BY PATSY R. BRUMFIELD – THE SOUTHFACIN’ COOK   

New in NOLA’s Carlie collects Louisiana cooking info to pass along to me for this column. This week, she hit the jackpot with the September/October edition of Louisiana Kitchen & Culture magazine. The magazine is for sale at Whole Foods.

From muffulettas to grilled oysters on the half-shell, it is jammed packed with sensational recipes.

I’m going to make a few for this column, so get ready for some exciting, tasty eating.

This week, I’ll start with tamale pie because I am too lazy to make tamales. The town of Zwolle hosts an annual tamale fiesta the second weekend in October. That’s next weekend, y’all. Wish I could be there. FYI – it’s about a 4.5 hour drive from New Orleans.

TAMALE PIE (as made by “Louisiana Kitchen & Culture” magazine with some modifications from me)

EQUIPMENT

• iron skillet
• wooden spoon
• measuring equipment
• chopping board
• knife
• 13 x 9 baking dish
• medium-size mixing bowl
• fork
• spatula
• cooking spray

(I also use cereal bowls to hold prepped veggies before I start cooking.)

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound ground pork sausage
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 jalapeno peppers, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 large bell pepper, diced
• 1 large tomato, chopped
• 1/2 cup beer, broth or water
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
• salt, pepper and/or hot sauce
• 3 green onions, sliced (to garnish)
• 1 (8 ounce) package cornbread mix
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted

LET’S GET STARTED

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Brown sausage in oil in skillet over medium-high heat.

Spoon sausage onto a plate and keep drippings in skillet. Add onions to hot drippings and saute 4 minutes or until translucent.

Add jalapeno, garlic, chili powder and cumin. Saute 3 minutes.

Add browned sausage, bell pepper and tomato. Saute 3 minutes. Drain excess fat.

De-glaze skillet with beer (or broth or water – I am using beer).

Add beans, cover with lid, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 10 minutes.

Remove from heat, add cheese and stir well. Taste. Adjust seasoning with salt, pepper and/or hot sauce.

Evenly spoon mixture into a greased 13×9-inch baking dish. Press mixture down evenly.

In mixing bowl, combine cornbread mix, milk and egg until just mixed. Evenly spread over tamale mixture. Brush or drizzle top with melted butter.

Bake at 400 for 25 minutes or until lightly browned on top. Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes. Serves 6.

NOTE: This would be great with a little guacamole on chopped lettuce as a side dish.

Come back to NewinNOLA.com every week for “Southfacin’ Cook,” where Patsy explains the basics to Southern cooking and eating. Contact her with suggestions, questions or requests at patsy.brumfield@gmail.com.

Previous recipes from Patsy: