This Tex-Mex recipe is one I’ve cooked regularly for over thirty years because it’s so good — one of those dishes people ask me to make, and want the recipe for, so I guess it qualifies as something of a retro classic that’s stood the test of time.  It’s essentially an unconventional variation of chili con carne that’s topped with a cornbread mixture and baked in the oven.  It satisfies cravings for something spicy, meaty, a little bit sweet, and hearty with carbohydrate, all at the same time.  It’s inexpensive — it takes just 450g (1 pound) of ground meat to serve six — and it’s easy to make, and very reliable.  It’s easy to eat, too, being juicy and moist, and kids love it as well as grown-ups.  The only reason I haven’t posted this family favourite earlier is that we always eat it before I can photograph it.

This is my favourite version of this southwestern American classic, which takes its name from the Mexican tamale, a street food with an ancient history, very popular on both sides of the border.   A true tamale is labour-intensive, made by filling dried cornhusks with a masa or cornmeal mixture that encases a rich filling of spicy meat.  Each cornhusk parcel is folded and tied before being steamed or cooked in broth.  The hot bundles are then unwrapped to reveal a soft corn exterior hiding a delicious filling.

Tamale pie owes its inspiration to the popularity of the authentic Mexican delicacy, but it’s a Tex-Med reinvention that has its own cultural history going back decades, and certainly inspires nostalgia and a lot of variations around and beyond the Southwest.

I wish I could claim credit for this particular recipe, but my hand-written copy of it cites the January 1984 edition of Gourmet  magazine (I’ve since lost the magazine itself, alas, on one of my moves).  It’s one of the few recipes I’ve never been tempted to tinker with as I’ve always found the seasonings to be spot-on.  It is richly spiced and has a little tingle, but (like my preferred chili con carne recipe) the heat is subtle and doesn’t blunt the other flavours, which are nicely complex.   I love the undertones of cocoa, the sweetness of corn kernels, and the saltiness of pimento-stuffed green olives.  The cornbread topping is tender in the middle, crunchy on top, and a little bit sweet to harmonise with the filling, so together, the two layers make a very satisfying mix of tastes and textures. [Read More…]