We all have our family, home-life traditions and stories. One of our is the annual September green chili roasting. Each year Wouter returns from his summer working in Santa Fe with a load of New Mexico Hatch Chillies straight from the source….this year the “source” was pretty funny indeed……see name on box below…..
….those of you who know Wouter well may be aware that he had a very, very, wee, small part in the movie “Young Guns 2” of which much silliness has ensued at his good-natured expense. Or maybe you do not know this nugget of information? This is just one of the many “random Wouter-isms” that continue to keep it all interesting.
What were the chances of a recent Dutch immigrant in 1990 to modern New Mexico to end up playing the role of a late 1800’s immigrant carpenter with an accent, in an American western movie soon after his arrival to America? The scene with Wouter is about 3-5 seconds long and his one line is “They’re bringing someone in” right before a big gunfight in the movie. Only in America I guess!
The bounty of chillies this year were particularly colorful and plump, just right for roasting.
Wouter really does most of the work as I “assist”.
When the chillies are puffy and charred then it is time to steam and peel and cook up something fitting. We put most in bags and freeze them for later cool weather soups and stews. We give away bags to friends who love them as much as we do.
This recipe for cornbread topped chili pie is very easy and flexible. The chillies could be any of your favorites. You can use fresh or canned as long as they have their own unique flavor. The roasted Hatch chillies have a delicious smokey, rich aroma and flavor.
As the weather cools off, hopefully very soon, this is a good one to add to your “one pan” dinner list. Good with a salad or coleslaw, additional chillies and a cold beer. Thanks Wouter and the Young Guns Hatch Chili Factory for the flavor and the memories.
Young Guns Hatch Chili Pie topped with Cheddar-Cornbread
Ingredients for filling:
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup chopped onions
- 2 carrots chopped
- 3 garlic cloves smashed
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1 tablespoon red chili powder
- 3 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1.5 lean ground beef
- 2 roasted hatch chili peppers, coarsely chopped
- 1 can (14.5 oz) fire-roasted chopped tomatoes with juice
- 1 can (15.5 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
Ingredients for topping:
- 1 cup self-rising yellow cornmeal
- 1 cup self-rising flour
- 1.5 cups buttermilk
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 1.5 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Directions:
- Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
- For filling, saute onions, carrots and garlic in olive oil over medium heat until onions are translucent in a heavy 10 inch skillet. I use my cast iron for this. Season with salt & black pepper. Stir in chili powder and tomato paste. Mix well.
- Stir in ground beef and cook, breaking up with a spoon as it cooks, until meat is well browned.
- Add roasted chili peppers, can of tomatoes and black beans. Stir gently to blend. Set aside off the heat.
- In a mixing bowl whisk together the cornmeal and flour. Add the buttermilk, eggs and melted butter and blend together. Add shredded cheddar.
- Spread cornbread mixture gently over the top of the chili-meat mixture in the skillet spreading to cover.
- Bake until cornbread topping is a light golden color and filling is bubbly, about 20-25 minutes.
- Cool for about 15 minutes before serving.
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