Tamale pie

Given the many recipes for tamale pie in Sunset's pages over the decades, Westerners love the flavors of traditional, individually shaped tamales, but not the time it takes to make them. Versions from the '30s and '40s of what's essentially a glorified casserole lack a little authenticity by modern standards, calling for corn meal mush instead of corn masa; a 1940 recipe for Lenten Tamale Loaf was even baked in a ring mold. In 1980 we published our first tamale pie that was actually from Mexico. Made with real masa and plenty of lard, it fed an army.

Recipe: 

Giant Tamale Pie: This lower calorie version, from 1999, uses masa for the the authentic flavors of tamales, but oil instead of lard