Fall is Coming Tamale Pie

We planted butternut squash in our garden this year. I was a little frightened when I saw that it had been taking reproduction cues from bunnies and zucchini. For a while, it looked like we were going to have a 20 year supply of hard winter squash. But then most of them lost the will to live and withered on the vine and we ended up with just enough to satisfy my Autumnal needs . (Is Autumnal even a word? Well, it should be.) It was sort of a relief. What kind of gardener am I? Why is it a relief when my crops fail? It's because sometimes I wish that my garden would produce like a grocery list- a pound of green beans one week, a bunch of broccoli the next, a few ears of corn and a ripe tomato every couple of days. A generous bounty means labor, toil, and elbow grease right the minute the vegetables say they are ready-despite the fact that you have papers to grade, classes to teach, meetings to attend, etc. I'm not complaining, I'm just, well...complaining. Enough of that! At least my butternut squash came out just right. I've got enough for one per week, and it's going to keep just fine without any attention. I love the golden, buttery stuff. I've been tossing in a little here and there to add a flavor of Fall-is-Coming. It is coming, you know. And that means it's time for chili and cornbread and all of it's variations, like good old fashioned Tamale Pie. Here's my latest version with a little bit of that buttenut squash tossed in. I brought it over to my parent's house for a family dinner, and they've been raving about it all week. My mom even made a tamale pie to take over to the neighbors the next day. And don't worry if you didn't grow your own butternut squash. Head over to the grocery store; they've got plenty. Notes: You can leave out the meat for a cheaper, vegetarian version. If you want to double the batch, you can bake extra miniature pies in ramekins. If you're pressed for time, you can use a cornbread mix and a pepped up can of chilli. I won't judge.
Fall is Coming Tamale Pie

Estimated Cost: $7.00 for six servings

Notes: If you are pressed for time, use a cornbread mix.

1 lb ground beef

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 large onion, minced

1 bell pepper, any color, chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, minced (optional)

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

2 cups cubed butternut squash or other hard winter squash

1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained

1 (14 ounce) can chili beans, or 1 cup fully cooked beans

1/2 cup beef broth or water

Cornbread Topping:

1 and 1/4 cups cornmeal

3/4 cup flour

1 scant tablespoon baking powder

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 cup milk

1 and 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

In a large 10 or 12 inch ovenproof skillet, cook ground beef breaking up with back of spoon. After five minutes, add garlic, onion, bell pepper, and jalapeno. Cook until beef is browned and vegetables are softened. Add chili powder and cumin and cook for thirty seconds. Add squash, tomatoes, beans, and broth. Reduce heat and simmer until squash is tender, about ten minutes. Meanwhile, prepare cornbread topping and preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. I a smaller bowl, combine eggs, oil, and milk. Pour wet ingredients over the dry and stir gently, just until combined. Pour over meat mixture in skillet and bake until cornbread is browned and set, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese and return to the oven just to melt.
Next Up:

Dutch Oven Apple Crisp

It wouldn't be Christmas without Tamales

If you live in Southern California, Christmas is time for tamales. Your sweet Mexican friends and neighbors will bring you plastic bags, filled with tasty meat fillings encased in tender corn dough. Muchas Gracias, you will say, and Feliz Navidad. Then when your friends turn their backs, you will devour your tamales, all of them. You will want more, and you might get another bagfull, but you surely will only get them in December for Christmas. But if you move away from Southern California, there's a good chance (sniffle) that no one will ever bring you a tamale again. People might even think that you should go and buy your own tamales, because they are available at every movie theatre.Ay caramba, amigos. Hot tamales are good too, but not for Christmas.

So you will have to resort to making your own tamales.

Warning: Making tamales is messy and time-consuming. Proof: My friend Denise and I turned out a cool six dozen in my kitchen; it took all morning to make them and all afternoon to clean them up.

Warning: Tamales are outrageously delicious and terribly addictive. Proof: West has eaten NOTHING but tamales since I made them-lunch, dinner, breakfast, lunch, dinner. If this keeps up, I'm going to rename him Westito and buy him a sombrero.

Last year I gave you the in-depth tamale making guide. You've got to click here to get it. This year, I'm giving you the fillings. I make red chile beef, cheese and green chile, and I usually make tomatillo chicken. But this year, I used my sweet and spicy chicken and it's been the run-away favorite. Here's my new three favorite fillings below, and if you give up before you get them made into tamales, they make super-fantastic tacos, too. Feliz Navidad, either way.

Tamales with Sweet and Spicy Chicken

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken (frozen is fine)

1/3 to 1/2 cup brown sugar (use the higher amount for tamales)

1 14 ounce can petite diced tomatoes, undrained

generous pinch of crushed red pepper

Place everything in the crockpot and cook on high for about three hours. Shred with fork. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Chicken will absorb extra juices when shredded.

Tamales with Red Chile Beef

1 3 lb. beef roast, any cut

3 garlic cloves

1 onion, roughly chopped

1 (14 ounce) can Mexican style diced tomatoes with green chilies or jalapenos

2-4 tablespoons chile powder

Place all ingredients in crock pot on high for about 5 hours. Shred with fork and carefully discard fat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Tamales with Cheese and Green Chilies

shredded cheddar cheese and green chilies

optional: chopped olives, green onions, minced jalapeno

My friend Denise brought over some cans and we made some tamales in there too. Haven't steamed them yet, but I'm anxious to find out how they turn out.

I can't get enough of English Toffee Popcorn

Be Back this weekend with the recipe....

Tamale Griddle Cakes

Last week, my little sister went out to dinner with friends at the Cheesecake Factory, where she ordered a tamale cake appetizer. She wrote me an email telling me how good they were, with an attached copycat recipe, and promised to make them for me the next time she came for a visit. But then I couldn't stop thinking about them. Last thing before I went to bed, first thing when I woke up. Was it really possible to have the taste of tamales without all of the work? The notion made my heart leap up and dance the cucaracha. I was in love, enamorado, and we hadn't even been introduced. Mexican food, next to long walks on the beach and long stemmed red roses, has always had a special place in my heart. And so we met, and we've been inseparable ever since. You've got to try them to believe me. One bite and you'll find true love too.

Money Saving Tips: You'll need to buy masa harina for this recipe and you'll get a hefty bag. Store it in an airtight container and use it for tamales, corn tortillas, and sopas. It also makes a nice thickener for chilli and mexican style soups. Use leftover fresh corn kernels to save even more pennies. The original recipe calls for twice the amount of butter that I've used. I swapped out the excess for some broth.
Tamale Griddle Cakes

Notes: These make a fabulous light meal or appetizer. Leftovers are out of this world, too.

Estimated Cost: $2.00 for 12

1 and 1/2 cups corn kernels, divided use

1/4 cup vegetable broth or chicken broth or water

1/4 cup butter, softened

3 tablespoons sugar

1 pinch salt

heaping 1/2 cup masa harina

1/4 cup flour

In a blender, combine 3/4 cup corn kernels and butter. Process until almost smooth. Pour into bowl and add remaining ingredients, including remaining 3/4 cup corn kernels. Shape into 12 small patties. Preheat griddle over medium high heat and lightly coat with butter. Cook patties like pancakes, until golden brown on each side. Serve with avocado, sour cream, and fresh salsa.

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Brownie Bites

Christmas in Mexico and Tamales

Feliz Navidad!

Merry Christmas from Mexico, one of our stops-I've lost count-on the Christmas Around the World series here at Prudence Pennywise. The festivities in Mexico begin on December sixteenth with a nine day procession called "Las Posadas" Children representing Mary and Joseph roam from house to house looking for a room in the inn for Baby Jesus. After the last posada parade, families attend a special midnight mass and baby Jesus is placed in the manger scene, having at last found a resting place.

The iconic Christmas flower, the poinsettia comes from Mexico, and legend has it that the flower's pointed petals represent the Christmas star that led the shepherds and wise men to the baby Jesus.

The giving of gifts happens on Kings day, January sixth. Like many other countries, Mexican children put out their shoes and wait for the Three Wise Men to leave them little surprises.

And yet, having grown up in southern California, my favorite Mexican Christmas tradition is the giving of tamales. Mmmm!It didn't seem like the Christmas season was in full swing until our Mexican friends brought us a giant bag full of the delectable savory corn cakes filled with meats and chiles. They were so delicious that we had to learn to make them ourselves. I have to hand it to my mom for always taking the opportunity to learn from others. Although I balked a little at the time, on three separate occasions my mother invited Mexican friends to our home to teach our family to make tamales. I'm so grateful now that my mother realized how important it was to share traditions, ideas, and recipes from other cultures. Making tamales is a long and drawn-out process, albeit an enjoyable one, especially if you make them in a group. (Tamal making parties, or "tamaladas" are common in December in southern California.) I've been making tamales for the last decade, sometimes alone, sometimes with others. I've tweaked a couple of different recipes and I think this version, with a combination of fresh corn and dried corn flour, is the absolute tastiest. I filled some tamales with shredded chicken that has been simmered in tomatillo salsa, and some with cheese and green chilies, and some with all three. You can fill it with whatever your heart desires!

Money Saving Tips: If at all possible, visit a Mexican market for your ingredients. You'll end up with a large bag of masa mix. Next month I'll show you how to make tortillas with that masa so that it doesn't go to waste. You can easily double this recipe to make a larger batch, so that you won't waste any of the corn husks.

Fresh Corn Tamales adapted from Bon Appetit and other sources

Estimated Cost: $8.00 for 20 tamales

1/2 of 6 ounce package corn husks
2 and 3/4 cups masa mix (corn tortilla mix)

8 tablespoons softened butter

4 tablespoons sugar

2 and 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

3/4 cup vegetable broth

5 cups corn kernels, thawed if frozen

1 and 1/2 cup packed cheddar cheese

1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

about 2 cups fillings-shredded cheese, cooked shredded meats, green chilies, etc

The night before you make tamales, soak corn husks in a large bowl of warm water. Weigh the husks down with a plate so that they stay submerged. Cut about 20 12 by 12 inch pieces of waxed paper. (Just roughly estimate with your eye-they don't need to be perfect.)

In a large bowl, using a pastry cutter or two knives, blend masa mix, butter, sugar, salt and pepper until crumbly. IN the bowl of the blender, combine broth, half of the corn kernels, cheese, and baking powder. Process until smooth. In the large bowl with the masa mix, add pureed corn kernels and remaining corn kernels. Mix well. This will be your dough. For each tamal, open one corn husk. Place a scant 1/2 cup tamal dough in center. (You'll get used to eyeballing it. You'll use more for bigger husks, less for smaller.) Press dough down into rectangle shape, leaving 1 inch borders all around.Put about 2 tablespoons filling in the center of dough. Wrap tamale dough over the top and around to form a cylinder of dough with filling completely enclosed. Fold up ends of corn husks around tamal dough. Fold waxed paper around tamal into a little bundle. (I don't bother tying the tamales, since wrapping in waxed paper works just as well, is faster, and it keeps them fresher afterwards.)Repeat process with all tamales.
When tamales are finished, place in steamer basket and steam for about 90 minutes. OR if you don't own a steamer-like me, fill the bottom of a large pot with crumpled foil. Pour in about 1 inch of boiling water. Place about 10 tamales in a pot. Cover the top with extra corn husks. Place the lid on tightly. Over low heat, steam tamales for about 90 minutes to two hours. Add more boiling water to bottom every thirty minutes. (I pour the water just down the side of the pot.) Tamales are cooked when they no longer stick to the husk. Store cooked tamales in refrigerator, in a plastic bag. Remove waxed paper and place husk-covered tamales in microwave for about 1 minute each. Remove husk before eating-you probably know that, but just in case...

Feliz Navidad and best of luck!

Next Up:

Hanukkah and Potato Latkes with Applesauce