Tomato Bowl 2011 is alive and well. Half way through the competition Team Green Bay is ahead of Team Pittsburgh by a touchdown. I’ve been kind of slacking so it is time to add another blog post in support of the Packers and my team of bloggers!!

Today’s recipe is one of my favorites. I love tamales, but they can be time consuming to make so I don’t make them very often. When I am having a serious tamale jones but don’t have time to make the real thing I often make this recipe. It’s basically chili topped with a thick batter of masa harina and Bisquick mix then baked until bubbly and golden brown. It’s not a tamale, but much of the flavor profile is there.

While you are more than welcome to use this recipe as is, if you have a favorite chili recipe just use that and then follow the recipe for the topping.

It used to be that masa harina was difficult to find unless you lived out West or in a major city. Nowadays, it can be found in most larger grocery stores, in the Hispanic section. While masa is a corn flour, cornmeal is not an acceptable substitute.

Tamale Casserole
serves 6-8 people

FOR FILLING:
2 pound Ground beef
2 each Onions, peeled and chopped
1/2 teaspoon Garlic powder
1 teaspoon Ground cumin
1 tablespoon Chili powder
2 cans (14.5oz) Red Gold diced tomato
1 can (15oz) Kidney beans
1 1/2 cups Water
Salt
Pepper
FOR TOPPING:
1 cup Masa Harina (mexican corn flour-do not substitute corn meal)
1 cup Bisquick® baking mix
2 cups Water

To Make the Filling:
Combine ground beef and onions in a large stock pot and brown over high heat. Add garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper and cook for 3 minutes. Add diced tomato, kidney beans and water and cook for 30 minutes or until thickened (liquid should be reduced by about 1/2). Adjust seasoning if necessary. Remove from heat. Recipe can be made up to this point and refrigerated. Preheat oven to 350. Pour filling into a 9×13 casserole dish or cast iron skillet.

To Make the Topping:
Combine remaining ingredients and stir just until smooth. Pour over top of filling and spread it out evenly. Bake for approx. 30 minutes or until top is lightly golden brown. Will take longer if filling was made earlier and cooled. When done remove from oven and allow to rest for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Well, the major parts of our kitchen renovations are done, for now, and just in time for me to participate in Tomato Bowl 2011 put on by Red Gold brand canned tomato products. This new marketing strategy/competition pits 6 Pittsburgh area bloggers against 6 Green Bay area bloggers to see who can come up with the most creative Game Day eats.

Playing for the Green Bay team, besides myself, are:
Proudtobecheap
Tummytreasure
Anniebakes
Cheesecurdinparadise
Runaroundaroo

Playing for Pittsburgh (and I’ll apologize now for your loss both here and on the field) are:
EatPGH
Youlittletarte
Evelynscorner
Ohfoodbaby
Justroxy
Dailyrumpus

For my first post of the Tomato Bowl, I thought I would do a take on the traditional Sloppy Joe, and create a Sloppy Jose. Now the web is full of recipes for “Sloppy Joses” but to be honest, I find them all pretty lacking in any kind of originality. Most of them basically take standard Sloppy Joes and merely add a packet of Taco Seasoning and a can of green chiles. I figured I would bump up the flavor profile a little bit and make it a little more Mexican. And yes, the recipe reads right; there is cocoa powder in the final product. Chocolate is used, in Mexico, in a number of sauces, especially in many moles. The great thing about this dish is it is even better the following day. So make it on Saturday and then slowly heat it up in a slow cooker on Game Day for an easy meal!

Sloppy Joses
makes 10-12 sandwiches

12oz Mexican chorizo (sausage)
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 large onion, peeled and diced
1-3 jalapenos, seeded and minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (6oz) Red Gold tomato paste
1 can (14.5oz) Red Gold diced tomatoes
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 tsp. ground mustard
3/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. cocoa powder
1/2 bunch cilantro, stems removed and chopped

In a large skillet, brown the chorizo and ground beef along with the onions, until cooked through.

Pour off half the grease then add the jalapenos and garlic. Cook for 3 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes. Add the diced tomato, along with all the liquid, the brown sugar, vinegar, ground mustard, cumin and cocoa powder. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring regularly so that the mixture doesn’t burn. Skim off the majority of the remaining grease and remove from heat. Stir in the cilantro and check for seasoning, adding more salt and pepper, if necessary.

If you make this a day ahead, leave out the cilantro until you reheat it the following day. Serve on burger buns, with plenty of napkins!!!

I have a confession to make. I’m not much of a sports fan. Sure I love to go catch an occasional Major League Baseball game, and I can, occasionally, be found spending a Sunday afternoon watching football, but that it about it. I can’t spout off each players statistics. Heck, I usually don’t keep up with who is even playing for what team. When asked my opinion I usually just BS my way through and hope I don’t say anything too stupid. It’s not that I don’t like sports, I’ve just got better things to do with my time than sit around watching them, and have way too much going on to try and bother with keeping up with all the players stats.

That being said, I do jump on the Super Bowl bandwagon. It is the one televised sporting event that I really look forward to watching. First of all more often than not, I can expect a great game, then there are the commercials, and yes I am one of those that pays attention to the commercials during the game as much as the game, but mostly I love Super Bowl for the parties and the food. Where else can you overindulge in cheese, bacon, pork fat, fried foods, more cheese, spicy foods, more fried foods, and beer and not be considered a glutton?! Yes, it is a beautiful thing! I’ve been to upscale Super Bowl parties, and they just don’t seem “right.” Sure I love crabcakes, smoked salmon, and carpaccio, but that’s not Super Bowl food. When I’m watching the Super Bowl, I want artery clogging and tongue burning, and don’t even think about serving me vegetarian or chicken chili!!!!

This dip is perfect for a Super Bowl party as it mets at least 2 of the qualifications for being good Super Bowl food; it’s spicy and loaded with cheese. It can be served with tortilla chips or I’ll even allow celery to grace the platter, as I’m sure any health benefits provided by celery are more than negated by the rich cheesiness of this dip.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

2 pounds chicken breasts, boneless
1 cup 1/2 & 1/2
12 oz. cream cheese
6 oz. blue cheese crumbled
1/3 cup of hot sauce (or more if you like it really spicy)

Gently poach the chicken breasts in seasoned water until just done. Cool and then either dice finely or shred the chicken. Meanwhile heat the 1/2 & 1/2 in a sauce pot over medium heat. Add the cream cheese and stir until completely melted. Add the hot sauce and blue cheese. Gently heat until the the cheese is melted, stirring regularly so that the sauce doesn’t burn. Do not allow the sauce to boil. Add the chicken meat and heat through. Place into a small crock pot or warmer and serve warm with tortilla chips and celery sticks.