Krazy Kristi's Kitchen: Healthy Tamale Pie

This week in my CSA box I found this great recipe along with most of the ingredients to make it. I did throw in some browned deer burger though otherwise my carnivorous husband would complain! The original recipe does not call for any meat...

Tomatillos

First let's talk about tomatillos as many people have never cooked with these little treasures!

The tomatillos should be firm and fresh. The skin should be more tight than loose. If it just falls off you have a overripe tomatillo. If it is super hard to peel off it is not quite ripe. When you peel the papery covering off, the tomatillos are often sticky from sap, so I just put them in some warm water with a little vegetable soap (or dish soap) and give them a good bath.

Now on to our recipe...

Tamale Pie

Filling Ingredients:
2 lbs. tomatillos, husk removed, quartered
1 onion, peeled and quartered
2 large cloves garlic, crushed and peeled
2 C fresh or frozen corn kernels
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp honey
15 oz. can black or pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 C chopped peppers; sweet or hot depending on desired heat
2 Tbls fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 1/2 C extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Topping Ingredients:

5 C water
1 2/3 cups stone-ground yellow cornmeal

1 tsp salt

Garnish:
Sour cream
1 avocado peeled and sliced

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425°. Lightly oil a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.

Filling:

Place tomatillos, onion and garlic in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Toast corn in a large dry skillet, preferably cast iron, over medium heat, stirring frequently, until browned, about 7 minutes. Add a small amount of olive oil and sauté peppers until soft, about 4 minutes.

Add tomatillo mixture, cumin, coriander and honey.

Simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in

beans, cilantro and half the cheese. Season with salt and pepper and let simmer.

Topping:

Bring water and salt to a boil in a heavy 2-quart saucepan. Slowly add cornmeal, whisking constantly, until thickened, about 5 minutes.

Spread half the cornmeal mixture in the prepared baking dish. Top with filling. Spoon remaining cornmeal mixture over the top. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.