I tend to underuse my Instant Pot. I use it mostly to make yogurt, to prep boiled eggs, to make broth, baked potatoes, and mashed potatoes, but I don't often just use it to make a meal.  IMHO, it takes all the flavor out of most vegetables, so I hesitate to make anything with vegetables in it, and it's not my first choice for preparing meats, either.  So when I ran across this super easy recipe for Instant Pot Tamale Pie, I was intrigued. And of course, I can't just follow a recipe, I have to make additions, delete things, and generally change it up.  It took a couple of "practice" runs, but I think this is the final version.  Enjoy!

Instant Pot Tamale Pie

2 cups Masa Harina

2 cups chicken broth

¼ cup oil

1-1/2 t. salt

1-1/2 t. Chili powder

1-1/2 t. Smoked paprika

1 t. cumin

1 t. baking soda

Filling

2 cups shredded chicken---pork or beef will also work

1 cup enchilada sauce

1 small sweet onion, chopped

Use a mixer to mix together the masa water, oil, spices, and baking soda. Whip this mixture for at least 3-4 minutes until it is light and fluffy

Grease a 7 inch springform pan. Spread half the masa batter on the bottom of the pan. Top with all of the meat and sauce, then add the remaining masa batter and smooth out the top. Cover the pie loosely with foil. You are doing this to keep water from dripping into the tamale pie.

Pour 1-1/2 cups water into the Instant Pot. Place a trivet in the pot. Place the pan on the trivet.

Secure the lid on the pot and set the Instant Pot at High pressure for 35 minutes. When cook time is complete, let pot release pressure naturally for 10 minutes, and then release all remaining pressure.

Allow the pie to rest for 10 minutes, and then unclasp the sides of the springform pan.

I served this with some black beans and some plain, chopped lettuce with a sour cream/chipotle dressing. 

Gringa Tamales

I've been putting off posting my tamale recipe because it is complicated and I want to make sure I get it right. In November 2010, we visited the Mayan Riviera in Mexico with our good friends Debbie, Butch, Sandi & Mike. Of course, we ate a ton of really good food. When Christmas rolled around, we decided to try to make tamales for our Christmas dinner. I had been thinking about trying to make them and collecting various recipes for quite some time, so I gathered the recipes and set about combining them into a tasty, but easy version. That first year, they were well received, so last Christmas we decided to make them again. This time, of course, we had the basics down pat and tweaked the recipe a bit. Today, Deb and I are making them again, joined by our good friend DeNise. DeNise has been bugging us to make them and her BUSY schedule is finally allowing us all a day in the kitchen. Deb cooked the pork ahead of time and shredded it, so this morning we made the chile sauce and the masa dough. We're now just waiting for DeNise to show up with the makings for ceviche (YUM!!!).