| Cornmeal Mush: | | 1 cup cornmeal | | 12 cup cold water | | 3 1/2 cup boiling water or chicken stock | | 2 tsp salt | | Tamale Pie: | | 1 stk butter | | 4 cup cooked cornmeal mush | | 1 lrg onion, chopped | | 2 clv garlic, minced | | 1 x green bell pepper | | 1/3 cup supermarket chili powder or to taste | | 3 tbl butter or oil | | 4 cup cooked ground beef | | 2 x pimientos, chopped | | 1 1/2 cup black pitted olives (or less), roughly chopped | | salt and pepper to taste |
| | (Be sure to use supermarket chili powder as it is mild. The purer chili powders of today would be too strong) | | To cook cornmeal mush: stir 1 cup of cornmeal into 1/2 cup cold water to moisten it, in the top of a double boiler . Then add 3 1/2 cups boiling water or chicken stock and 2 tsps salt ; mix well. | | Set the top over the bottom of the boiler, filled with 1 to 2 inches of boiling water, put a lid on the top and steam the cornmeal for 30 to 45 minutes until the water is all absorbed. | | For tamale pie: Beat butter into hot cooked cornmeal; set aside. Fry onion , garlic and bell pepper with chili powder in 3 Tbsp butter or oil until vegetables are just slightly softened, 2 or 3 minutes. Add cooked meat, pimientos, olives and season to taste. | | Put a layer of cornmeal mush in a baking dish, add the layer of meat filling and cover with another layer of mush. | | Bake in preheated 350F oven until the mush is crusty on top, about 30 minutes. | | Yield: 8 servings. |
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