Tamale Pie and Triple Corn Bread

 

It's time to try some recipes using maseca, aka masa harina, aka corn flour (as opposed to cornmeal). The first was a tamale casserole. The idea for the filling came from here; dough and cooking method from here.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine 2 cups masa harina, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt with 2 cups chicken broth and 1/2 cup canola oil. Mix well and let set while preparing the filling.

Saute some chopped onions and peppers with ground beef. Stir in a can of tomato sauce, a can of green chilies, and a can of corn. Season with chili powder, cumin, ground coriander, salt, and pepper.

Pat half the dough into a greased 9" square pan. Top with filling. Add some grated cheese if desired. Press remaining dough on top.

Pour some hot water into a 9x13" pan. Place the smaller pan inside. Cover both with foil; this will steam the casserole so it tastes more like authentic tamales. Bake for 45-60 minutes. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with sour cream and salsa.

I found another recipe using corn flour in the King Arthur Flour sales catalog that arrived in the mail this week, so we gave it a try as well.

This also had an interesting cooking method - blending the can of corn with the butter, honey and eggs before adding that mixture to the dry ingredients.

Triple Corn Bread

• 7/8 cup maseca or masa harina
• 3/4 cup cornmeal
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 15 ounce can corn, undrained
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 eggs

Combine dry ingredients. Place remaining ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Combine two mixtures and spoon into a greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes. Cool.

It was delicious warm with some butter and honey!