Three Sisters Tamale Casserole

Bubble, bubble, toil and casserole?

In my continuing quest for comforting vegetarian main dishes, I happened upon a casserole cookbook at my local library.  A casserole that peaked my interest was a tamale casserole, but there was a big problem inherent in the recipe in that it had cheese and ground beef in the same recipe.  Keeping a kosher-style home means that is against the rules, but it sounded so good I had to try and make it work.  Exchanging beef for zucchini and adding a few spices to enhance the flavor of the veggies made the recipe something I could enjoy at home.

Enter what I like to call Three Sisters Casserole.

Nom nom nom

I'm calling it Three Sisters because of the ingredients in it - Zucchini, Corn and Beans.  Squash, maize and climbing beans are considered the Three Sisters of Native American agricultural crops. A casserole dish filled with such agricultural bounty seemed fitting, especially for an autumn meal.  Once zucchini can't be found locally, I can see hard squash being equally delicious in this recipe, especially butternut squash, but the cooking time for winter squash will be longer than summer squash.

To make the tamale crust, combine the water, salt and corn meal in a medium sized saucepan set on a medium-high and stir on the heat until boiling.



As soon as the mixture begins to thicken, lower the heat to low and continue stirring until thick like porridge.  Set aside to prepare the casserole filling.  Grease a 9 by 13 inch casserole dish and preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Zucchini, Onions and Peppers

Making the filling goes quickly, so it helps to have the vegetables chopped already and the seasonings out and ready to go.  Saute the onion on medium high heat in a large saute pan until translucent. Add the garlic and saute until tan.  Add the zucchini and continue cooking until the zucchini softens and begins to tan as well.






Add the corn, beans and fire-roasted tomatoes to the pan along with the spices and cook for about five minutes.  Taste and adjust the seasonings accordingly. 

Spoon the filling into the greased casserole dish, top with the cornmeal mixture, and then top this with the cheese.



Bake, uncovered, until the cheese begins to bubble and brown.

Ingredients:

Tamale Crust:
4 cups water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup cornmeal

Filling:
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
3 cups diced zucchini, or three small zucchini
2 cups corn, preferably fresh, but canned or frozen will do as well
2 cups of pinto beans, preferably home made but canned will do as well 
14 oz can of diced, fire roasted tomatoes
1 tablespoon chipotle chile powder
1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded