Chili Pot Pie

Chili Pot Pie

Filling:

1 pound lean ground beef

1 large onion, finely chopped (1 cup)

1 tablespoon finely minced garlic (3 large cloves)

1 medium-sized green pepper, coarsely chopped

1 medium-sized red pepper, coarsely chopped

1 stalk celery, diced

2 cups tomato sauce

1 cup corn kernels (frozen, fresh or canned)

2 cups cooked beans (small red, pinto or pink)

Spice blend (see recipe, below)

Topping:

1 egg white

1 whole egg

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/2 cup buttermilk

3/4 cup yellow corn meal, preferably stone-ground

1 tablespoon flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt, if desired

1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar (optional)

1 can (4 ounces) jalapeno or green chile peppers, chopped (optional)

Preliminaries: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a 10-inch, deep-dish pie plate or shallow casserole of similar size with non stick cooking spray.

Make the spice blend: Combine 1 tablespoon mild chili powder, or to taste with 2 teaspoons hot chili powder, freshly ground black pepper to taste, ½ teaspoon oregano leaves, crushed (or ¼ tea spoon ground oregano), ¼ teaspoon ground cumin, ¼ teaspoon coriander and teaspoon allspice. Set aside.

Prepare the filling: Brown the beef in a large nonstick skillet or Dutch oven. Drain off the fat. Add the onion and garlic to the beef, and saute the mixture for a few minutes until the onion is soft. Add all the remaining filling ingredients (including the spice blend) to the beef mixture, stirring to combine them well. Bring the mixture to a boil; reduce the heat, cover the pan and simmer the mixture for about 15 minutes. Transfer the filling to prepared pan.

Make the topping: In a medium bowl, beat together the egg white and whole egg, oil and buttermilk for 1 minute. Add the corn meal, flour, baking soda and salt, beating the ingredients until they are well blended. Stir the cheese and chopped peppers, if desired, into the batter.

Bake the pie: Spoon the batter over the prepared filling. Bake in preheated oven for about 30 minutes, or until the crust is done and golden brown.

Makes 6 servings