Tamale Pie

This is my mother in laws recipe for Tamale Pie. She made it for years for her family. I never have gotten to taste it until now. My mother in law passed away a few years back and I got her recipe collection. I felt a little bad taking it, but none of her daughters wanted it. I love recipes and I really enjoy having her handwritten ones. My family loved this recipe. It was pretty easy to make and looks really good too. I'll be taking this to the next potluck!

Tamale Pie

1 pound hamburger
1/4 cup olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups onions, chopped
2 teaspoons salt and some pepper
1 can tomato sauce
1 cup chopped olives
1/4 cup celery, chopped
1 tablespoon parsley

Crust

3 cups water
2 cups cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
Brown the hamburger, add the onion, celery and oil. Cook until onion is tender. Add the garlic and cook for a few minutes. Add the tomato sauce, salt, pepper, olives and parsley.
In a large pot, boil 2 cups of water. Mix the 1 cup of water with the cornmeal. Add to the boiling water with the salt and stir until thick and bubbly.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 inch pan with Pam. Line the pan with some of the cornmeal mixture. Add the hamburger mixture. Cover with the rest of the cornmeal mixture (I had to add a little more water to make it spoon-able) smoothing to make a top crust. Cover with grated cheese and bake for 30 minutes.