Tamale Mini Pies
These spicy little pies, filled with chile-spiked chorizo, beef, tomatoes, black beans and corn, make a great family supper, but they're also fun to serve at a casual Tex-Mex fiesta. Prep the filling up to 2 days ahead, then stir up the corn bread topping at the last minute before baking. If you don’t have cocottes, you can bake the mixture in a 9-inch (23-cm) square baking dish and bake as directed instead.
Ingredients
- 3 Tbs. olive oil
- 1/4 lb. (125 g) fresh Mexican chorizo
- 1/2 lb. (250 g) ground beef
- 1/2 yellow onion, diced
- 1 jalapeño chile, seeded and diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 1 tsp. chili powder
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 can (14 oz./440 g) diced tomatoes with juices
- 1 cup (250 ml) chicken or beef broth
- 2 Tbs. tomato paste
- 1 can (15 oz./470 g) black beans
- 1 1/2 cups (9 oz./280 g) fresh or thawed frozen corn kernels
For the corn bread topping:
- 1 cup (5 oz./155 g) cornmeal
- 1 cup (5 oz./155 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 Tbs. sugar
- 1 Tbs. baking powder
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 egg
- 1 cup (250 ml) buttermilk
- 4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) (2 oz./60 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Directions
Preheat an oven to 350°F (180°C).
In a large sauté pan over medium heat, warm 2 Tbs. of the olive oil. Add the chorizo and ground beef and stir occasionally until browned and cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Discard any excess fat from the pan.
In the same pan over medium-high heat, warm the remaining 1 Tbs. oil. Add the onion and jalapeño and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Add the cumin, oregano, chili powder, red pepper flakes and a large pinch each of salt and black pepper. Add the tomatoes and their juices, broth, tomato paste, black beans, corn and the browned meats. Stir well to combine and season with salt and pepper. Divide among 6 to 8 eight-ounce cocottes or ramekins. Place on a baking sheet.
To make the corn bread topping, in a medium bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg and buttermilk. Add the cornmeal mixture to the egg mixture and stir until just combined. Fold in the melted butter. Spoon the topping on top of the filled cocottes.
Bake until the corn bread topping is cooked through and golden brown, about 30 minutes. Serve immediately. Serves 6 to 8.
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma The Pie Cookbook (Weldon Owen, 2016)