Hamburger Corn Pone Pie

Today's recipe has been a family favorite for decades. It's the kind of recipe that makes me think of home, and every time I make it I get a little nostalgic for my childhood. It was one of the first recipes I copied from my Mother's recipe filebox when I moved out on my own.

I've made a few minor tweaks to the recipe over the years (mainly I've revved up the spices a little), and the result is below. I hope you enjoy this dish as much as we do.


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Hamburger Corn Pone Pie

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 Tablespoon mild chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 15-ounce can kidney beans, rinsed and well-drained

Corn Bread Batter:
3/4 cup white flour
2 Tablespoons sugar
3/4 cup corn meal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
2 Tablespoons corn oil/vegetable oil

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 400F (~200C). Brown ground beef with onions in a large non-stick pan, drain off as much excess fat as you can.

2) Add seasonings, Worcestershire sauce and tomatoes. Cover and simmer on medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then, add kidney beans, stir well, and pour sauce into a large (2 1/2 quart) casserole dish.

3) Now, make the corn bread batter: Sift the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl. In a separate medium bowl, combine the eggs, oil and milk. Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients and beat until well mixed, about 1 minute.

4) Finally, gently pour the corn bread batter on top of the sauce, and gently spread with a spatula to make sure the underlying sauce is well covered by the corn bread batter (see photos below). Bake at 400F (200C) for 25 minutes, or until the cornbread is golden brown.



Serves 4-5 as a main dish.
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Recipe Notes:
1) I can't say this is the easiest recipe at Casual Kitchen, but with just a little practice, you'll get it down pat quite easily. The key to the rhythm of this dish is to get your cornbread ingredients lined up and ready while the ground beef and tomatoes are simmering. Then, once the sauce is done, you can whip up the cornbread batter in just a couple of minutes. Before you know it, your dinner is in the oven.

2) A great thing about this recipe is that it microwaves up very nicely the next day. If you live alone or if there are just a couple of members in your household, this is the kind of dish that can keep you well-fed for 2-3 days or more.

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