Post by wyomama on Aug 3, 2010 14:53:25 GMT -5
Tamale Pie, Sheepherder Style
This recipe appeared in a Cook’s Illustrated cookbook called Best Lost Dinners but I have made important changes. The contributor said that her grandfather, a western sheepherder, made a version on the trail. It was printed using modern ingredients (store bought chicken and oil) rather than the original wild game birds and pork fat. I have restored the pork fat. Instead of wild game I made good use of a barnyard rooster which proved to be a splendid substitute. Note that the recipe contains no cheese. If you have home canned tomato products, these are preferable. The ingredient list may look daunting but the ingredients are ones most of us have on hand. And consider: it will serve a lot of people cheaply and is delicious. Most dishes meeting these criteria do substitute effort for money and this is no exception.
What you are doing is making a filling using chicken and sandwiching it between two layers of cornmeal mush. A sauce is passed separately. Little do I know about Mexican food, but I am told that it has an authentic flavor.
Filling ingredients:
1 whole chicken
Salt and pepper
Chili powder
¼ cup lard for frying
8 slices of best quality bacon or ¼ lb salt pork or another ¼ cup of lard
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
2 14 ½ oz cans chopped tomatoes or home canned if you have any
1 14 ½ oz can of creamed corn or home canned or frozen
1 6 oz can pitted black olives, drained and chopped
Cornmeal layer:
1 cup milk
3 large eggs
2 cups yellow cornmeal
2 cups chicken stock from cooking the chicken
Sauce:
3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa
1 ½ cups rich chicken stock (from cooking chicken)
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
Salt and pepper
Chopped coriander
Cut up a barnyard rooster and brown it in the oven for a half hour until it begins to look toasty. Then put it into a pot with a quart or so of stock (or water) and a big handful of herbs and some salt and pepper and simmer it for however long it takes to get it fork tender. I left mine all night in the Aga simmer oven. Drain it, reserving the stock, and debone and shred the meat.
For the filling: In a large frying pan sauté 8 oz of salt pork (deeply scored) or high quality bacon (cut up) or heat ¼ cup of lard. Add a minced onion and several minced cloves of garlic and sauté for a few minutes along with a couple of tablespoons of chili powder. Add 2 large cans of diced tomatoes, drained, and one large can of creamed corn (I used home frozen sweet corn). Add 1 four ounce can of pitted ripe olives, chopped. Add the shredded chicken. Set this filling aside.
Get ready a heavy Dutch oven that holds 6 qt if you have one. Grease it well. If no Dutch oven use a stock pot of convenient size
Mix together: In a bowl, beat up 3 large eggs. Add 1 cup of milk. Add 2 cups of yellow corn meal. Bring 2 cups of rich stock to a boil. Add salt if you think it might need it and reduce heat to a simmer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the cornmeal mixture using a circular motion until smooth. Now work fast before the cornmeal sets up. Immediately pour half of this mixture into your Dutch oven, spread on your chicken mixture, and pour on the other half of the cornmeal mixture, spreading it out into a smooth layer. Put the lid on the Dutch oven.
Set the Dutch oven into a larger pan in the oven and pour boiling water into the outer pan. Bake until the cornmeal is firm and lightly browned, 1 ½ to 2 hours. (Oven temp was not given but I’d say 250˚.) I cooked mine in a Visions (glass) pot with no water bath at 250˚ and it turned out perfectly in the Aga and I think cast iron would behave as well. But I think if you are using stainless steel or any other metal the water bath would be important.
While it bakes, make the sauce: In a heavy skillet, heat the flour until light golden brown, stirring constantly. Stir in the chili powder, cumin and coriander, stir until fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Stir in the chicken broth and tomato sauce and cocoa, bring to a simmer, correct seasoning and keep warm.
I have only made this recipe once and it was well received. The original recipe was one of the most badly written I have even encountered which made it tricky to revise and write out. I will appreciate comments or corrections. The original did not call for cocoa.
This recipe appeared in a Cook’s Illustrated cookbook called Best Lost Dinners but I have made important changes. The contributor said that her grandfather, a western sheepherder, made a version on the trail. It was printed using modern ingredients (store bought chicken and oil) rather than the original wild game birds and pork fat. I have restored the pork fat. Instead of wild game I made good use of a barnyard rooster which proved to be a splendid substitute. Note that the recipe contains no cheese. If you have home canned tomato products, these are preferable. The ingredient list may look daunting but the ingredients are ones most of us have on hand. And consider: it will serve a lot of people cheaply and is delicious. Most dishes meeting these criteria do substitute effort for money and this is no exception.
What you are doing is making a filling using chicken and sandwiching it between two layers of cornmeal mush. A sauce is passed separately. Little do I know about Mexican food, but I am told that it has an authentic flavor.
Filling ingredients:
1 whole chicken
Salt and pepper
Chili powder
¼ cup lard for frying
8 slices of best quality bacon or ¼ lb salt pork or another ¼ cup of lard
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
2 14 ½ oz cans chopped tomatoes or home canned if you have any
1 14 ½ oz can of creamed corn or home canned or frozen
1 6 oz can pitted black olives, drained and chopped
Cornmeal layer:
1 cup milk
3 large eggs
2 cups yellow cornmeal
2 cups chicken stock from cooking the chicken
Sauce:
3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa
1 ½ cups rich chicken stock (from cooking chicken)
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
Salt and pepper
Chopped coriander
Cut up a barnyard rooster and brown it in the oven for a half hour until it begins to look toasty. Then put it into a pot with a quart or so of stock (or water) and a big handful of herbs and some salt and pepper and simmer it for however long it takes to get it fork tender. I left mine all night in the Aga simmer oven. Drain it, reserving the stock, and debone and shred the meat.
For the filling: In a large frying pan sauté 8 oz of salt pork (deeply scored) or high quality bacon (cut up) or heat ¼ cup of lard. Add a minced onion and several minced cloves of garlic and sauté for a few minutes along with a couple of tablespoons of chili powder. Add 2 large cans of diced tomatoes, drained, and one large can of creamed corn (I used home frozen sweet corn). Add 1 four ounce can of pitted ripe olives, chopped. Add the shredded chicken. Set this filling aside.
Get ready a heavy Dutch oven that holds 6 qt if you have one. Grease it well. If no Dutch oven use a stock pot of convenient size
Mix together: In a bowl, beat up 3 large eggs. Add 1 cup of milk. Add 2 cups of yellow corn meal. Bring 2 cups of rich stock to a boil. Add salt if you think it might need it and reduce heat to a simmer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the cornmeal mixture using a circular motion until smooth. Now work fast before the cornmeal sets up. Immediately pour half of this mixture into your Dutch oven, spread on your chicken mixture, and pour on the other half of the cornmeal mixture, spreading it out into a smooth layer. Put the lid on the Dutch oven.
Set the Dutch oven into a larger pan in the oven and pour boiling water into the outer pan. Bake until the cornmeal is firm and lightly browned, 1 ½ to 2 hours. (Oven temp was not given but I’d say 250˚.) I cooked mine in a Visions (glass) pot with no water bath at 250˚ and it turned out perfectly in the Aga and I think cast iron would behave as well. But I think if you are using stainless steel or any other metal the water bath would be important.
While it bakes, make the sauce: In a heavy skillet, heat the flour until light golden brown, stirring constantly. Stir in the chili powder, cumin and coriander, stir until fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Stir in the chicken broth and tomato sauce and cocoa, bring to a simmer, correct seasoning and keep warm.
I have only made this recipe once and it was well received. The original recipe was one of the most badly written I have even encountered which made it tricky to revise and write out. I will appreciate comments or corrections. The original did not call for cocoa.
