Tamale Pie

Directions

1. 1
   Heat the oil in a large skillet or dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the ground beef or turkey and cook, breaking up large clumps of meat with a wooden spoon, until it is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Stir in the onion and one tsp salt and cook until softened and lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the chili powder, garlic, tomato paste, italian seasoning, cumin, and cayenne and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
2. 2
   Stir in the tomatoes with their juices, scraping up any browned bits. Off the head, stir in the corn, cheese, cilantro to taste, and lime juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
3. 3
   Whisk the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, 3/4 tsp salt, and baking soda together in a large bowl.
4. 4
   In a separate bowl, whisk the buttermilk, butter, and eggs together. Stir the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture until uniform.
5. 5
   For one 13 x 9 pan: Transfer beef/turkey mixture to baking dish. Spread cornmeal topping evenly over the filling, pushing it to the edges of the baking dish. TO SERVE RIGHT AWAY: Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees. Bake, uncovered, until the filling is bubbly and the crust is baked through and golden, 45 minutes. TO STORE: Wrap the dish tightly with plastic wrap that has been sprayed with vegetable oil spray and then foil and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for up to one month. TO SERVE AFTER STORAGE: Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees. Unwrap the dish. If refrigerated, bake, uncovered, until the filling is bubbly and the crust is baked through and golden, 50-60 minutes. If frozen, unwrap the dish and let the casserole sit at room temperature for 30 minutes while the over heats, then cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for about 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until the filling is bubbly and the crust is baked through and golden, 50-60 minutes longer.
6. 6
   For two 8 x 8 pans or three 9 x 3 pans: Divide ingredients between the pans. TO SERVE RIGHT AWAY: Bake in a 375-degree oven, uncovered, until the filling is bubbly and the crust is baked through and golden, about 30 minutes. TO STORE: Cover tightly with plastic wrap that has been sprayed with vegetable oil spray and then foil and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for up to one month. TO SERVE AFTER STORAGE: If refrigerated, unwrap and bake in a 375 degree oven, uncovered, until the filling is bubbly and the crust is baked through and golden, 40-45 minutes. If frozen, while the oven heats to 375 degrees, unwrap the dish and let the casserole sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Then, cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake for about 20 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake until the filling is bubbly and the crust is baked through and golden, about 40 minutes longer.