Gluten-Free Tamale Pie
By America's Test KitchenPublished on May 24, 2019
Time
1¼ hours
Yield
Serves 6
Ingredients
Before You Begin
Ground pork or turkey can be substituted for the beef. Coarse-ground degerminated cornmeal such as yellow grits (with grains the size of couscous) works best in this recipe. Avoid instant and quick-cooking products, as well as whole-grain, stone-ground, and regular cornmeal. Not all brands of cornmeal are processed in a gluten-free facility; make sure to read the label.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add ground beef and cook, breaking up large clumps, until just beginning to brown, about 4 minutes.
- Stir in onion, jalapeño, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in chili powder, garlic, and oregano and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in beans, tomatoes and their juice, and corn and simmer until almost all liquid has evaporated, about 3 minutes. Off heat, stir cheese into beef mixture and season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer mixture to 91/2-inch deep-dish pie plate or 3-quart baking dish.
- Bring water to boil in large saucepan over high heat. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt, then slowly pour in cornmeal while whisking vigorously to prevent clumping. Reduce heat to medium and cook, whisking constantly, until cornmeal thickens, about 3 minutes. Stir in remaining 2 tablespoons oil.
- Spread cornmeal mixture over top of beef mixture and seal against edge of dish. Cover with aluminum foil that has been sprayed with vegetable oil spray, and bake until crust is set and pie is heated through, about 30 minutes. Let cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
Time
1¼ hoursYield
Serves 6Ingredients
Ingredients
Ingredients
Why This Recipe Works
We tried making a tamale pie using our own recipe for gluten-free cornbread, spreading the batter over the prepared filling and baking the pie like a traditional recipe, but without all-purpose flour in the mix to provide structure, it disintegrated into the filling. Clearly our cornbread, while fine baked in a skillet and great served alongside a bowl of chili, didn’t have the necessary structure to bake through on top of a liquid-y tamale pie filling. Looking for an alternative with a similarly rustic corn flavor, we landed on polenta. We prepared the filling in a skillet and the polenta in a separate pot and then spread the polenta over the filling and baked it all together for about 30 minutes. For the tamale pie filling itself, we turned to a flavorful, simple combination of ground beef and black beans. A cup of Monterey Jack melted into the mixture and helped thicken it to just the right texture.
Before You Begin
Ground pork or turkey can be substituted for the beef. Coarse-ground degerminated cornmeal such as yellow grits (with grains the size of couscous) works best in this recipe. Avoid instant and quick-cooking products, as well as whole-grain, stone-ground, and regular cornmeal. Not all brands of cornmeal are processed in a gluten-free facility; make sure to read the label.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add ground beef and cook, breaking up large clumps, until just beginning to brown, about 4 minutes.
- Stir in onion, jalapeño, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in chili powder, garlic, and oregano and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in beans, tomatoes and their juice, and corn and simmer until almost all liquid has evaporated, about 3 minutes. Off heat, stir cheese into beef mixture and season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer mixture to 91/2-inch deep-dish pie plate or 3-quart baking dish.
- Bring water to boil in large saucepan over high heat. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt, then slowly pour in cornmeal while whisking vigorously to prevent clumping. Reduce heat to medium and cook, whisking constantly, until cornmeal thickens, about 3 minutes. Stir in remaining 2 tablespoons oil.
- Spread cornmeal mixture over top of beef mixture and seal against edge of dish. Cover with aluminum foil that has been sprayed with vegetable oil spray, and bake until crust is set and pie is heated through, about 30 minutes. Let cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
Gift This Recipe
Enjoyed this dish? Let others know by sharing it as a gift recipe.
Appears In
Keep Exploring
0 Comments