Pork Lover's Tamale Pie

I'm wondering if I'm the only one here who's never tried tamale pie before.  Well, I've obviously tried it now, but until I made this last week, I was a tamale pie virgin.  From what I gather, it's classic American comfort food, a quintessential American pot luck dish....and it's been around for decades.  I grew up in the States and somehow managed to live there 19 years without ever trying this dish.  Huh. 

It gets worse though.  I've never even eaten a tamale before.  Sigh............... 

Because of my tamale ignorance, I have absolutely no idea if this casserole even remotely resembles the taste of an actual tamale, but I do know we loved it.  This ridiculously easy (and delicious) recipe is from the March 2012 issue of Every Day with Rachael Ray.  It's made by cooking ground pork, bacon and chorizo (hence, "pork lover's") together and then adding chili powder, herbs, onion, garlic, and tomatoes, and then covering with golden polenta and shredded cheese. 

This dish exceeded our expectations.  We really loved the polenta topping here as opposed to a cornbread topping (which I'm sure is also scrumptious).  I served this with some sour cream and guacamole on the side which I definitely recommend.  Yum!  Without a doubt, I'll be making this dish again. 

Enjoy!

Pork Lover's Tamale Pie
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1 cup milk
1 cup cornmeal
2 cups boiling water
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon honey
1/3 pound Mexican chorizo (raw) or chopped Spanish chorizo (cured)
4 slices bacon, finely chopped
1 pound ground pork
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, finely chopped
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 tablespoon ground coriander
1 small onion, chopped
3 - 4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 cup beer
1 14 1/2 ounce can diced tomatoes with chiles, drained
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Cilantro leaves and sliced scallions, for garnishing

In a medium saucepan, heat the milk. Whisk in the cornmeal, then whisk in the boiling water and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until very thick, 15 to 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then stir in the butter and honey.

Preheat the broiler. Meanwhile, in a large ovenproof skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat until smoking. Add the chorizo and bacon and render the fat for 3 minutes. Stir in the pork and cook, crumbling the meat, until browned, about 8 minutes. Season with the thyme, chili powder, coriander, salt and pepper. Add the onion and garlic and cook for a few minutes to soften. Stir in the beer to deglaze for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes to heat through.

Spoon the thick cornmeal over the pan and spread evenly. Top with the cheddar and brown under the broiler for 2 minutes. Serve from the skillet, garnished with the cilantro and scallions.

NOTE:  I didn't put this under the broiler, I baked it at 400F for about 10 or 15 minutes instead. 

Makes 4 servings.

Source:  Every Day with Rachael Ray - March 2012

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