![From the Progressive Farmer, 27 April 1918](/sites/default/files/progressive_farmer_tamale_pie_19180427_cropped.jpg)
The Special Collections staff has potluck lunches occasionally, and at the most recent one a colleague brought tamale pie. That reminded me of this recipe that I had found in the Progressive Farmer weekly newspaper for 27 April 1918, p. 15.
Corn Meal and Meat
Corn meal is good combined with meats. Such a dish is a meal in itself. Try this one.
Tamale Pie—
2 cups corn meal.
6 cups water.
1 tablespoon fat.
1 onion.
2 cups tomatoes.
1 pound hamburger steak.
Make a mush by stirring the corn meal and 1 ½ teaspoons salt into boiling water. Cook 45 minutes. Brown onion in fat, add hamburger and stir until red color disappears. Add salt, pepper, and tomato. A sweet pepper is an addition. Grease baking dish, put in layer of corn meal mush, add seasoned meat, and cover with mush. Bake one-half hour. Serves six.
Apparently the inclusion of bell pepper was frowned upon! Because this recipe was published during World War I, it would have counted as a “wheatless” meal.
Explore more resources with recipes in our digitized collections, and as always, contact us to view materials in our reading room or to learn more about Special Collections.