Taco Pie - Comfort Food

My eldest daughter always requests Taco Pie for her birthday supper.  Well, the birthday supper was a bit of a schamozzle (I have no idea how to spell that or if it is even a word).  It was Sunday at lunch on January second.  Her birthday is not until the eleventh, but she was heading back to university on the second.

My wife happened to ask what time her train left.  Bear in mind the exact time of that question was 1:03.  There had been a general assumption (all round the table I might add) that her train pulled out shortly after supper.  However upon inspection of the ticket, it was discovered that departure time was actually 13:47, which gave us exactly 44 minutes to eat lunch, get her packed, get to the train station and wave her off.  Talk about panic ensuing!

So, she did catch her train, but her intended birthday supper never happened.

This week she has been home for reading week (why ever do they call it that - maybe sleeping week would be more to the point).  Last night we finally got around to assembling the much overdue Taco Pie - and the wait was worth while!

Ingredients:

1 pound of lean ground beef, browned
Spice to your taste (we use garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, oregano, basil - probably a tablespoon all combined)
6 Soft tortilla shells 9"
1 10 oz can of mushroom pieces and stems
1 10 oz can of corn kernels or frozen kernel corn
1  14 oz can of baked brown beans
1 700 mL bottle of prepared tomato pasta sauce
2 cups of grated cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons of grated Parmasan cheese

Garnishes:

Sour Cream
Chopped fresh tomatoes
Sliced Black Olives

Brown the ground beef in the frying pan,on the stove.  Add whatever spices and quantities you like during this process.   Add the cans of mushrooms, corn, beans and tomato sauce.  Mix together and allow to simmer for a few minutes.

Using a 9" spring form pan (you know, the kind you make cheese cakes in).  Add a thin layer of the meat sauce mix.  Cover with the first tortilla shell.  Spoon another layer of meat sauce over this, Add another shell.  Continue this process for the first four layers or so, then add a bit of the cheddar cheese and a tablespoon of the Parmesan.  Finish up all six layers, alternating between tortilla and meat sauce.  Finally on the top layer of meat sauce, spread the rest of the cheddar cheese and sprinkle the remaining Parmesan.

Put the spring form pan on a pizza tray (just so it doesn't leak all over the oven). Cover the top of the pie, with foil, so it does not dry out too much. Put it in the oven at 350 F for about 45 minutes.

Take it out and take the side wall off the pan (you may have to cut along the edge with a knife to keep it from sticking).  Allow the pie to sit for a while to firm up(don't worry it seems to hold its heat well).

Cut into generous wedges and place on dinner plates.  Garnish with sour cream, chopped fresh tomatoes and black olives.  Wait for the happy smiles.

Like a lasagna, Taco Pie is probably better the second day.  It holds its strata-form much better and all the flavours have had time to meld.  But if your house is anything like our house, not much ever survives to see a second day.  I know four teenagers and two adults didn't leave much, beyond the memories.

And that is about all I have to say for today.

Musings and meanderings from the Musical Gardener.