The High Holidays are sadly over and now we must hunker down as we usher in cooler weather. The chill in the air means heartier fare is in order. A casserole that is a brighter take on shepherd’s or cottage pie is a winner in our home. It fills. It gets better and better each time you reheat it. And it makes enough for a crowd.

Valencia Tamale Pie

Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ teaspoon salt
• 3 cups boiling water
• 1 cup yellow corn meal
• 1 cup chopped black olives
• 2 tablespoon fat
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 small green pepper, chopped
• 450 gm. ground beef
• 2 cups cooked or canned tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon chili powder

 Method:

1. Add the salt to the boiling water and stir in corn meal slowly. Cook over low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add olives. Cover and set aside to cool.
2. Melt fat and add onion, green pepper and meat, mixing thoroughly, and cook until meat is brown.
3. Add tomatoes, chili powder, and about 1t. salt (or more to taste), and simmer about 10 minutes.
4. Grease a large casserole and pour in half of the corn meal mush, add cooked meat mixture and cover with remaining mush. Bake uncovered in a moderate oven (350 degrees) for about 30-45 minutes, then uncover and continue baking another 15 minutes or so. This dish can take lots of ‘waiting’, if necessary.

Note: Make this a low-carb meal by substituting unbaked cauliflower kugel mixture for the cornmeal mush, adding the chopped olives called for in this recipe, but cutting the onion soup powder in the kugel mixture to 1 Tablespoon, as the olives are salty.