Chili Can Be Anything You Like, Even A Pot Pie

No one eats chili plain. It’s chili with soda crackers, chili with corn bread, even chili with macaroni (it has a name, “Chili-Mac,” but it’s more of a Midwestern corruption of a winter casserole than it is a genuine chili dish).

In short, there’s little consensus on what a perfect bowl of chili should be. That’s why I don’t feel the least bit embarrassed to suggest Chili Pot Pie as a delicious alternative to the usual bowl of red.

My version is chock-full of peppers and corn and topped with light, buttery Cornmeal Biscuits. It’s great for Sunday supper after a football game because it’s hearty and quick-cooking (for chili, that is). The process can be speeded along by preparing the chili in advance, then addding the biscuit topping and baking the dish at the last minute.

Serve Chili Pot Pie with a salad of sliced oranges, red onions and spinach and a cold beer, the obvious beverage for any chili.

Chili Pot Pie

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2-cup chopped onion

1/2-cup chopped sweet red pepper

1/2-cup corn kernels, fresh (from 1 small ear corn) or frozen and thawed

1/2-pound lean ground beef or ground turkey

1/4-teaspoon cumin seeds

1/4-teaspoon crushed, dried oregano

1/2-teaspoon hot pepper sauce or to taste

1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce

Salt, black pepper

Cornmeal biscuits (recipe follows)

Heat olive oil in medium skillet. Add onion, sweet red pepper and corn and saute 5 minutes. Add ground beef and cook over medium heat, stirring to break up pieces, until pink color is gone. Pour off any fat. Add cumin seeds, oregano and hot pepper sauce and saute 1 minute. Add tomato sauce. Simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper; set aside.

Prepare cornmeal biscuits. Spoon chili into shallow, 1-quart glass baking dish. Arrange biscuits on top, gently pushing into chili. Bake at 400 degrees until biscuits are nicely browned, 20 to 25 minutes (a straw inserted in center of biscuit should come out clean).

Remove from oven. Divide pie in half and spoon half onto each of 2 plates. Serve hot.

Yield: 2 servings.

Cornmeal Biscuits

1 cup flour, plus extra for board

1/2-cup cornmeal

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2-teaspoon salt

1/4-cup unsalted butter

Scant 1/2 cup milk

Combine 1 cup flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt in bowl. Cut in butter until fine crumbs are formed. Stir in milk to form dough that holds together and is more on the damp than dry side (if necessary, add more milk).

Turn dough out onto lightly floured board. Knead 10 times. Flatten to 1-inch-thick circle. Cut out 4 circles with 3-inch cutters.