Post by Mitra on Dec 20, 2010 19:09:27 GMT -5
Until my computer is fixed so that I can post this properly to Joann's website, here are the entries from the last two weeks.
Enjoy
December 05, 2010 Sunday
Jasmine gave 1 gallon this morning.
The weather is about the same, right around 30 degrees with mostly dark skies, typical weather for the time of year. To my surprise, the cows and sheep continue to graze most of the time. There is some patchy snow on the pasture but they ignore it.
DS Martin has devised a new cattle watering system involving a float valve and heat tape on a pipe to the water tub which is also heated. It blew apart this morning rather spectacularly but he repaired it and replaced sprayed light bulbs. He also set up a light on a timer for the chickens.
The pickup he bought has a Mickey Mouse sort of ignition system that the seller did not adequately explain. So the battery is drained. We have it on the trickle charger. He got the older pickup going and they are now both in the front yard. They both have plows on the front.
Martin and Amy brought me a dear little Xmas tree which they cut on their property at Weld.
DD Marcia stopped by and we all had lunch together. There was more of the lentil soup and this morning I made liver pate. It was still hot from the oven. It was OK but should be better tomorrow.
DS Bret is in Washington DC where he has meetings next week. He brought his DD Maia with him to see the sights. Yesterday they went to the zoo. I hope today they went to the National Gallery or Smithsonian.
Marcia picked up lobsters today, her DD Abby Rose's favorite seafood and I joined them for dinner. We had a fine time eating lobster with plenty of melted butter.
Ernie has about 35 of his glass sculptures now at a gallery in Belfast. He does beautiful work.
Marcia had finished a painting on silk of a peacock, very detailed, and Ernie got it framed under archival glass. She has also completed a Xmas stocking of batik on silk for her granddaughter Lily.
I skipped the milking this evening so that I could go eat lobster.
December 06, 2010 Monday
Jasmine gave 2 gallons this morning, catching up partially for not having been milked last night. Three gallons today total.
The whole State of Maine got snow today although we got less than elsewhere, only 1.5 inches. There was a high icy wind so it was no fun being outside for man or beast. I put down plenty of hay. Marcia and I did some local errands and I picked up feed. The weather was too bad for driving to New Sharon for it. Marcia bought a kerosene space heater as an emergency heat source when we get a power outage. She has decided against going to Florida this year. She is enjoying her new little studio apartment and having Abby Rose and Ernie in the main house.
Ernie came by here today to see what supplies I might have for construction of his ice fishing hut. I gave him some sheets of metal roofing. He is really looking forward to the fishing.
Mitra reports that her girls and Santiago had endless fun sliding on the new snow. There is a long slope on their lawn and Santiago is far from being bored with snow. He is growing fast under the influence of farm milk, or so I suppose.
December 07, 2010 Tuesday
Jasmine gave only 1 gallon this morning, 1 more this evening. This evening she was in roaring heat so I wrote to my AI tech¡¦ yet again.
I made butter again. Also found a nest with 11 good eggs.
It is Christmas cake season. I made some from a new recipe from the King Arthur people. It made 5 cakes. Along with dried cranberries, which I substituted for costly dried cherries, it included chocolate chips. The end broke off on one cake on its way out of the pan so I had to take a bite. It seems pretty good!
For my dinner I invented squash and peanut butter soup. I recommend it highly. I fried a shopped onion in butter, added a tablespoon of galangal spice ( curry or garam masala would be equally good), added a pint of chicken stock, 3 tablespoons of natural peanut butter and some Thai chili sauce, added a pint of pureed squash, got it simmering for a few minutes, then added a cup of cream. It was very satisfying.
Wednesday, December 08, 2010
The AI tech arrived before I had the machine on Jasmine but I had both her and Helen in their stanchions. He bred Jasmine to Lieutenant again and took a blood sample from Helen to check for pregnancy. I don¡¯t hold out much hope.
Marcia stopped in and we ate the rest of the squash and peanut butter soup and each had a slice of cake. It is dark and cold, about 18 degrees. She gave Willie a bath so he had to stay in the rest of the day to get dry. After she left I went down to the garden to look around and found three rather measly stalks of Brussels sprouts which I lopped off and brought up to the house. There are still a lot of bunching onions but the ground is frozen so they cannot be pulled.
Jasmine gave 2 gallons today.
December 10, 2010 Friday
It was down to zero yesterday and today. You really feel the difference in your toes and lots more drafts announce themselves around the doors and windows. Brr! Can I get used to this again? I know it is a mere preview of coming attractions.
I ate my little frozen Brussels sprouts tonight and they were delicious. I also braised a bird that DD Sally dressed off in September and labeled ¡°Tender young rooster¡±. This judgment proved optimistic. I simmered it all day and it was still stringy. Tasty though.
So far the weather is not distressing any of the animals although there is no more grazing. I got 6 eggs today and Jasmine gave 2 gallons of milk.
December 11, 2010 Saturday
It is still cold but not quite so freezie. It was mostly about 10¢ª.
Marcia came by and strewed some rejected hay around in the beefer pen as bedding so that Jasmine will come in cleaner. With no more grazing and very little sun all the bovines have been lying around inside and messing things up. All the chickens are inside too. When DD Sally comes perhaps she will dress off a few more roosters. I have one dear little hen who hatched 4 chicks about 5 months ago and has never stopped nurturing them. Darned if they aren't all cockerels, now bigger than mom. They are a cute little family. At night they roost in a tight packed row in a rafter.
Marcia threw down another bale of what she thought to be poor quality hay and all 8 ruminants fell upon it as though it was dessert. So they got to keep it.
While here, Marcia put plastic on the last two bedroom windows. That just leaves the attic to do.
Marcia bought fresh Maine shrimp in the Dixfield fish market and served them boiled and spread out on newspapers and sprinkled with Old Bay seasoning. We each peeled our own and had a feast. We also had salad, crusty French bread and baked sweet potatoes.
I skipped milking tonight. This morning I got 1 ¨ö gallons and brought in 6 eggs.
December 12, 2010 Sunday
Two gallons this morning, more than usual because of skipping milking last night.
My furnace quit again. The furnace man came out and checked everything. He ended up disconnecting the computerized system that conforms the furnace response to the outdoor temperature. He is going to check if it is under warranty. I paid considerable extra for that feature so will not be pleased if it has quit.
It rained all day and the roads were icy. DIL Mitra reports scary driving conditions in New Sharon but I did not have to go out. DD Marcia came by and brought in a lot of wood, helped me deploy the grain I bought yesterday and spread bedding around in the beefer pen.
I made another batch of fruit cake using a more traditional recipe than the previous one.
Jasmine gave 1 gallon tonight.
December 13, 2010 Monday
It has rained for two days and the rivers of Maine are at flood stage including the Webb River that runs past my farm. The ground is frozen and cannot absorb the runoff. The loss of duff in the forests now that they clear cut and chip up the small stuff and take it all away leaves nothing to slow the runoff.
All the snow is gone. It was 40 degrees all day. The animals spent the day on the pasture looking for grazing. Jasmine gave only two gallons even with TAD milking.
I made bread, a sort of lemon brioche style.
December 15, 2010 Wednesday
Yesterday Jasmine gave 2 1/2 gallons, today only 2 1/8. Fern, 14 mo. heifer, was in heat, so that was a big distraction; also the cows did not drink their water much. An electric cord was dangling into it so there may have been stray voltage. After I filled the tub this evening Jas came and took a big drink.
My day started with an adventure. I always let the sheep into their stall first thing for a grain snack and to keep them out of my way. Only three of the four came in but that is not unusual in bad weather because they are over in the beefer pen and can¡¯t always figure out how to go the wrong direction for a few steps in order to get around to where I am standing at the top of the ramp. After milking I discovered the 4th sheep, Susie, stuck inside the hay feeder. This is an ancient steel feeder with keyhole slots sized for cattle. She had squeezed part way through a slot at the end and then woven herself around the corner presumably in an attempt to leave through a side slot. She was not in pain, in fact was chewing her cud when I found her, but her head and front feet were out one slot and her hips and hind legs out another. None of her feet touched the ground. She is a big fat 11 month old Suffolk ewe lamb who weighs darn near as much as I do, probably 150 lbs. Like all sheep, she would do nothing to help herself and appeared to have accepted her fate. Well, I lifted and I pushed and I sweated and I tried to think whom to summon to help me. I couldn't think of a soul. Finally it occurred to me to bring a bale of hay downstairs and put it under her hind feet so they would not be just dangling. This induced some feeble struggling but no progress, inasmuch as her front end was locked in place. Putting it under her front feet was more promising but this required that I push her backwards and stuff her head back through the slot. This caused her to make deathly gargling noises but I finally got her front end inside the feeder, then I put my hands under her rear hooves to give her a boost and she popped along into the feeder, whereupon she took two steps forward and began peacefully eating hay. As for me, I was breathing through my mouth, utterly used up.
It was cold all day, about 10 degrees. More snow fell.
December 16, 2010 Thursday
It is still cold but partly sunny. I had no further big adventures. Jasmine gave 2 1/4 gallons and I got 7 eggs.
DD Marcia and I went to town and I picked up more chicken and dairy feed. It is amazing how much the chickens are eating now that they cannot forage. As soon as DD Sally gets here (January 6) we will dress off about 8 more roosters.
December 17, 2010 Friday
It is still cold. Well, nothing compared to what many parts of the country are experiencing, but enough to remind me that I need to get a lot more serious about the quality of my mittens and gloves.
Jasmine gave over 2 1/2 gallons today
Marcia came down and did the noon animal care, putting out hay, topping up the water and spreading waste hay around for bedding. The bedding is very important at this time of year when the cows spend all or most of the day inside and not just for cow comfort. The manure freezes in great lumps which they avoid lying down on in favor or the softer fresh stuff. This results in a lot of extra work for the dairymaid. I was busy today in the house getting lunch on the table for my vet who tends to stop if he is passing. I usually have something to offer him, in this case tamale pie.
Mitra is still without a computer. The repair shop said that they cannot even get at it until next week.
Here is the tamale pie recipe. It is from King Arthur.
This recipe made its debut in The Baking Sheet, our subscription baking newsletter. Susan Reid, the editor, described it this way: "Greg, my other half, is always happy when the answer to 'what's for dinner?' is 'a casserole'. Being a true child of the Donna Reed era, the idea of a warm covered dish with meat and cheese and starch all together makes him feel right at home. The tamale topping for this dish is moist and tender, studded with flecks of corn. You can add herbs or cheese if you like. Partly because of my restaurant training, I tend to make the filling for this dish in double batches, one for now and one for the freezer. That way I'm halfway there later on when I come home late and want to get dinner on the table without starting from scratch. If you want to make the filling ahead, you can do so and tuck it in its casserole dish in the refrigerator. When you get home, turn the oven on, plunk the casserole in the microwave for 10 minutes to heat through while you put together the topping, scoop it out, put it in the oven. Your total time from start to dinner? 35 minutes."
Ingredients View by: Volume Weight
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound ground chicken, turkey, or beef
1 cup diced onions
2 cloves chopped garlic
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon salt
pepper or cayenne to taste
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
1 can (14.5 ounces) stewed tomatoes
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes in juice
1 can (14.5 ounces) black or dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
Tamale Topping
1 cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
3/4 cup whole cornmeal
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1 large egg
1 small (8 ounces) can creamed corn
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup grated cheese, optional
7/8 ounce olive oil
1 pound ground chicken, turkey, or beef
5 ounces diced onions
2 cloves chopped garlic
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon salt
pepper or cayenne to taste
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
1 can (14.5 ounces) stewed tomatoes
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes in juice
1 can (14.5 ounces) black or dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
Tamale Topping
4 1/4 ounces King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
3 5/8 ounces whole cornmeal
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 ounces (1/2 stick) butter
1 large egg
1 small (8 ounces) can creamed corn
4 ounces buttermilk
4 ounces grated cheese, optional
Directions
1. To make the filling: Place a large skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil and the meat.
2. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is browned. Add the onions, garlic, and spices, and cook for 3 minutes more, until the onions soften.
3. Add the tomato sauce, stewed tomatoes, and diced tomatoes. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the kidney beans, stir to combine, and transfer the mixture to a covered 2 1/2 to 3-quart casserole dish.
4. For the topping: Preheat the oven to 350¡ÆF. Whisk together the flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
5. Work in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs.
6. Beat together the egg, creamed corn, and buttermilk, and stir into the dry ingredients until evenly moistened.
7. If you're adding cheese, stir it in now.
8. Scoop the batter on top of the hot filling, leaving plenty of space around each one: the tamale dumplings will double in size as they cook. Cover the dish and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve warm.
Recipe summary
Hands-on time:
35 mins. to 40 mins.
Baking time:
25 mins. to 35 mins.
Total time:
40 mins. to 50 mins.
Yield:
6 servings
Tips from our bakers
You can use pepperjack, Monterey jack, or cheddar cheese in this recipe, depending on your taste.
You can also spice up the recipe with a diced fresh jalapeno and a splash of tabasco sauce, if you like your food on the hotter end of the flavor spectrum.
Too hot to fire up the oven? If you have a deep 12-inch skillet with a lid, you can cook the tamale pie on the stove (or even outdoors, on your grill). After the batter is scooped on top, put on the lid and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes over medium-low heat.
If you're looking for a timesaver, you could substitute a packet of taco seasoning for the spices in the filling; just be aware that prepackaged spice mixes often contain msg.
I played fast and loose with this recipe. I cut the corn out of the topping and doubled the buttermilk. Used about a cup of shredded cheese in the topping. I liked this better.
I put the corn into the pie part. If you make this just be sure the pie part is fairy soupy
I made it in my large black skillet
jsr dec 14¡®10
***********************************************************************
Enjoy
December 05, 2010 Sunday
Jasmine gave 1 gallon this morning.
The weather is about the same, right around 30 degrees with mostly dark skies, typical weather for the time of year. To my surprise, the cows and sheep continue to graze most of the time. There is some patchy snow on the pasture but they ignore it.
DS Martin has devised a new cattle watering system involving a float valve and heat tape on a pipe to the water tub which is also heated. It blew apart this morning rather spectacularly but he repaired it and replaced sprayed light bulbs. He also set up a light on a timer for the chickens.
The pickup he bought has a Mickey Mouse sort of ignition system that the seller did not adequately explain. So the battery is drained. We have it on the trickle charger. He got the older pickup going and they are now both in the front yard. They both have plows on the front.
Martin and Amy brought me a dear little Xmas tree which they cut on their property at Weld.
DD Marcia stopped by and we all had lunch together. There was more of the lentil soup and this morning I made liver pate. It was still hot from the oven. It was OK but should be better tomorrow.
DS Bret is in Washington DC where he has meetings next week. He brought his DD Maia with him to see the sights. Yesterday they went to the zoo. I hope today they went to the National Gallery or Smithsonian.
Marcia picked up lobsters today, her DD Abby Rose's favorite seafood and I joined them for dinner. We had a fine time eating lobster with plenty of melted butter.
Ernie has about 35 of his glass sculptures now at a gallery in Belfast. He does beautiful work.
Marcia had finished a painting on silk of a peacock, very detailed, and Ernie got it framed under archival glass. She has also completed a Xmas stocking of batik on silk for her granddaughter Lily.
I skipped the milking this evening so that I could go eat lobster.
December 06, 2010 Monday
Jasmine gave 2 gallons this morning, catching up partially for not having been milked last night. Three gallons today total.
The whole State of Maine got snow today although we got less than elsewhere, only 1.5 inches. There was a high icy wind so it was no fun being outside for man or beast. I put down plenty of hay. Marcia and I did some local errands and I picked up feed. The weather was too bad for driving to New Sharon for it. Marcia bought a kerosene space heater as an emergency heat source when we get a power outage. She has decided against going to Florida this year. She is enjoying her new little studio apartment and having Abby Rose and Ernie in the main house.
Ernie came by here today to see what supplies I might have for construction of his ice fishing hut. I gave him some sheets of metal roofing. He is really looking forward to the fishing.
Mitra reports that her girls and Santiago had endless fun sliding on the new snow. There is a long slope on their lawn and Santiago is far from being bored with snow. He is growing fast under the influence of farm milk, or so I suppose.
December 07, 2010 Tuesday
Jasmine gave only 1 gallon this morning, 1 more this evening. This evening she was in roaring heat so I wrote to my AI tech¡¦ yet again.
I made butter again. Also found a nest with 11 good eggs.
It is Christmas cake season. I made some from a new recipe from the King Arthur people. It made 5 cakes. Along with dried cranberries, which I substituted for costly dried cherries, it included chocolate chips. The end broke off on one cake on its way out of the pan so I had to take a bite. It seems pretty good!
For my dinner I invented squash and peanut butter soup. I recommend it highly. I fried a shopped onion in butter, added a tablespoon of galangal spice ( curry or garam masala would be equally good), added a pint of chicken stock, 3 tablespoons of natural peanut butter and some Thai chili sauce, added a pint of pureed squash, got it simmering for a few minutes, then added a cup of cream. It was very satisfying.
Wednesday, December 08, 2010
The AI tech arrived before I had the machine on Jasmine but I had both her and Helen in their stanchions. He bred Jasmine to Lieutenant again and took a blood sample from Helen to check for pregnancy. I don¡¯t hold out much hope.
Marcia stopped in and we ate the rest of the squash and peanut butter soup and each had a slice of cake. It is dark and cold, about 18 degrees. She gave Willie a bath so he had to stay in the rest of the day to get dry. After she left I went down to the garden to look around and found three rather measly stalks of Brussels sprouts which I lopped off and brought up to the house. There are still a lot of bunching onions but the ground is frozen so they cannot be pulled.
Jasmine gave 2 gallons today.
December 10, 2010 Friday
It was down to zero yesterday and today. You really feel the difference in your toes and lots more drafts announce themselves around the doors and windows. Brr! Can I get used to this again? I know it is a mere preview of coming attractions.
I ate my little frozen Brussels sprouts tonight and they were delicious. I also braised a bird that DD Sally dressed off in September and labeled ¡°Tender young rooster¡±. This judgment proved optimistic. I simmered it all day and it was still stringy. Tasty though.
So far the weather is not distressing any of the animals although there is no more grazing. I got 6 eggs today and Jasmine gave 2 gallons of milk.
December 11, 2010 Saturday
It is still cold but not quite so freezie. It was mostly about 10¢ª.
Marcia came by and strewed some rejected hay around in the beefer pen as bedding so that Jasmine will come in cleaner. With no more grazing and very little sun all the bovines have been lying around inside and messing things up. All the chickens are inside too. When DD Sally comes perhaps she will dress off a few more roosters. I have one dear little hen who hatched 4 chicks about 5 months ago and has never stopped nurturing them. Darned if they aren't all cockerels, now bigger than mom. They are a cute little family. At night they roost in a tight packed row in a rafter.
Marcia threw down another bale of what she thought to be poor quality hay and all 8 ruminants fell upon it as though it was dessert. So they got to keep it.
While here, Marcia put plastic on the last two bedroom windows. That just leaves the attic to do.
Marcia bought fresh Maine shrimp in the Dixfield fish market and served them boiled and spread out on newspapers and sprinkled with Old Bay seasoning. We each peeled our own and had a feast. We also had salad, crusty French bread and baked sweet potatoes.
I skipped milking tonight. This morning I got 1 ¨ö gallons and brought in 6 eggs.
December 12, 2010 Sunday
Two gallons this morning, more than usual because of skipping milking last night.
My furnace quit again. The furnace man came out and checked everything. He ended up disconnecting the computerized system that conforms the furnace response to the outdoor temperature. He is going to check if it is under warranty. I paid considerable extra for that feature so will not be pleased if it has quit.
It rained all day and the roads were icy. DIL Mitra reports scary driving conditions in New Sharon but I did not have to go out. DD Marcia came by and brought in a lot of wood, helped me deploy the grain I bought yesterday and spread bedding around in the beefer pen.
I made another batch of fruit cake using a more traditional recipe than the previous one.
Jasmine gave 1 gallon tonight.
December 13, 2010 Monday
It has rained for two days and the rivers of Maine are at flood stage including the Webb River that runs past my farm. The ground is frozen and cannot absorb the runoff. The loss of duff in the forests now that they clear cut and chip up the small stuff and take it all away leaves nothing to slow the runoff.
All the snow is gone. It was 40 degrees all day. The animals spent the day on the pasture looking for grazing. Jasmine gave only two gallons even with TAD milking.
I made bread, a sort of lemon brioche style.
December 15, 2010 Wednesday
Yesterday Jasmine gave 2 1/2 gallons, today only 2 1/8. Fern, 14 mo. heifer, was in heat, so that was a big distraction; also the cows did not drink their water much. An electric cord was dangling into it so there may have been stray voltage. After I filled the tub this evening Jas came and took a big drink.
My day started with an adventure. I always let the sheep into their stall first thing for a grain snack and to keep them out of my way. Only three of the four came in but that is not unusual in bad weather because they are over in the beefer pen and can¡¯t always figure out how to go the wrong direction for a few steps in order to get around to where I am standing at the top of the ramp. After milking I discovered the 4th sheep, Susie, stuck inside the hay feeder. This is an ancient steel feeder with keyhole slots sized for cattle. She had squeezed part way through a slot at the end and then woven herself around the corner presumably in an attempt to leave through a side slot. She was not in pain, in fact was chewing her cud when I found her, but her head and front feet were out one slot and her hips and hind legs out another. None of her feet touched the ground. She is a big fat 11 month old Suffolk ewe lamb who weighs darn near as much as I do, probably 150 lbs. Like all sheep, she would do nothing to help herself and appeared to have accepted her fate. Well, I lifted and I pushed and I sweated and I tried to think whom to summon to help me. I couldn't think of a soul. Finally it occurred to me to bring a bale of hay downstairs and put it under her hind feet so they would not be just dangling. This induced some feeble struggling but no progress, inasmuch as her front end was locked in place. Putting it under her front feet was more promising but this required that I push her backwards and stuff her head back through the slot. This caused her to make deathly gargling noises but I finally got her front end inside the feeder, then I put my hands under her rear hooves to give her a boost and she popped along into the feeder, whereupon she took two steps forward and began peacefully eating hay. As for me, I was breathing through my mouth, utterly used up.
It was cold all day, about 10 degrees. More snow fell.
December 16, 2010 Thursday
It is still cold but partly sunny. I had no further big adventures. Jasmine gave 2 1/4 gallons and I got 7 eggs.
DD Marcia and I went to town and I picked up more chicken and dairy feed. It is amazing how much the chickens are eating now that they cannot forage. As soon as DD Sally gets here (January 6) we will dress off about 8 more roosters.
December 17, 2010 Friday
It is still cold. Well, nothing compared to what many parts of the country are experiencing, but enough to remind me that I need to get a lot more serious about the quality of my mittens and gloves.
Jasmine gave over 2 1/2 gallons today
Marcia came down and did the noon animal care, putting out hay, topping up the water and spreading waste hay around for bedding. The bedding is very important at this time of year when the cows spend all or most of the day inside and not just for cow comfort. The manure freezes in great lumps which they avoid lying down on in favor or the softer fresh stuff. This results in a lot of extra work for the dairymaid. I was busy today in the house getting lunch on the table for my vet who tends to stop if he is passing. I usually have something to offer him, in this case tamale pie.
Mitra is still without a computer. The repair shop said that they cannot even get at it until next week.
Here is the tamale pie recipe. It is from King Arthur.
This recipe made its debut in The Baking Sheet, our subscription baking newsletter. Susan Reid, the editor, described it this way: "Greg, my other half, is always happy when the answer to 'what's for dinner?' is 'a casserole'. Being a true child of the Donna Reed era, the idea of a warm covered dish with meat and cheese and starch all together makes him feel right at home. The tamale topping for this dish is moist and tender, studded with flecks of corn. You can add herbs or cheese if you like. Partly because of my restaurant training, I tend to make the filling for this dish in double batches, one for now and one for the freezer. That way I'm halfway there later on when I come home late and want to get dinner on the table without starting from scratch. If you want to make the filling ahead, you can do so and tuck it in its casserole dish in the refrigerator. When you get home, turn the oven on, plunk the casserole in the microwave for 10 minutes to heat through while you put together the topping, scoop it out, put it in the oven. Your total time from start to dinner? 35 minutes."
Ingredients View by: Volume Weight
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound ground chicken, turkey, or beef
1 cup diced onions
2 cloves chopped garlic
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon salt
pepper or cayenne to taste
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
1 can (14.5 ounces) stewed tomatoes
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes in juice
1 can (14.5 ounces) black or dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
Tamale Topping
1 cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
3/4 cup whole cornmeal
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1 large egg
1 small (8 ounces) can creamed corn
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup grated cheese, optional
7/8 ounce olive oil
1 pound ground chicken, turkey, or beef
5 ounces diced onions
2 cloves chopped garlic
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon salt
pepper or cayenne to taste
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
1 can (14.5 ounces) stewed tomatoes
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes in juice
1 can (14.5 ounces) black or dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
Tamale Topping
4 1/4 ounces King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
3 5/8 ounces whole cornmeal
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 ounces (1/2 stick) butter
1 large egg
1 small (8 ounces) can creamed corn
4 ounces buttermilk
4 ounces grated cheese, optional
Directions
1. To make the filling: Place a large skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil and the meat.
2. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is browned. Add the onions, garlic, and spices, and cook for 3 minutes more, until the onions soften.
3. Add the tomato sauce, stewed tomatoes, and diced tomatoes. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the kidney beans, stir to combine, and transfer the mixture to a covered 2 1/2 to 3-quart casserole dish.
4. For the topping: Preheat the oven to 350¡ÆF. Whisk together the flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
5. Work in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs.
6. Beat together the egg, creamed corn, and buttermilk, and stir into the dry ingredients until evenly moistened.
7. If you're adding cheese, stir it in now.
8. Scoop the batter on top of the hot filling, leaving plenty of space around each one: the tamale dumplings will double in size as they cook. Cover the dish and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve warm.
Recipe summary
Hands-on time:
35 mins. to 40 mins.
Baking time:
25 mins. to 35 mins.
Total time:
40 mins. to 50 mins.
Yield:
6 servings
Tips from our bakers
You can use pepperjack, Monterey jack, or cheddar cheese in this recipe, depending on your taste.
You can also spice up the recipe with a diced fresh jalapeno and a splash of tabasco sauce, if you like your food on the hotter end of the flavor spectrum.
Too hot to fire up the oven? If you have a deep 12-inch skillet with a lid, you can cook the tamale pie on the stove (or even outdoors, on your grill). After the batter is scooped on top, put on the lid and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes over medium-low heat.
If you're looking for a timesaver, you could substitute a packet of taco seasoning for the spices in the filling; just be aware that prepackaged spice mixes often contain msg.
I played fast and loose with this recipe. I cut the corn out of the topping and doubled the buttermilk. Used about a cup of shredded cheese in the topping. I liked this better.
I put the corn into the pie part. If you make this just be sure the pie part is fairy soupy
I made it in my large black skillet
jsr dec 14¡®10
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