What is tamale pie made of?

Tamale pie is prepared with a cornmeal crust and typical tamale fillings arranged in several layers . Beef is traditionally used, but it can also be prepared using other meats such as chicken and turkey meat, and can also be prepared as a meatless dish.

What ethnicity eats tamales?

Tamales are a dish of corn masa that is sometimes filled, then wrapped in corn husks or banana leaves and steamed. Tamales are primarily associated with Mexican cuisine , but they have been incorporated into the culinary traditions of many Central and South American communities.

Why do Mexicans eat tamales?

It's a Time-honored Tradition Their origins can be traced back to Mesoamerica and they were eaten during the times of the Aztecs, Mayans and Olmecs. Since tamales were portable food, they were often used to feed men when they were away for battle or on hunting trips .

Is pie crust better with lard or butter?

The pros: Lard produces an extremely crisp, flaky crust . It's also easy to work with, as its melting point is higher than butter, so it doesn't soften as quickly while you handle it, or threaten to dissolve into the flour as quickly as butter before baking.

Why do you put butter under a pie crust?

The most likely theory, however, is that the butter was intended to melt and form a barrier between the filling and the crust that would prevent the filling from bubbling through air vents in the crust and spilling over . As anyone who has ever used butter in a pie filling can attest, this method often doesn't work.

What happens if you use milk instead of water in pie crust?

Some bakers use milk or buttermilk in their pie crust. Thanks to their milk solids, both will help crust brown and add a bit of tenderness . But the classic liquid in pie crust is water — ice water, to be precise.

What are Hormel tamales made of?

WATER, BEEF, TOMATOES (WATER, TOMATO PASTE), CORN MEAL, CORN FLOUR, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF MODIFIED CORNSTARCH (CONTAINS ERYTHORBIC ACID), MASA FLOUR (GROUND YELLOW CORN, TRACE OF LIME), SALT, CHILI POWDER (CHILI PEPPERS, FLAVORING), PAPRIKA, SPICE.

What is the history of tamale pie?

Tamale pie is thought to have originated in Texas sometime in the 1900s and became popular in high school cafeterias to feed students. Variations may include beef, pork, chicken, chorizo, beans, and cheese with vegetables, cornbread, and/or creamed corn.

What are Colombian tamales made of?

Colombian tamales are usually filled with two main components: meat, this can be beef, pork, or chicken, and corn mash called “la masa” . Depending on the region you may include sliced potatoes, peas, chickpeas, sliced carrots, rice, hard-boiled eggs, and the like.

What does tamales taste like?

What do authentic Mexican/Texas style tamales taste like? Mexican/Texas style tamales taste like the epitome of traditional Mexican food; flavorful, spicy, or very spicy meats, vegetables, rices and beans . Delicious food seasoned well with Mexican spices and herbs.

Quick and Easy Vegetarian Tamale Pie With Brown Butter Cornbread Crust Recipe (2024)

Why It Works

Using your own blended spices instead of a pre-packaged chili powder gives better depth of flavor.
Ingredients are added in sequence to build up layers of complex flavor.
Browning the butter for the cornbread crust gives it a rich, nutty aroma.

I've been on a tamale pie kick ever since updating my mom's classic recipe a couple months ago by adding a brown butter cornbread crust. Essentially a beef chili baked underneath a sweet cornbread crust, it's one of the all-in-one comfort classics that never fails to bring big smiles and full bellies in its wake. This 100% vegetarian version is no different.

When I last took a look at them, I updated the easy ground-beef-and-cornbread-from-a-mix version into a no-holds-barredultimate versionmade with braised skirt steak and abrown butter cornbread crust. (Even a classicquick and easy versionbenefits from that crust!)

Then while I was eatingstrictly vegan, I attempted to make a fully vegan version of the tamale pie a number of times. Getting the filling right was easy. I simply adapted the quick ground beef version, adding some charred corn, poblano peppers, and a few types of beans to the basic recipe. Along with some carefully balanced spices (ancho chile, coriander, cumin, and oregano), and some other aromatics (onions, peppers, chiles, garlic), and of course those requisite green olives, I had a chili worth eating on its own by the spoonful in no time.

Quick and Easy Vegetarian Tamale Pie With Brown Butter Cornbread Crust Recipe (1)

It was getting the crust right that proved difficult. No matter what I tried I couldn't come up with a vegan cornbread recipe that I was truly happy with. All of them suffered textural issues due to the lack of eggs. No amount of ground flax seed, chia seed, or other egg substitutes provided the light-yet-robust texture I was after.

Quick and Easy Vegetarian Tamale Pie With Brown Butter Cornbread Crust Recipe (2)

It's normally not like me to throw in the towel, and I may well revisit vegan cornbread in the future, but seeing as in my civilian life I'm an egg-and-cheese-eating vegetarian, I figured a fully vegetarian version of the dish would be good enough for my needs (and hopefully many of yours).

First off, that meant adding a handful of shredded cheddar cheese to the chili base. I just love adding small amounts of cheese to stews and brothy dishes to thicken them up and give them a salty-savory flavor boost (nowhere more so than in thiscreamy white chicken chili!)

It also meant I could go back to using that brown butter cornbread crust I love so much. This time, I decided to jack up the flavors a bit by adding some minced red jalapeño and scallions directly to the cornbread base. That combination of spicy savory flavors with the sweet base is simply awesome.

Quick and Easy Vegetarian Tamale Pie With Brown Butter Cornbread Crust Recipe (3)

After piling the chili into my cast iron skillet and topping it with the cornbread batter (the easiest way is to add it in small dollops with a spoon, then spread them out until they touch each other), I popped the whole thing in the oven until it was browned and crisp with bubbly-hot chili underneath.

Quick and Easy Vegetarian Tamale Pie With Brown Butter Cornbread Crust Recipe (4)

I really love the way cast iron looks as a serving vessel, but even better, I love the way it keeps things piping hot all through the meal. This is important, because this is the kind of stuff you go back to for seconds or thirds.

March 2015

Recipe Details