Make Mine Caj-Mex Tonight ! + An Award

My dear friend, Dave, over at, A Year on the Grill, recently honored me with an award of the highest order. An award that he created and so kindly passed on to me. His fantastic grilling blog is full of divine culinary surprises and is most entertaining and fun, too. Any guy who can make homemade bread is a real treasure, in my book! To check out one of his his delicious bread making posts , click here. Merci beaucoup, cher, I am truly honored!


 
The "I Can Cook That Award" is presented to a blogger who must:

1) Take inspiration from or outright steal a recipe from a fellow blogger
2) Actually make the item, or make a close copy of the item
3) Blog about your efforts, giving proper credit and links to the inspiree
4)If you receive the award, be honored, as there is no greater feeling than having your efforts not just recognized, but duplicated! That is the only real rule, is to feel honored. BUT, feel free to post this in your side bar and to pass it on to one of your favorite bloggers which you have made one of their recipes.

 
I took the inspiration from one of my favorite bloggers , my dear friend and fellow Cajun, Katherine , at Smoky Mountain Cafe, whose gourmet blog is the utmost in fabulous cooking. And it is my pleasure to pass this great award to her. Her blog and her step by step photos are amazing. To see Katherine's original Tamale Pie post, click here.

I rarely follow a recipe to a T, and tend to add my own little Cajun tweaks, here and there. I have changed a few things in the recipe, but have tried to stick to the basic instructions, as much as possible. I also cut the recipe in half, as there were only two of us for dinner, tonight. Cest bon, cher! Nothing like Tamale Pie on a cold winter's night! And it's SNOWING now, for the second December in a row! A record for Louisiana! Let it sneaux, cher! Bon Appetit!


Tamale Pie

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in Dutch oven and sauté 1 medium onion chopped, 1 cup baby bella or white mushrooms, and 1 cup of thinly sliced green onions over high heat until softened, about 4 minutes. (I omitted the mushrooms and added 1/2 cup each of bell pepper and celery and I also browned the meat first, then added the trinity) Sorry, Katherine,but old habits die hard!

Then drop in 2 lbs. of lean ground meat, and cook it down until it fully browns. Strain the beef and veggies and set it aside. Remove all the juices that accumulated in the pot and put the pot back on the burner.

  Add to it, the 2 cans of Rotel tomatoes. I used one can of original Rotel tomatoes and 1 can of Rotel with lime and cilantro. Cook the tomatoes for about 3 minutes on high heat or until the liquid reduces slightly.

Put the meat back into the pot and stir into it the 2 cloves of minced garlic, 3 heaping teaspoons of chili powder, 2 level teaspoons of cumin, 2 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce, 2 cans Mexican corn, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Combine everything well and simmer the meat mixture covered for about 5 minutes. (I cooked the meat mixture for 15 minutes and added a few good shakes of Tabasco)

While the ground beef is cooking, butter an 9x13 Pyrex baking dish and sprinkle with 12 broken taco shells evenly over the bottom.

 
In a small bowl prepare two packages of cornbread mix. (I used Martha White's Jalapeno Cornbread mix)

Remove the cover from the pot and stir in 1 can of black beans with the liquid. Fully incorporate the beans into the meat. Cover the pot and simmer for 5 additional minutes.

(I omitted the black beans because I didn't have any in my pantry)

Spoon out the meat mixture over the taco chips, spread 1 cup of sour cream over the meat, spread the cornbread mixture over the sour cream, sprinkle cheddar cheese or a blend of cheddar and Monterrey Jack cheese. (I omitted the sour cream because my son dislikes it)
Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes until the corn bread is golden brown. Serve piping hot! Cest bon, cher!

*Serve with a big tossed salad and French bread.* Le Bon Manger!