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Frito Pie

There are many ways to make Frito Pie. The simplest recipes consist of just Fritos, chili and cheese layered in a baking dish. Others versions contain onions, jalapenos or green chilies. "Recipe" is probably too strong a word for these combinations since most of us just add ingredients to suit our taste, and then cover the whole thing with as much cheese as possible. In addition to week night dinners, there's no telling how many single-serving packages of Fritos have been ripped open, smothered in chili 'n cheese and sold at school fund-raising events or football games. Messy, yes, but it's a moneymaker that tastes great and satisfies hungry adults and picky little kids.

Frito Pie is also a great way to use leftover homemade chili. Canned chili can be used, but if a large pot of chili is cooked on a weekend, it may be turned into a middle of the week dinner without everyone whining about eating chili again. The recipes that follow are a bit different from the usual chili and cheese combinations and make a great meal on a cold night. And yes, you have to use Fritos.

Frito Pie

• 1 pound Velveeta cheese, cut in cubes
• 1 can (10 oz.) Rotel diced tomatoes with green chiles
• 1 package (10 oz.) regular size Fritos
• 2 cans (1 pound, 8 oz. each) chili without beans or about 5 cups homemade chili
• 8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Spray a medium-size baking dish with non-stick spray. Combine the cheese and tomatoes in a saucepan (or see note below to use the microwave) and heat slowly until the cheese melts. Heat the chili in another saucepan.

Place half the Fritos in the baking dish. Spoon half the chili over the Fritos. Cover with a layer of cheese sauce. (There will be cheese sauce left over to use as a dip.) Scatter the remaining Fritos over the cheese. Cover with the rest of the chili and sprinkle with the shredded cheddar cheese. Bake uncovered about 30 minutes, until hot and bubbly.

Yields four servings.

Note: To microwave the cheese sauce, place the cubed cheese in a glass bowl. Pour the Rotel over the cheese. Cover with plastic wrap, leaving a small opening on one side as a vent. Microwave 3 minutes, stirring the mixture after each minute. Do not over-cook or allow the cheese to boil.

Tamale and Frito Pie

• 1 can (1 pound) chili or about 3 cups homemade chili
• 2 cups regular size Fritos
• 6 tamales, removed from the corn husks (see note)
• 4 ounces Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeno peppers, shredded

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Spray a 7 x 11-inch baking dish with non-stick spray. Heat the chili in a saucepan until it just comes to a boil. Remove from the heat. Crumble the Fritos and spread in the bottom of the baking dish. Lay the tamales on top of the Fritos. Cover with the hot chili.

Bake uncovered 20 minutes. Sprinkle with the shredded cheese and bake 5 to 10 minutes more, until the cheese melts and the mixture is bubbly.

Yields 2 servings. The recipe may be doubled.

Note: Canned tamales may be used if nothing else is available, although the results will be different. If frozen tamales in the shuck are used, thaw them before using.

Sidney Carlisle lives on a ranch in Meridian, Texas.

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