Chilli cornbread pie

I’ve mentioned in a couple of my recent posts that flexible recipes are what we need at the moment. Recipes which can be tweaked and amended to take into account what you have, or more importantly don’t have, in your store cupboard. With the one I’m sharing today I think I’ve found a near perfect example. In it’s full glory and if you have all of the ingredients its a chilli cornbread pie, but if you need to change things about it’s wonderfully adaptable.

I’ve been making this for a while now and it’s become a firm favourite in our house. A sign of how a version can be made to suit all tastes is that even my partners 89 year old mother enjoys it. I’m not being disrespectful , it’s just when I’m cooking for her I have to remove all hints of chilli. I quickly found the answer is to add some additional sweet red peppers and everyone is happy.

The pie topping is very nearly a meal in itself. It doesn’t look to be much when you mix the ingredients and spread them across the pie just before you put it in the oven. However by the time it come out its risen to something between bread and a soft dumpling.

The list of ingredients may look daunting but don’t let this put you off. Just use it as a starting point to make your own version

The pie serves 6

Ingredients for the filling

• Beef mince 500g – I’ve made versions using veg mince and last week used chopped sausages.
• Onion  – 1 large chopped 
• Green pepper –  diced
• Red pepper – diced
• Garlic – 2 cloves crushed
• Dried Oregano –  2tsp
• DriedCumin –  2tsp
• Ground cumin –  2tsp
• Chilli powder – 1tbsp  
• Tomato puree -1 tbsp
• Chopped tomatoes – 400g tin
• Chicken stock – 300ml – any stock will work and if you don’t have any use water
• Brown sugar – 2tsp
• Jalapeños – 2 tbsp of chopped fresh or pickled

Ingredients for the topping

• Instant polenta  – 100g
• Plain flour – 200g
• Baking powder – 2tsp
• Eggs – 2
• Whole milk – 250ml
• Plain yoghurt – 100ml
• Butter – 50g melted
• Cheddar – 150g grated

Method

• Heat a large pan and crumble in the mince. Cook until browned all over.
• Add the onions, pepper and garlic. Cover and cook on a low to medium heat for 10 minutes, add the spices and cook for a further 2 minutes, then stir in the tomato puree, tomatoes, stock and brown sugar. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 20 minutes until the mixture has thickened to a sauce consistency. If using the jalapeños add half at this point. Tip the mixture into a large one proof dish.
• Heat the oven to gas mark 5
• Put all of the topping ingredients, including the other half of the jalapeños, in a bowl and whisk them until the mixture comes together. Spoon on to the top of the pie dish and spread it across the filling mixture.
• Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the topping is golden and risen.

PS

If you’re like me your cupboards are probably starting to look a little bare. I found this article in todays Guardian and thought I’d share it as it has good suggestions on substitutes to use if you are out of some of the basics.

no-flour-pasta-or-eggs-the-perfect-substitutes-for-20-common-ingredients