Mock Tamale

Ingredients

• thin corn meal mush
• butter (for greasing)
• 3 pounds veal or 3½ pounds chicken
• 3 rolled crackers
• 1 beaten egg
• butter (to taste)
• salt (to taste)
• pepper (to taste)
• Spanish pepper (to taste)
• ½ cup milk
• ½ cup cooking liquid from meat
• water (from boiled onion)
• 25 oz can mushrooms
• 1 pint milk (for sauce)
• butter (for sauce)
• salt (for sauce)
• pepper (for sauce)
• 1 teaspoon canned peas (for garnish)

Directions

The book gives no oven temperature. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.

1. Prepare thin corn meal mush and line a buttered oven pan with it.

2. Cook and season the veal or chicken, then chop it finely.

3. Layer the meat and cooked tomatoes in the pan, adding olives and raisins to the meat.

4. Season the mixture with salt, pepper, and Spanish pepper.

5. Cover the top with corn meal mush and bake at 400°F (200°C) until brown.

6. In a bowl, combine chopped meat, rolled crackers, beaten egg, butter, salt, pepper, milk, and cooking liquid.

7. Grease small tin custard cups and fill them halfway with the mixture.

8. Set the cups in a pan of water and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 15 minutes.

9. For the mushroom sauce, chop the mushrooms and combine them with their liquid, 1 pint of milk, butter, salt, and pepper in a saucepan.

10. Heat the sauce until thickened.

11. Serve the Bondines hot with the mushroom sauce on bread and butter plates, garnished with canned peas.