14.5 oz can of whole tomatoes in juice

1 cup cornmeal
1/4 tsp salt (although Steph and I both added salt to the top after cooking. maybe a smidge more would do)
3/4 reduced sodium chicken broth
1 large egg
1 tbsp vegetable oil

Preheat to 375. Have ready a 9x2 round baking/pie dish.

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium and cook the onions, pepper and garlic until softened, about 10 minutes. Add ground pork and cook until most of the pink color is gone. Stir in cumin, chili powder and salt. Add tomatoes & juice, using a wooden spoon to break up the tomatoes into small bite-size pieces. Cook, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Spoon the filling into the baking/pie dish and let cool 15 minutes.

After topping is cooled, mix cornmeal and salt together in a bowl, and the broth, egg and oil in another bowl. Add wet to dry and stir until evenly moistened (sorry Laura!) and batter is thin and pourable. Pour topping over the filling on the baking dish, spreading evenly. Bake until topping is lightly browned and filling is bubbly, 35 minutes. Cut with a sharp knife and serve with sour cream and cilantro.

Easy and DELICIOUS. Try it and let me know what you think.