Day 2: Rosita's Beefy Enchilada Pie

My family hearts tacos. Big time. Therefore, when I saw a taco like recipe I thought it would be right up our alley. The kids were super excited to cook again, and so was I until I showed Austin the recipe and picture of what we were cooking and he said verbatim, " That does not look good(pause) AT ALL." My heart sank. It's only day 2 and already he doesn't like something. I told him that we were still going to make it and that maybe it tasted better then it looked. He agreed. Fast forward to the step where we needed to mix the meat mixture. Austin spoke his peace again, " This is disgusting looking." SHIT, he's right. With a smile, I again reminded him that it would probbaly taste really yummy when it was finished, but really I was thinking, " my god, this looks like what Bella hacks up when she eats too fast." Needless to say, my expecations for beefy enchilada pie were not too high.

Rosita's Beefy Enchilada Pie
Prep Time:30 minutes Cook Time: 40 minutes

Double Corn Crust:
1 8oz can sweet corn, drained and rinsed
1 tbs olive oil
2/3 cup finely ground cornmeal
1/2 teas salt
1/2 cup boiling water
1/2 cup shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese

Filling:
1 tbs olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 sweet green or red pepper, finely chopped
1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 teas salt
1 cup shredded cheese
1 cup black or pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 14oz can of diced tomatoes with onion and garlic or jalapenos

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a 9 inch deep dish pie plate or shallow casserole.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the corn, oil, cornmeal, and salt.
3. Add boiling water to the bowl and stir to mix well. Stir in the cheese. Set aside to cool slightly.
4. Use a rubber spatula to spread the corn mixture evenly across the bottom and up the sides of the pan to form a crust.
5. Bake the crust for 15 minutes. Transfer to rack to cool slightly.
6. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saute 3 minutes. Add the peppers and saute 2 minutes longer. Stir in ground beef and salt. Cook, stirring often, until meat is browned. Set aside to cool slightly.
7. In another large bowl, mix the beans, tomatoes, and 1/2 cup cheese together. Stir the cooled meat mixture and pour into pie plate. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese.
8. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.

Kitchen Play by Play: The kids made the entire crust themselves except for the step with the boiling water. Austin did an excellent job stirring it all up, and Peyton was a pro at pressing it down. We put it into the oven to bake, and the kids played while I chopped, sauteed and cooked the meat mixture. I chose a red pepper because Austin picks out any green item he sees in his food. Last week, while eating pizza he spent five minutes digging a piece of oregano out of the sauce. It was hysterical. Once I was finished cooking the meat mixture, the kids mixed the final ingredients together before we put everything together and saw how absolutely unappetizing it all looked. I questioned at that point how this was ever going to remotely taste good especially since the mixture was runny and ,therefore, would surely soak the crust. Peyton sprinkled the cheese on top, and I popped it in the oven with my fingers crossed. It was done in 25 minutes, and to my surprise it looked really good.


The Verdict:
Nicole: Sweet Jesus. This was by far one of the most inedible things I have ever created in my kitchen. The smell: Bad. The taste: Bad. The way it looked once it was on the plate: Bad. The texture: BAAAAAAAAAD. I don't know what I was expecting from a cornmeal crust, but I was not expecting a mushy mess. It was like polenta but mixed in with a whole lot of other non tasty stuff. I don't get why it did not taste good though. I love all the ingredients in this recipe, but put together this was just not Kosher. I literally took one bite. I ate a PBJ after the kids went to sleep. I give it a 0.

Paul: "Lacked texture, decent flavor." He took one bite without Franks Red Hot sauce so he could accurately rate the recipe, but then doused the rest of it. He told me that he liked the meal, but, " if a shoe had Franks on it, he probably eat that too." He gives it a 3.

Austin: Very, very skeptical at first. We always tell the kids that they need to try at least one bite. I figured that was all we would get out of him. He took his required bite and said, " I don't like it. I LOVE it." He ate the whole bowl within 3 minutes, but not before he dug out half the onions. I explained the rating scale to him, and he gives it a 5. Later he said, " no, a 7!"

Peyton: Like mother, like daughter. She wouldn't even look at it. I tried to feed her a bite and her lips went on lock down. I managed to get her to eat like 10 black beans out of her bowl. I told her she wouldn't get a treat if she didn't eat dinner. She looked right at me and said, " Mommy, no treat" and got down from the table. She gives it a 0 too.

** All in all, as much as I loathed everything about this recipe, my goal was to get the kids to eat things they normally wouldn't eat and in Austin's case he certainly did.