Dinners/mexican tamale pie

Serves: about 6-8

Active Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes

From: http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2015/01/mexican-tamale-pie-cazuela-de-tamal-black-bean-recipe.html and http://www.annies-eats.com/2015/10/07/vegetarian-tamale-pie/

Ingredients

For Filling

2 chilies, stemmed, seeded, finely chopped

1 cup broth

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 medium white onion, chopped

3 medium cloves garlic, chopped

4 cups cooked black beans (from four 15-ounce cans)

salt

For Topping

¾ tsp. salt

8 oz. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

4 cups water

1½ cups coarse cornmeal

Directions

For Topping

Step 1

Bring the water to a boil in a medium to large saucepan over high heat. Add in ¾ teaspoon of salt, then slowly add in the cornmeal, whisking vigorously to prevent clumping. Reduce the heat to medium-high and cook, whisking constantly, until the cornmeal begins to soften and the mixture thickens, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper to taste. Spread the warm cornmeal mixture over the casserole with a spatula, pushing it to the edges of the baking dish.

For Filling

Step 1

Preheat oven to 375°F

Step 2

In a skillet, heat lard over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion and garlic and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add beans and cook until heated through. Using a potato masher mash beans to form a chunky puree. Stir in peppers and cook, stirring, until thickened, about 5 minutes.

Step 3

Pour filling into 9x13 pan and spread into even layer. Spread the cheese on top of bean layer. Spread topping onto cheese layer. Bake for 45-50 minutes.