Tamale Pie

 I suppose it is no grand secret that I fell behind in my blogging. However, because of that lag in reporting, I've actually made this recipe about four times. I had an inkling that it would be particularly good since there were cards in the boxes for the same recipe but from different eras. One was typed, one was hand written, but both were from my great aunt Joan. 

In all honesty, I've never had tamale pie before, but it's one of those dishes that shows up in all the big general cookbooks. Joy of Cooking has a version. Betty Crocker has had it in several of their books. There are vegetarian versions. It's just one of those dishes. It's not quite ubiquitous but it's definitely part of the fabric of American home cuisine.

This version is quite good, although I've messed with the ratios a little. My version is in the ()s. It really does matter what cornbread mix you pick, so find one you like. Most of the variety has to do with with the sweetness. I'm partial to Krusteaz, but at some point I'll try mixing up my own cornbread from scratch.

Tamale Pie

• 1.5 pound ground beef (1#)
• 1/2 pkg. taco seasoning (1)
• 12 oz can corn  (3 c. frozen corn)
• 1/2 chopped green pepper (3 poblanos)
• 1/2 chopped onion (1)
• 1/2 c. sliced olives (1 15oz can drained)
• 1 c shredded cheddar (8oz)
• 1 16 oz can tomatoes (1 28oz can)
• 1 pkg. cornbread mix 10 to 12 oz

1. Brown ground beef.
2. Add onion, pepper, and tomatoes and simmer until the tomatoes begin to break down and turn saucy.
3. Add rest of ingredients except corn bread mix.
4. Place ground beef mixture in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish or casserole
5. Mix up cornbread according to box directions and cover the top of casserole
6. Bake at 400 degrees until cornbread is fully cooked which can vary on the timing. I generally find it takes 20 to 30 minutes.