Monday, April 15, 2019

Weekend in suburbia, update

* Saw Captain Marvel. Pretty much what I expected - quite OK, but a bit Marvel movie bland.  I said to my son that the visual look of outer space fights in Marvel movies looks too generic now - too many mini spaceships making too much movement.  The screen is way too busy for my liking.   It was particularly a problem for me in Guardians of the Galaxy 2.   (I guess it happened in the first Guardians too, but I was more forgiving because of the novelty.)    Anyway, I thought Aquaman was a bit more enjoyable than Captain Marvel, due to its visual novelty.  Of course, I am very curious as to the reception Avengers Endgame gets.  A three hour run time is a bit of a danger sign for bloat, I think.   Still, it is a sure thing to make a billion dollars in short time, probably regardless of reviews.

*  Cooking.

Had half a roast chicken left, and wanted to try something new to use it up.

Came up with chicken tamale pie - almost like a Mexican pizza on a cornbread base.  (Some versions have the cornbread on top, like a real pie.  But I like things that are cooked in one skillet, and brought to the table to cut. I wouldn't know which version came first.)  Not sure how Mexican it really is (I suspect it's more a Tex Mex sorta thing), but it came out pretty good:


I have to record the recipe here, because I used a combination of two online recipes:

Cornbread base:

One cup of polenta
One cup plain flour
3 teaspoons baking soda
1 tablespoon sugar (I used 1 1/2 and it was quite sweet.  I think a bit less might be right.)
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk (some say better to use buttermilk, but I used about 3/4 cup of normal milk and the rest was sour cream)
1/4 cup of vegetable oil
Canned corn kernels.  Not the big size can, not the little size.  The in between size.  (OK, I checked:  300 g can.)

Sift flour, baking soda and salt.  Add polenta and everything else and mix.  Spread batter across oven proof skillet (spray some oil on first).  Bake at 200 C for about 30 minutes.  Top will be light brown.  It doesn't rise much, but that's OK.

Topping:

2 cups of roast chicken
a large Onion
two garlic cloves
Capsicum (or whatever you think goes with Mexican I guess)
Half a can of black beans
1 tablespoon or a bit more of taco seasoning
Chili powder and a bit of salt to taste
a cup or so of Enchilada sauce (although you could use salsa or anything really)

You probably get the idea:  fry the onion and capsicum, and garlic, add chicken and everything else, but keep some of the sauce for the cornbread.

Spread some sauce on top of the cornbread, and then the rest of the topping.  Sprinkle cheese on top and put under griller to melt.  Add sour cream and coriander on top before serving.


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