Thursday

Discovery of the Day: You say tortilla, I say tamale

My SO turned out a very nice dish the other night that was totally Project Weeknight-worthy. He started with this Tortilla Pie from Epicurious, cut back on the cheese, subbed white corn tortillas for wheat, and used more salsa instead of adding the tomato sauce.

It tasted good, but the texture didn't thrill us. It didn't hold together very well without all of the cheese. The black beans and corn just kind of fell out.

We discussed possible tweaks. Mashing some of the beans, perhaps in the style of this recipe, would stick it together. Yep, this could work.

Then today I stumbled across this (non-vegetarian) Polenta Tamale Pie and was instantly smitten. Oh polenta, how I love thee! I also like that it calls for refried beans, and simmering everything together before baking. I'd sub a can or two of black beans for the ground beef. It makes a big old batch, so I'd probably make two smaller pans and freeze one.

The baking time is 35 mins, which indicates it might not fit Project Weeknight guidelines, but I'm excited to try it. I'll let you know how it comes out.