52 Ancestors: In the Kitchen - Tamale Pie!

 

Yes, that's me in the kitchen apparently helping Mom cook.  Funny, I don't remember ever being 'allowed' to help in the kitchen but here's proof that I did.  My mother always wore an apron - looks like I followed in her footsteps.

Mom was a good cook and I remember that she typically prepared a 'well balanced' meal each night - salad (not always green but maybe shrimp, macaroni, etc.), a meat (chicken, steak, or icky chicken liver), and a vegetable (broccoli, squash, carrots).  But once in a while she'd make some sort of casserole, most memorably "goop" and tamale pie.

I don't remember ever making tamale pie as an adult and doubt that my children have ever had a taste.  But when Mom died and we were cleaning out her house, I remember my brother, sister, and I reminiscing about tamale pie and did any of us have the recipe?  We all quickly chimed in "NO"!

So as we continued to clean, we all stayed on the lookout for the recipe.  And when we got to "the" recipe box, we figured we were close.  I don't remember when Mom started this recipe box but you can see that it's seen better days.

There were a lot of recipes stuffed inside.  And sure enough, there it was!

Tamale Casserole?  What the heck?  We always called in Tamale Pie so I was a bit confused and even wondered if I'd found the correct recipe.  But after a trial run, my taste buds told me it was THE one.

Disclaimer:  The first time I made it I found it impossible to find Nalleys Enchaladas (cracks me up that she spelled it like that) or any other brand of canned enchiladas.  So I punted and used two cans of tamales instead - wouldn't it be better to have an additional can of tamales in Tamale Pie anyway?  And this year required three trips to three different grocery stores to find canned tamales - darn Covid!

I don't know if Mom switched it up but I always remember the olives being whole rather than chopped.  I can remember biting into them and a bonus squirt of tamale pie would take over.  Yum!

Years ago someone in the genealogy world shared a photo of a recipe they'd had etched into a bamboo board and instantly I knew what I would give my brother and sister that year for Christmas.  Maybe I couldn't ship them food but I sure could send them this.

I love that it's in Mom's handwriting!

We never really do much on Christmas Day so I've started a new tradition - I make Tamale Pie.  And just like I remember, it is so, so good.  See those whole olives in there?

I don't remember Mom serving it in a 'special' bowl but I have realized that we all have certain foods that go into certain bowls.  Mashed potatoes in this bowl, green salad in that bowl.  And now I have a Tamale Pie bowl, although I might need to double the recipe so that it fills up the bowl.

I don't have a photo of Mom with her apron on but I do need to shout out my compliments to the chef!  And what woman in the 1950's didn't wear pearls to a barbeque?

Thanks for the recipe, Mom!