Chili Corn Pone Pie

Chili Corn Pone Pie
Recipe from: Family Feasts for $75 a Week by Mary Ostyn

Filling:
1 pound ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
One 15-ounce can kidney or small red beans, drained
1/2 cup frozen or canned (drained) corn kernels
1 1/2 cups tomato sauce (about 12 ounces)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt

Crust:
3/4 cup cornmeal
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 large egg, beaten
3/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Topping:
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350*F.
2. Preheat a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add ground beef, and cook until no longer pink, breaking it into small pieces with the side of a spoon. Remove beef from skillet; add onion to skillet. Cook onion until it begins to soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Add remaining filling ingredients; stir well to combine. Simmer until heated through, 5 to 10 minutes.
3. In a medium-size bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Add beaten egg, milk, and oil to flour mixture; mix well to form a soft dough.
4. Spread meat mixture over the bottom of a 9-inch pie pan. Drop tablespoonfuls of the corn bread mixture all over the top of the pie, distributing it as evenly as possible. Sprinkle cheese across the top. Bake 45 minutes, or until cheese is flecked with brown and filling starts to bubble out the sides.

Our verdict: YUM!! We love chili and cornbread, so it was nice to have a variation on that! Would be a great way to use up leftover chili too!! The only change I would make for the future, would be to add a jalapeno into the chili next time - just because we like a little extra heat.