Saturday, July 7, 2012

Tortilla Pie




From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...For the next few weeks, the recipes I'll be highlighting are for dishes that I call grandma food. We are vacationing and surround by family, so the food I'll be featuring throughout July will be simple and family oriented. I'm going to try and scale back the recipes I post to just six servings, but should you suddenly have a gang to feed and want to expand them, a simple double or triple of ingredients is workable and will do the trick. The tortilla pie I'm featuring today is really meant for the peanut gallery. All moms and gradmoms have to deal with the dreaded "It's too spicy" wail at  dinner time. While we have one imp who thinks oatmeal is too spicy, this pie should help with the general population. It can be made completely without heat for the little ones and revved up for fire eaters who share your table. Obviously, the fire here is controlled by the amount of red pepper flakes that are called for in the recipe. The Silver Fox calls this his pseudo-Mexican pie. However, I'm duty bound to report that, in reality, it is Martha Stewart's pseudo-Mexican pie, but it is equally important that you be told her pie makes a really nice, though light, meal for a family. It is a simple dish to make and requires no special equipment, save for a springform pan. The world, by the way, will not end should you have to substitute some other type of dish. I made this for lunch today in a foil lasagna pan, so, obviously, the recipe can be adapted to circumstance and location. If you are looking for a light family entree, I hope you'll giver this dish a try.There's nothing here not to like. Here's how the tortilla pie is made.

Tortilla Pie
...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Martha Stewart

Ingredients:

4 flour tortillas (10-inch)
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for pan
1 cup chopped onion
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 pound ground beef sirloin
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 package (10-oz.) frozen corn kernels (shoepeg corn if possible)
1 (6-oz.) package fresh baby spinach, torn into pieces
2 cups (8-oz.) shredded Monterey or Pepper Jack cheese
Fresh cilantro sprigs, for garnish (optional)
Sour cream (optional)

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Using a paring knife, trim tortillas to fit a 9-inch springform pan (use bottom of the pan as a guide). Assemble pan with bottom upside down; lightly oil bottom and sides. Set aside.
2) In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, cumin, and red-pepper flakes; season with salt and pepper. Cook until onion has softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste. Raise heat to medium-high; add beef and garlic. Cook, breaking up meat with a spoon until no longer pink, 4 to 6 minutes. Add corn and spinach; stir until spinach has wilted, about 2 minutes.
3) Place one tortilla in the prepared pan. Spreading evenly, top with 1-1/2 packed cups beef mixture, then 1/2 cup cheese. Repeat with two more layers. Top with last tortilla, and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese.
4) Bake pie until top is lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes. Run knife around edge of pan; remove sides. Using two wide metal spatulas, lift pie from bottom of pan, and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into wedges. If desired, serve with cilantro and sour cream. Yield: 4 to 5 servings.

Cook's Note: Turning the bottom of the springform pan upside down makes it easier to remove pie after baking.






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35 comments :

mari carmen said...

Que rico me gusta mucho .BESOS

Life's a shoe said...

ooh this sounds really good! I love tortilla pies

Lucia from Madison said...

Love this idea. I am sure my husband will enjoy this.

Jersey Girl Cooks said...

This is such a nice family dish. Hope you are enjoying the time spent with your family.

Sparkly Jules said...

Oh, I'll be making this. I love tamale pie. This looks so yummy!!!

Happy Summer!

Sparkly Jules

Sparkly Jules said...

I am SO making this. I love tamale pie. This looks like a great version!

Happy Summer!

SJ

Baking Addict said...

This pie looks deliciious! I love grandma's recipes. Thanks for sharing :)

Ellen B Cookery said...

This is a great recipe for feeding a family. I love meals that come out of the oven at once so everyone at the table can enjoy while still warm.

Kim said...

I make a pie very similar to this one and it's always a hit (espacially with my man;). This one looks perfect!

Shug said...

I don't know of anyone that doesn't love grandma food! It's just plain ol' GOOD! Great recipe and one that this Texas family will love!
Enjoy your day.
shug

chow and chatter said...

sounds great love how everyone can eat it and the wee ones

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

I really enjoy this type of dish Mary!

Bam's Kitchen said...

Hola Mary!
My 2 teenage boys would eat this whole tortilla pie all by themselves. It looks lie something my boys would really like. Take care, BAM

lindalou said...

This sounds so good. I'm going to have to make this. I'll be pinning this, so it won't get lost.

I do have a question though. Why does inserting the bottom of the pan upside down help with the removal. It's a flat circle. Is there a texture difference?

Velva said...

This is a great recipe idea for family.
Enjoy your time!

Velva

Barbara F. said...

Mary, this looks and sounds so delicious. Martha would never steer us wrong! Have a wonderful time with your family. xo

Jeanne said...

Sounds fabulous. Love all the recipes you share.............
Love Jeanne

Barbara said...

Such fun, Mary. Kids AND adults will love this!
Hope you had a marvelous 4th with family and friends!

Sarah B. said...

Instead of dealing with kids wailing about the heat, I have friends who have no tolerance for it. I love finding recipes that I can make at their desired level and then make another to fit mine & my husband's taste buds :)

This recipe looks and sounds delicious and I cannot wait to make it this week. THANK YOU!

Big Dude said...

We love dishes like this and your recipe sounds super good.

Kathy said...

Mary, This looks and sounds so delicious…I would love to make it as soon as the temperatures drop back to normal! I can’t bear to turn on my oven!

David said...

Mary, This sure looks good to me and I'm not really into Mexican cuisine! Thanks for recipe... Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Lea Ann (Cooking on the Ranch) said...

It's been years since I've made anything like this. It looks and sounds delicious. Great and tempting photo. Enjoy the visit with your family.

Unknown said...

this looks incredible and would be much loved by my family...mexican flavors are always a favorite.

Sue/the view from great island said...

I'm on the same wavelength---just cooking up a tamale pie right now! This is such comfort food, grandmother or not.
Have fun with the family Mary!

chacha said...

Oh Mary this looks great! With an easy sub of corn tortillas for the flour it's a perfect gluten free dish for my family of Mexican food lovers.

From the Kitchen said...

Have a delicious family visit.

Best,
Bonnie

Rue said...

Nice and simple. Good idea for when the neices are over!

Coleens Recipes said...

What a fantastiac idea!! I think I'll be making this very soon with the addition of a little bit of refried beans....thank you for sharing.

Ana Regalado said...

I just can't stop laughing re one imp who thinks oatmeal is too spicy ! lol That slice of pie looks absolutely mouth watering ! Who doesn't like grandma food anyway ?! You can never go wrong with Missus Stewart's recipes ! :D

lindalou said...

Thanks Mary. I get it now.

Alicia said...

Very easy recipe. At first I thought it had black beans, but I couldn't find them listed in the recipe so much be either the spinich or the beef...which is good as I'm not a big fan of black beans.

tender b. said...

Wish my grandma made this. She only ever gave us pig's stomach.

Catherine said...

Dear Mary, I would love this tortilla pie. Blessings dear. Catherine xo

lindalou said...

Hi Mary,

I finally got around to making this Tortilla Pie the other night and it is fantastic.

I blogged about it today, so come over to www.mushpush.com to here about my version.

lindalou

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