Name: Tamale Pie
Ingredients: 3 eggs; ½ teaspoon sugar; 30 sprigs coriander, chopped; 4-5 red chillies, seeded and chopped; 225 g/8 oz/2 cups corn meal; 2 tablespoons melted butter; 1 teaspoon each bicarbonate of soda and baking powder; flesh of 3 ripe avocados, mashed with a fork; 2-3 small teaspoons salt; 3 large peppers, 1 yellow and 2 red, grilled and skinned; 3 Spanish onions, finely chopped; 1 small teaspoon salt; 1.5 kg/3 lb very red tomatoes; 2 large Spanish onions, finely chopped; 175 ml/6 fl oz/¾ cup milk; 6-9 large rectangles filo or strudel pastry; 225 g/8 oz/2 cups sharp Cheddar cheese, grated; corn oil; 65 g/2½ oz /generous cup plain/all-purpose flour; juice of 1-2 lemons; 4-5 green chillies, grilled, skinned, seeded and chopped; 175 ml/6 fl oz/¾ cup sour cream; 2 fresh cobs of corn, boiled and cooled; toasted cumin seeds for garnish; 1 tablespoon olive oil (optional); cayenne pepper and seasoning to taste; 2-3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

Preparation info

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

The New Vegetarian

By Colin Spencer

Published 1986

About

This beautiful pie is made from filo pastry which can be bought from delicatessens and good supermarkets. Be sure to buy from somewhere with a reasonably fast turnover, as filo becomes brittle and difficult to work with when old. Keep it in the freezer if you are storing it for more than a day or two. The pie is served with two Mexican accompaniments: spicy salsa, a red sauce that keeps for up to three days in the refrigerator, and a purée of avocados called guacamole. The pie requires a