Pork Pie

I had a rare off day from work so I took up the entire afternoon and evening to whip up a Pork Pie. We had blistering winds in Milwaukee so it was perfect to cook inside the kitchen.

I've been wanting to make a meat pie that consists of gooey, moist filling on the inside and a crusty topping on the outside. This recipe brings all those qualities to the forefront. Oh yeah, let's have a go!

Buck up and head the market because there are a lot of ingredients to create this dish but with a little bit of time and love, it all comes together quite well.

For the pie filling:

• 1.5 teaspoons cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
• 1 tablespoon mexican oregano
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1.5 tablespoons minced, seeded jalapeno chiles

• 1 cup chicken broth
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cups chopped white onions
• 1 cup salsa verde
• coarse kosher salt
• 10 oz frozen corn kernal, thawed

• 2 poblano chiles
• 1 green bell pepper
• 1.5 lbs boneless country-style pork ribs, cut into 1 inch cubes

Char the peppers under the broiler and transfer to a bowl and cover and let steam for ten minutes. Peel, seed, and coarsely chop chiles and pepper. Set aside.

Stir cumin and coriander seeds over a hot pan until fragrent. Finely ground the seeds in a spice mill and set aside.

Coarsely puree thawed corn kernals and set aside.

Add 1 tablespoon oil to a pot. Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper and brown all sides of the pork in pot. Transfer to a bowl. Add another tablespoon of oil and saute chopped onions, about 5 minutes. Add spice mixture, garlic, jalapenos, and oregano. Stir one minute. Return pork to pot and add chicken broth, scraping up the tasty browned bits. Add salsa verde and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook for 30 minutes. Add chopped chiles, chopped bell pepper, and half of the corn puree; cover partially and simmer for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

The kitchen smells amazing full of pork goodness during the simmering process. Stir occasionally. Start to prepare the cornbread topping. You will need:

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup yellow cornmeal, whole-grain stone ground
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon honey
• grated chedder cheese, to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Whisk flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and chili powder in a large bowl to blend. Whisk remaining corn puree, whole milk, melted butter, egg, and honey in another bowl to blend. Add corn mixture to the flour mixture and stir to combine. Add in shredded cheddar, as much or as little as you like.

Fill a cast-iron skillet with the pie filling and top it with the cornbread topping. Spread evenly throughout. Add extra cheese on top of the cornbread topping.

Bake pork pie until the topping is a deep golden brown color, about 30-40 minutes. Have a look-see during this time to make sure you don't burn the cheese.

Oh, isn't that beautiful?!? Nicely crisp top with burnt edges; it makes a cracklin' sound when you scoop into it. Add a little sour cream to garnish the pie.

Oh yes, this pork pie was fabulous! Well worth the effort and the time put into it. It came out great with the crispy top and warm, gooey middle. The cast-iron is the right pan to use to give the pie a great texture. You can really taste the roasted peppers and the spice mixture in the filling and in the cornbread topping. The corn flavor also shines through but does not dominate the other ingredients. The salsa verde is perfect with the porky insides.

I think this dish would be a crowd pleaser, especially when it comes out of the oven. That golden brown color of the crust really is appealing. The texture is spot on with both crunchy and moist working together.
I must say that this pie was fulfilling on all food levels.

Tuck in!