Taco Pie

Taco Pie is an easy appetizer or main dish.  I love it for a late night snack or as an afternoon early meal.  In line with my healthy routine, I switch the ground beef or lean turkey.  You can use your favourite meat. The spices make this dish and instead of the taco seasoning mix, I like to use my mortar and pestle to make my own.  This dish is also great because most of the ingredients are always in my pantry.

I like the flavour of these spices.  It’s the warmth of the cumin and the heat of the red pepper chilli flakes that make this pie stand out.  If you are making this for kids, just cut down a bit on the heat; however, I find that my grandson loves a touch of heat.  That makes him a true southern Italian.

If you like this pie, don’t forget to try :  https://recipesatmytable.com/aranacini-pie/

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. of your favourite ground meat ( I use turkey)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp taco seasoning mix ( recipe in procedure)  Or you can use a seasoning mix packet
• 2 cups each of salsa and frozen corn
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups of your favourite shredded cheese
• corn bread mix ( also in procedureJ)

Procedure

1. Heat the oven to 350 F and begin by browning your meat in 1 tbsp of olive oil.
2. Combine 1tbsp chilli powder, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp oregano, 1/2 tsp onion powder, 1/2 tsp red pepper chilli flakes, and 1/4 tsp each of salt and pepper.  This makes enough taco seasoning for two pies.
3. Once combined use 2 tbsp of the seasoning to sprinkle into the browned meat.
4.   Follow with the salsa and corn, just enough to warm everything up.
5. Place the meat mixture into a large pie plate.
6. Sprinkle with the cheese.
7. For the cornbread mixture put 1/2 a cup of flour, 1/2 a cup of cornmeal, 2 tbsp sugar, and 1/2 a tsp of salt into a bowl and whisk.
8. Add 1/3 cup canola oil, 1 egg and 1/3 cup of milk into the dry ingredients and whisk.
9. Place cornbread mixture overtop and carefully spread.
10. Put into the oven for 40 minutes.
11. You can serve this with sour cream or yogurt.
12. Chop a tomato and shred some lettuce for extras.

I use my mortar and pestle to combine the seasoning.

Add the seasoning to the meat.

In goes the Salsa and corn.

Put the meat mixture into a pie plate and layer with cheese.

This pie calls for my own cornbread topping.

Spread it out and don’t worry, it all comes together when it bakes.

Pretty layers!

Nice golden colour on top.

Out of the oven and cooling.

The first piece is for me.

Rouladen

Rouladen compares to an Italian braciole. After Italy, Germany is my favourite country to visit. Just like the braciole, the rouladen changes ingredients as you travel through Germany.  Some recipes put a large piece of fat in the centre, while others use bacon.  Sometimes I use pancetta.  I like to experiment and vary the ingredients, and my recipe adds some tomato paste. 

An important part of this dish is the gravy and then the sides.  In Germany a common side is  spaetzle, boiled potatoes or dumplings. I like to serve it with salad because the dish itself is very rich.  Today I use chicken broth and this makes the sauce lighter.  When I use beef broth, the gravy is darker.  Each piece of fettina makes two rolls and you can double the recipe easily.

After Italy, Germany is my favourite to visit.  Austria known for its desserts, borders on northern Italy.  Most of the locals hear my name and automatically think I am German.  I love the area of Italy called Trentino that borders on Austria, and here you can find a real combination of both cultures in the kitchen.   This area hosts the beautiful Dolomites and there are a number of enchanting lakes. As I travel through Italy, I realize that the regions come together through food and stories that make us all proud to be Italians.

My Calabrese Italian braciole recipe, go to :  https://recipesatmytable.com/calabrese-sunday-sauce/

Ingredients for Rouladen

• 4 pieces of  beef fettina cut in half ( i have my butcher cut it very thin)
• salt and pepper
• 1 tbsp of dijon mustard
• 4 slices bacon cut in half
• 8 sweet pickles
• Paprika
• salt, pepper
• freshly grated nutmeg
• 2 tbsp olive oil

The gravy

• 2 cups vegetable or meat broth
• 1/4 cup red wine
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp tomato ketchup
• salt and pepper
• 1 tsp old fashioned  Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup each of cornstarch and cold water ( make a slurry)
• chopped parsley for garnish.

 

The Process

My beef is ready and no need for pounding. I like smaller rouladen; and so, I cut each piece in two.   I sprinkle  each piece with salt and pepper. Use a brush to put a little mustard on each piece.

Place a piece of bacon over each piece. Sprinkle a little onion and one sweet pickle on the meat.

Now roll into little packets tightly.  You can tie with string or secure with toothpicks.

Place the olive oil in a large skillet and brown the rolls. Sear until browned.   Remove from pan.

In another bowl, mix all the ingredients for the gravy and pour into the pan scraping up any brown bits.  I bring the liquid to a boil and pour it into an oven proof dish.

I remove the string or skewers from the rolls and place them in the gravy.  Everything goes into a preheated 350 F oven for about an hour.  If rolls are larger, it may take longer. Grate some Nutmeg over top when ready.   I Served mine with spaetzle and sprinkled it with parsley.