After speculating that one could use the taco filling recipe to make a kind of Tamale Pie, I just had to test it out! Elspeth isn't keen on tortillas but loves Shepherd's Pie, so I thought she might really enjoy a Southwest version of it. I don't really like the name Tamale Pie (what does it mean?), so opted to focus on its relationship to Shepherd's Pie.
I went to my trusty Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, figuring she must have a cornbread recipe, and she did. I halved the recipe and spread it over an 8 inch square Pyrex pan about 2/3 full of taco filling. Sadly, I'm still without a regular oven (long story), so I had to adapt for the toaster oven. Madison wants you to bake the cornbread at 425 degrees, but I put the toaster oven on 400 and reduced the cooking time to 20 minutes. About halfway through, I needed to cover the pie with foil, as the proximity to the burners in the toaster oven was over-browning the cornbread.
We were very pleased with the end result and will definitely be making this again.
INGREDIENTS
1 recipe Taco Filling
1/2 c. cornmeal
1/2 c. whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 c. milk
1 egg
2 TBSP butter, melted
1 1/2 TBSP agave nectar (or honey or sugar)
DIRECTIONS
I went to my trusty Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, figuring she must have a cornbread recipe, and she did. I halved the recipe and spread it over an 8 inch square Pyrex pan about 2/3 full of taco filling. Sadly, I'm still without a regular oven (long story), so I had to adapt for the toaster oven. Madison wants you to bake the cornbread at 425 degrees, but I put the toaster oven on 400 and reduced the cooking time to 20 minutes. About halfway through, I needed to cover the pie with foil, as the proximity to the burners in the toaster oven was over-browning the cornbread.
We were very pleased with the end result and will definitely be making this again.
INGREDIENTS
1 recipe Taco Filling
1/2 c. cornmeal
1/2 c. whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 c. milk
1 egg
2 TBSP butter, melted
1 1/2 TBSP agave nectar (or honey or sugar)
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat a full-size oven to 425 degrees or a toaster oven to 400 degrees
- Firmly pack the taco filling to fill an 8 inch square pan to about 2/3, then butter the remaining top 1/3 of the dish
- Whisk together the dry ingredients for the cornbread in a small bowl and make a well in it
- Measure the milk into a 2 cup liquid measuring cup then add the remaining ingredients to the cup and whisk together
- Pour the wet ingredients into the well of dry ingredients
- Stir until the batter just comes together
- Spread the batter over the taco filling quickly and place in the oven
- Set the timer for 10 minutes to start if using a toaster oven, then check to see if you need to cover with foil. If using a regular oven, start with 20 minutes
- Take the southwest shepherd's pie from the oven when the cornbread is cooked-through and lightly browned and the filling is bubbling
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