Bite-Sized Tamale Pastries

Bite-Sized Tamale Pastries

Let's Dish Out Some Tamale Pies

Tamale pie is an American twist on traditional tamale ingredients, transforming them into a delicious casserole. For a unique, individual touch, we'll be making these pies using a muffin pan instead of a large dish. Plus, these bad boys taste even better the next day!

Grocery List:You'll want to grab masa harina, a staple in Latin cuisine. We're fans of Maseca, an instant slaked cornmeal, available at your local Latin market or grocery store's ethnic aisle.

Game Plan:If you don't have a 12-well muffin pan, don't sweat it. Use two 6-well pans and pop 'em in the oven side by side.

This recipe appeared in our piece on handheld meals you can cook in a muffin pan.

• Portions: 12 servings
• Difficulty: Easy peasy
• Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients (19)

Crust ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups masa harina
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil

Filling ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 medium onion, chopped up nice (about 1 cup)
• 2 medium garlic cloves, finely minced
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon oregano leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 (15-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more if needed
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more if needed

Toppings:

• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (about 3 ounces)
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions

For the crust:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Tuck a rack in the center.
2. Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl until well combined. The dough should hold together when squeezed. Wrap it up with plastic and set aside.

For the filling:

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add the ground beef, season with salt and pepper, and break it up with a spoon. Cook, stirring occasionally, until it's fully cooked, roughly 4 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer it to a medium bowl and set that aside.
2. Lower the heat to medium, add the onion, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens, around 4 minutes.
3. Pour in the vinegar, stirring to combine and scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Then sprinkle in the paprika, oregano, cumin, and cayenne, stirring until they're fragrant, about 1 minute.
4. Put the cooked beef back into the pan, add the tomatoes, broth, salt, and pepper, and stir to combine. Simmer until it thickens a bit, around 7 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, taste, and add more salt and pepper if needed; set aside.

For assembly:

1. Remove the plastic from the masa mixture. Divide it evenly among the wells of a 12-well muffin pan (about 1 heaping tablespoon per well). Use your fingers to press the masa smoothly into a thin layer on the bottom and up the sides of each well.
2. Evenly distribute the filling among the masa-lined wells.
3. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle that shredded cheese over the filling. Return the pan to the oven and bake until the cheese is melted and the filling is bubbling, around 10 minutes more.
4. Take the pan off the oven and let it cool for 5 minutes. Loosen each tamale pie with a small knife and carefully remove them from the pan. Top each pie with a dollop of sour cream, sprinkle with cilantro, and serve.

Fun Fact: The origins of Tamale Pie aren't fully documented, but it's thought to be a North American adaptation of Mexican tamale cuisine, simplifying the preparation and presentation of tamales.

1. In the crust mixture, combine 1 1/2 cups of masa harina, 1/2 cup of low-sodium chicken broth, and 1/3 cup of vegetable oil until well combined.
2. For the filling, sauté 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil, 1 pound of ground beef, 1 medium chopped onion, and 2 finely minced garlic cloves in a large skillet.
3. In an uncategorized section of our recipes, you may find a unique twist on traditional tamale ingredients called Tamale Pies, which require 19 ingredients in total.
4. After simmering the filling, don't forget to season with kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, and sprinkle shredded sharp cheddar cheese, sour cream, and chopped fresh cilantro as toppings before serving.

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