Tamale Pie...cuz when the weather insists on staying cold, you're gonna need to warm up

After a brief hiatus where almost everything that could go wrong or come due for the The Diva went wrong and came due, Her Royal Diva-ness is back, tempting you with some down-home and downright unroyal and unpretentious cooking.

Tamale pie...It's not really a Mexican dish. It's another one of those Amexicanized indulgences but let me tell you, anyone who is turning his or her dainty nose up at tamale pie right now has NOT had this particular meaty, bean-y and sweetly bread-y piece of heaven. So kindly put aside your snotty tendencies, open your mind, and bring your appetite; this one is gonna knock your socks off. Oh, and did I mention this recipe from Cooks Illustrated's Best 30-minute recipe is ready in, like, 30 minutes or less, depending on your knife skills? (Just kidding, there's only one onion to dice, calm down...)

NOTE: One more thing, if you need to have this come together in 30 minutes you will need a cornbread mix (the preferred brand here is Bettry Crocker Golden Corn Muffin and Bread Mix or Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix). HOWEVER, if you have just five extra minutes, I urge you to make your own. I never use the mixes because cornbread from scratch is so fast and easy...really! I will even show you how here. Let's get started...

Ingredients:

2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 yellow or spanish onion, minced
2 tbsp chili powder
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb. 90% lean ground beef
1 (15-oz) can black beans, rinsed
1 (14.5-oz) can diced tomatoes, drained
1 (6.5 - 8.5 oz) package cornbread mix (see note above)
1 cup shredded cheese
2 tbsp. minced fresh cilantro

Method: 

In a large skillet heat the vegetable oil. Add the onion (as you can see I subbed a red onion because I ran out of yellow. Do NOT substitute sweet onions; they just don't work here.), the chili powder, and 1/2 tsp of salt. Saute for 5 minutes until the onions are softened.



While the onion mixture cooks, rinse the black kidney beans.



Add the minced garlic cloves and saute for 30 seconds, until just aromatic (meaning perfuming your kitchen and driving you crazy with desire).



Stir in the beans, the diced tomatoes, and the ground beef (90% lean is important so you don't end up with a greasy dish), and bring to a simmer, breaking up with a wooden spoon for about 5 minutes.




While the mixture simmers, prepare your cornbread topping according to the box directions. If you want to make it from scratch--and you gotta believe me this will only take a couple of minutes--follow my recipe:

Cornbread


Ingredients:
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
3 tbsp. sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup buttermilk (if you don't have buttermilk on hand you can "clabber" your own milk by adding a tablespoon of lemon juice to one cup of whole milk. Let stand for 10 minutes, stir, and proceed with the recipe)
1 large egg
3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Method:

Whisk the the dry ingredients in a large bowl to combine.



In a separate bowl whisk the buttermilk and eggs together. My dear friend Geoffrey is a bit concerned at just how much this picture looks like a giant breast. No worries, Geoff. It's indeed food- not porn-related!



Stir the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture until uniform



Then stir in the melted butter until just combined.



Stir in cheddar and cilatnro into the now-ready bean and meat filling, and season with salt and pepper to taste



Dollop cornbread mixture evenly over filling ...



...spread into an even layer...



...and bake in a 450-degree oven until cornbread is cooked through in the center, 10 - 15 minutes.



Here's what it looks like right out of the oven. Golden, puffy, and leaking yummy juices through the steam holes...It smells pretty amazing too!



Cross-section of the pan contents, after we dished out. Enjoy!