Fresh Spinach Tamale Pie Recipes

SPANAKOPITA (GREEK SPINACH PIE)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly oil a 9x9 inch square baking pan.
• Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onion, green onions and garlic, until soft and lightly browned. Stir in spinach and parsley, and continue to saute until spinach is limp, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
• In a medium bowl, mix together eggs, ricotta, and feta. Stir in spinach mixture. Lay 1 sheet of phyllo dough in prepared baking pan, and brush lightly with olive oil. Lay another sheet of phyllo dough on top, brush with olive oil, and repeat process with two more sheets of phyllo. The sheets will overlap the pan. Spread spinach and cheese mixture into pan and fold overhanging dough over filling. Brush with oil, then layer remaining 4 sheets of phyllo dough, brushing each with oil. Tuck overhanging dough into pan to seal filling.
• Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until golden brown. Cut into squares and serve while hot.

FRESH SPINACH TAMALE PIE

Steps:

• Place tamales in a single layer in a greased 6-qt. slow cooker. In a large bowl, combine beans, corn, onions, olives and garlic powder; spoon over tamales. In same bowl, combine pepper, sour cream and chiles; spoon over bean mixture. Top with spinach., Cook, covered, on low until heated through, 3-4 hours. Sprinkle with bacon, cheese and additional green onions.

PORK TAMALE PIE

Steps:

• Prepare the filling. Combine 1 to 1-1/2 lbs of shredded meat with 1 cup of Salsa Verde. If you are using diced onions, fiesta corn, and sliced olives, adds them here. Note: Shredded rotisserie chicken makes this recipe super easy for any weeknight meal.
• Prepare Dough. Combine masa, warm chicken broth, baking powder, salt, and oil in a large bowl, Mix together until the dough has the consistency of a soft paste. Cover & let rest for at least 15 minutes at room temperature so the dough can thoroughly absorb the liquid ingredients
• Preheat the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and lightly oil a 9 x 9-inch (2-1/2 quart) casserole dish. This will not quite fit in an 8 x 8-inch (2-quart) dish. NOTE: If you do not have a 2-1/2 quart casserole, move up to a 13x9-inch (3-quart) dish to prevent spillage.
• Form the Bottom Tamale Layer. Press half of the tamale dough into the casserole dish forming a thin bottom layer. With your fingers, a fork, or a small spatula, press the mixture evenly across the bottom of the pan and halfway up the sides, about 1/4- inch thick.
• Add the Filling. Spoon the meat mixture prepared earlier evenly over the entire dough surface.
• Prepare the top tamale layer. Spread the remaining tamale dough over the filling, trying to make the top portion about the same thickness as the bottom. Do this by spreading the dough out on a piece of plastic wrap and then inverting it over the tamale casserole and then peeling back the plastic wrap. If it tears a little bit, don't worry! It will come together during baking.
• Create the Steam Bath. Fill a large roasting pan with about 2 inches of hot water. Place the uncovered tamale casserole into the water bath. Cover both the tamale casserole and roaster pan with one layer of aluminum foil and place in oven. The water will steam the tamale and cook it all the way through.
• Bake. Bake for 45 to 60-minutes or until the Masa layer is set. Let it cool slightly (10-minutes) before serving so it holds its form.
• Serve. Serve warm with pico de gallo, salsa verde, sour cream, cheese sauce, enchilada sauce, crumbled cheese, chopped onions, or a traditional red salsa. There's no wrong way to eat a tamale!
• Store. Store any leftover tamale pie covered in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
• Freeze. Alternatively, tamale pie may also be frozen in smaller portions and reheated in the microwave. This makes a quick and easy weekday lunch.Warm at 50% power until heated through.

SPINACH TAMALES

Steps:

• blend the rice to powderize it.
• mix everything together adding warm water until you get a soft batter.
• spread the batter on the on the husk or you can use foil paper instead.
• Cook in a tamale steamer for about 1 hour.

SPINACH AND MUSHROOM TAMALE FILLING

Steps:

• Begin with the spinach by washing, stemming, and chopping it into approximately 1/4-1/2 inch pieces. Mince the garlic and onions; brush, slice, and chop the mushrooms.
• Over medium-high heat in a *very* large pot (I use my largest Le Creuset) heat the oil. Add the minced garlic and scallion and sauté quickly, stirring, for about 20 seconds (careful not to burn the garlic!).
• Quickly decrease the temperature to medium and add the sliced mushrooms, and allow to sauté for about 5 minutes. Add the chopped spinach, salt, sugar, pepper, nutmeg, and cinnamon. (This step is admittedly the messiest part of making the filling, because spinach is so much larger before it cooks down; I usually add it about a 1/3 at a time to the large pot, stir it and wait for it to cook down a bit, and add more until I've got all of it into the pot. Cover it for about 2 minutes, stir again and uncover, and continue cooking.) Sauté for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender.
• Pour cooked mixture into a colander and allow to drain - if you like, you can reserve the juices for making sauce for the tamales after they're cooked or for some other use.
• Lower the temperature to low and add the crema and cotija and continue cooking for 5 minutes, stirring so that it's mixed well and the cheeses do not scald. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
• Use as filling for your tamales and enjoy! I prefer to make a simple crema and garlic sauce for these tamales, but a red sauce is also good (although it can overpower the lighter tasting tamales, so you'll want to be careful). Also, although the small amount of salt might not seem like enough when reading through the recipe, remember that cotija cheese is salty - it provides plenty of seasoning to the filling.