Three Sisters (and the little brother) Tamale Pie
By Cristina Acosta ©2005, 2006, 2007
This easy to assemble casserole has the
traditional flavor of tamales and saves you the time needed to
wrap each serving in a corn husk. Serve with
Cristina’s New Mexican Style Red Chili Sauce on the side
or poured over the top.
In the historic American Southwest
indigenous peoples could develop a viable settlement if they
could grow three staples often referred to as the three
sisters: Corn, Squash and Beans. With those crops in
place people could raise turkeys and hunt game for additional
nutrition. The chili pepper, which often grows in the same
regions, is the “little brother”.
Tools: Food Processor
or by hand. One 8” x 8” x 2” baking dish,
oven.
Yield: As a main
course – 4 to 6 servings. As a side dish – 9 to 12
servings.
Ingredients
Dough:
- 2 ½ cups Masa mix for tamales
- ½ cup (1 stick) real butter
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
-
1 t. salt
Filling:
- 1 cup raw squash such as Acorn, Danish or Gold Nugget. Seed, peel and chop the squash into aprox. ½” pieces.
- 1 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed
- 1 7 oz. can roasted green chilies, diced
- 1 ½ cups grated white cheese such as: Mexican queso Oaxaca style, jack, or mozzarella
Directions:
Dough – In a food processor or by hand:
- Mix Masa with Salt. With food processor on pulse, cut cold butter into the masa until mixture resembles coarse meal.
- Add Chicken broth and olive oil and continue to pulse (mix) until mixture forms a soft dough.
- Divide dough into half.
- Pat ½ of the dough into a 8” x 8” x 2” buttered pan
Filling –
- Combine the filling ingredients in a bowl. Spread the mixture over the masa dough in the pan. Press the filling down gently.
- Pat the remaining masa dough over the vegetable ingredients.
- Cover tightly with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 50 min.
Top with gently heated Cristina’s New Mexican Style Red Chili Sauce
