Tuesday, June 15, 2004

Maine Foodie has been on the road over the last week, travelling up the Eastern Seaboard. It was a fast trip, so there was not really a lot of time to eat anyplace more elaborate than a Subway joint. But I do have some new recipes to share with you all.

Greg and I usually revert to making what is fondly called "glopnik" for our weekly dinners. Glopnik usually consists of ground meat and veggies over rice all cooked in a wok on the stove. We get a bit tired of ground turkey or ground pork glopnik, so last night I experimented and came up with something that both Greg and Vicky raved about. I know that when Greg has thirds, it has to be good!

Pork Tamale potpie with cornbread crust


I adapted this from a recipe on the internet, mostly to accomodate what I had in the kitchen last night.

Filling:
1/2 a medium onion chopped
1/2 red bell pepper chopped
package lean ground pork
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 can black beans drained
1 can diced tomato
1 cup frozen peas
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon cayanne
1 tablespoon Worchestershire sauce
1 teaspoon hotsauce
1 tablespoon cornmeal

topping

! cup flour
1 cup cornmeal
2 tblspoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons melted and cooled butter
1 cup milk
1 egg slightly beaten
1/2 cup grated Monterey jack cheese with jalapenos

In a large cast iron skillet sautee onions and garlic in olive oil till soft and then add bell pepper. Add pork and sautee until its not pink anymore and add beans and tomatos. Add peas, spices and sauces and cook for 10 minutes then add cornmeal and salt and pepper to taste. If the mixture seems to have too much liquid, add some cornstarch to thicken. simmer for 20-30 minutes

Prepare topping by adding dry ingredients together and then adding oil, butter, milk and the egg and then stirring together. Add the grated cheese last and then drop by spoonfull ontop of the pork mixture in the skillet. Add more cheese on top if you desire

Pop the whole thing in the oven and bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until top is golden brown.

serve hot and enjoy!

Seth