members recipes

This is a lovely cheery meal. The stew is deep red and the crust is golden. The creamy crunchy top is a lovely balance to the spicy stew. It is very easy to make and freezes well. It goes well with a green salad, especially one with avocado and coriander in it!

Ingredients
CHILLI BASE
3 tbs olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
I red capsicum, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
440g tin diced tomatoes
1/4 cup (100ml) pasta sauce
2 cups bite sized diced butternut pumpkin
2 1/2 cups of cooked red kidney beans
salt to taste
CORNPONE TOPPING
1 cup (160g) cornmeal (polenta)
1/2 cup (90g) plain flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup (60g) butter just melted, cooled
1/2 cup (125 ml) milk
1/4 cup (65 ml) yoghurt
1 egg, beaten

Method
CHILLI BASE
Heat the oil and gently fry the onion, capsicum and garlic for about 5 minutes until the onion is transparent.
Add the chilli powder, cumin, oregano, salt and pumpkin and fry a minute more.
Add the diced tomatoes, pasta sauce and bring to the boil.
Simmer for 5 minutes and then add in the beans, and simmer another 10 minutes until the pumpkin is tender and the stew is rich and lovely. Check seasoning.
Turn the stew into a casserole dish, keeping it hot.
CORNPONE TOPPING
(I make this in the last 10 minutes of the stew cooking)
Mix the cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl.
Add the milk, yoghurt, butter and egg and stir to a soft thick batter. It might need a little more milk.
Place big spoonfuls as evenly as possible on top of the casserole and right to the edge.
Bake 20 minutes in a hot 220C oven for 20 minutes.
Serve hot.