Tamale Pie

Source: Kim G. Blanchard, via The Blanchard Bistro Cookbook (but I didn't see it on the blog, so I'm posting it here)

Directions:
Brown and drain:
1 lb ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1/4 cup green pepper, chopped
Season with garlic, salt and pepper to taste.

Add:
1 large can stewed tomatoes
1 can corn
1 can diced green chiles
1 can whole medium olives, drained (I left these out and substituted for 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained)
1 can tomato sauce
chili powder, cumin - to taste (I added 1 teaspoon of each)

For the crust:
Mix in a large saucepan, cook on stovetop till thick (do not cool, spread hot over filling immediately after making):
4 cups cold water
2 1/2 cups cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chili powder

Pour filling in casserole dish.  Sprinkle with 2 cups grated cheese.  Spread crust over filling.  Bake at 350F till crust is done and brown (about 35 - 40 minutes - I found that we needed even more time than that - closer to 50).

Notes:
I was perusing the internet one morning and stumbled across a recipe on Mel's Kitchen Cafe called Cowboy Dinner.  When I gave Gregg a couple options for dinner that night (I just couldn't decide), I included a link to Mel's recipe (we were chatting over gmail) and that sparked a memory of his mom's similar recipe - this recipe for Tamale Pie.  I pulled out the binder that Kim gave me at my bridal shower and low and behold they were pretty similar.  I decided to try Kim's version because the crust intrigued me.  Oh boy am I glad I did.  I loved it and I ate the leftovers for days afterward.  (I think it got better with age!)  I love cornbread, but this crust definitely isn't bready - it's more like a tamale, as the name says.  Yummy stuff here.