Pork & Green Chile Pot Pie With Cornmeal-White Cheddar Crust

The San Francisco Chronicle's food section was especially tasty looking yesterday. There was an article regarding pot pies and I decided to try the pork version with a cornmeal cheddar crust. The article was written by Sarah Fritsche and there is a delicious looking lamb version, a tasty seafood version and even a roasted vegetable pot pie. This is a great rainy day meal and I had the day off for Presidents Day which was perfect since this takes a while. You can start the crust and filling the day before or otherwise give yourself some time to make this one.

Pork & Green Chile Pot Pie With Cornmeal-White Cheddar Crust my way


Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/02/18/FDNE1HKDGM.DTL&ao=2#ixzz1EeaKi6Ch

For the crust:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup medium ground yellow cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup cold butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup grated white cheddar cheese
3 to 5 tablespoons ice water
Additional flour for rolling

Using a food processor, combine flour, cornmeal and salt. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles fresh breadcrumbs. Add the cheese and pulse just until combined. Sprinkle in the water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Use just enough water so the dough holds together. Form the dough into a ball and flatten the top to form a disk. Wrap the dough completely in plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 45 minutes to 1 hour. The crust can be made to this point a day or two ahead.


2 large fresh Anaheim chiles
1 jalapeno chiles
2 large tomatillos, husks removed
1 to 1 1/2 pounds boneless center cut pork loin, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tablespoons all-purpose flour
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium red onion chopped
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and pressed
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chile powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 cup pilsner-style beer, such as Red Stripe
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 pound small Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces

Place a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400°. Place the Anaheim chiles, jalapeno and tomatillos on a large foil-lined sheet pan. Roast in the oven until the skins are nicely blistered, about 45 minutes. Remove from oven and place chiles in a large bowl, covered with plastic wrap to let cool (this will also make the chile skins easier to peel). Once cool, remove and discard the skins, stems and seeds (avoid rinsing, which will affect the flavor). Place the chiles and tomatillos in a food processor or blender and puree. Set aside.

Toss pork with flour, salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large, heavy bottom pan over medium-high heat. Brown pork. Set browned meat aside.

Reduce heat to medium. In the same pan, saute the onions until soft and translucent, about 15 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, chile powder and oregano; stir to combine and cook just until fragrant.

Increase heat to high and deglaze the pan with the beer, making sure to scrape up all the flavorful brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Let this reduce slightly and add the broth and reserved chile/tomatillo mixture. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and add the potatoes. Cook until the potatoes are fork-tender and the liquid has reduced slightly. Add the reserved pork and any accumulated juices and cook for another couple of minutes, just to warm through. The filling can be made ahead to this point. If refrigerated, reheat and continue with recipe.

Adjust seasoning to taste with salt and pepper, if desired.

To assemble and finish: Preheat oven to 350°. Pour the filling into a baking dish. Set aside and let cool slightly.

Remove dough from refrigerator and roll out on a lightly floured surface until it is about 1/8 -inch thick and 2 inches larger than your casserole dish. Carefully transfer the dough to the casserole dish. Trim the edges to make a 1-inch overhang. Roll the edge under and crimp. Make several slits in the crust with a paring knife to release steam while the pot pie bakes.

Place the casserole dish on a foil-lined sheet pan and bake until the crust is golden brown and the filling is hot and bubbly, about 45 to 50 minutes.

I cut this recipe in half. There was really not enough dough so for this blog I did not cut it in off. You'll probably end up with too much but save it and make little cheddar biscuits or as a crust for something else. It really is delicious.

This was really flavorful without too much heat. Please feel free to adjust the heat. This was a hit and I look forward to trying some other versions. Enjoy!

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/02/18/FDNE1HKDGM.DTL&ao=2#ixzz1EeaKi6Ch