As Barbara has dubbed this week "The Week From Hell", she asked me to offer a recipe for the blog. But before I do, a little explanation.
Why the week from hell, you ask? Well first of all I was gone for the first half of the week along with the past weekend as I went to Atlanta for the NCAA Final Four basketball tournament. That left Barbara to fend with our contractors, who are remodeling our master bathroom along with performing some left over work on our last fall kitchen remodeling project. Of course this was the week that lots of little details needed answers adding to the stress. And on top of all of this, our dishwasher decided to end its life by leaking water all over the floor and our kitchen sink drain started doing the same thing. Needless to say, Barbara's mind was drawn away from the blog.
The good news is that the new kitchen backsplash looks great. It will show up in some future recipe pictures I am sure. The water-destroyed flooring is being replaced, and a new Bosch dishwasher arrives next Wednesday. Our kitchen will be back to normal after that and some real cooking will once again commence.
Fortuitously my mother sent me a recipe that she raved about. She had earlier contributed the seafood chowder recipe, which we both thought was absolutely terrific. So, trusting my mother's tastes, I am sharing this recipe with you as she made it. I have yet to test it, but all of the ingredients are to my liking. So I am quite confident that this soup is another winner.
Thanks Mom!
---Tom
Hot Tamale Soup
6 servings
1 pound lean ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Pinch of ground cinnamon
3 cups chicken broth or stock
1 14- to 16-ounce can chopped tomatoes with juices
12 purchased tamales, approximately 3 ounces each
1 15-ounce can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn kernels
Shredded cheddar for serving
Heat a heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef, onion, green pepper and garlic and cook until the beef is browned, breaking up the beef with a spoon. This should take about 4-5 minutes.
Add the chili powder, cumin, cayenne pepper and cinnamon and cook for an additional minute. Add the chicken broth and tomatoes with juices. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the tamales according to the package instructions.
After the chili has simmered its requisite 30 minutes or so, stir in the pinto beans and the corn and heat through, which will take another 3 minutes or so. Season the soup to taste with salt and pepper.
Line the serving bowls with two tamales each. Ladle the soup into the bowls and sprinkle with the cheddar cheese.
Serve and enjoy!
---Tom