Easy and Delicious Tamale Pie Casserole

Wednesday: Casseroles

When you think of casseroles on a blog with the word Mormon in it you probably think of some combination of crushed up potato chips, canned green beans and cream of mushroom soup. This sterotype is not unique to Mormons though, but can be found all over the country, especially in the mid-west and south (probably anywhere with large numbers of church pot-luck dinners or funerals).

The term casserole originally comes from the French word for saucepan and refers to a dish that can be used both as a baking vessel and serving container. The word has also come to represent, not only the type of cookware (casserole dish), but the foods served in it. From the French ragouts and cassoulets to the British bakes and hotpots and from the hotdish of Scandinavia and the Mid-West, most cultures have some type of similar meal. This weeks casserole pays homage to Latin-American culture with an Easy and Delicious Tamale Pie.

This is a great dish that can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated. When you get home from running kids to soccer or school functions it will be ready to throw in the oven, bake and serve. So here goes.

Easy and Delicious Tamale Casserole

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30-60 minutes

Serves: 8

2 lbs Ground Beef

2 cup Diced Peppers (your choice of color)

1 tsp Minced Garlic

1 Onion, diced

2 tsp Ground Cumin

1 can Chipotle Chiles (in Adobe Sauce if available)

1 can (8 oz) Stewed Tomatoes

1 can Black Bean

1 can Corn

4 oz Shredded Cheddar Cheese

1 box Cornbread Mix (or your favorite corn bread recipe)

1/2 cup Chopped Cilantro

Brown ground beef with peppers, garlic and onions. Drain oil. Add ground cumin, chipotle chilies, stewed tomatoes, corn and black beans. Simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and pour meat mixture into your favorite casserole dish. Pour cornbread batter over meat mixture and bake for 30 - 60 minutes (until cornbread batter cooked throughout). Feel free to double the cornbread batter, divide and pour a layer on the bottom. Sprinkle cheese on top and bake for 5 minute to melt. Garnish with cilantro.

Serve and enjoy.

Photo by John Mitzewich

Norwegian Style Meatballs

Norwegian Style Meatballs

Yield: About 30-40 large meatballs

2 lbs ground beef

2 cups saltine cracker crumbs

Salt and Pepper to taste

3 eggs

1 onion, chopped

1 qt. favorite beef gravy

16 oz sour cream

In a large bowl, combine ground beef, crackers, seasons, eggs and onion. Shape into meatballs (using your hands or an Ice Cream scoop). Broil in oven on the top rack for 10 minutes. Turn over and broil for an additional 10 minutes. Drain excess fat.

Combine beef gravy, sour cream and meatballs. Serve over egg noodles or rice.

Italian Style Meatballs

My very first catering job as a professional chef was a wedding for a friend of my wife. Jan and her husband wanted to serve spaghetti & meatballs for a few hundred guests, so I ended up spending several hours making hundreds of meatballs from scratch. Since then I have made several varieties of meatballs for different recipes. From an Italian style that pairs with both pastas and meatball subs to a Swedish style served with stroganoff as a wonderful hors d'oeuvres to a Hawaiian style served over rice.

This morning a friend of mine asked me if I knew of an easy recipe for homemade meatballs. So here are a few for her.

Italian Style Meatballs

Yields: 50 - l oz meatballs

2 lbs Lean Ground Beef

1 lb Ground Italian Sausage (or remove from casings)

1 cup dried bread crumbs (run through a food processor to make a fine texture)

1 med. Onion, finely chopped

1 tsp Sea Salt

1 tbsp Minced Garlic (or garlic powder)

1 tsp basil (fresh chopped or dried)

1 tsp oregano (fresh chopped or dried)

2 Large Eggs

2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2-3 tbsp water (as needed to moisten)

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Lightly oil a sheet pan (or line with foil). Combine all ingredients adding just enough water to moisten. Shape into meatballs. Broil the meatballs on the top rack of the oven for 10 minutes. Turn and broil for an additional 10 minutes. Drain any excess oil. Add to favorite sauce or can be frozen and reheated as needed.

Enjoy