We went to visit my Ants (or as most people would spell it, “aunts”) in New Mexico a few years ago during Hatch Chili Season. We quickly found out that when you order New Mexican food, you’re typically presented with a choice. You can pick red chili sauce, green chili sauce, or a combination. Of course, the combination of red and green is referred to as “Christmas.”
Fast forward to late December, and we thought it was about time to make a New Mexican “Christmas” dish for the Christmas season! The rest of the inspiration for this dish came from a Polenta Pie my wife brought home from Bridge Cafe in Frenchtown, NJ. They used polenta as a pie crust and built some incredible flavours from there. So, we figured we’d play off the polenta pie crust idea, stuff it with some refried beans, top it with cheese, and then drizzle some “Christmas” atop!
This one takes a little bit of labor to make, but you can make it ahead of time and heat it when you’re ready, which helps! We hope you enjoy!
Time: 2 Hours
Ingredients:
- For your Polenta:
- 1 Cup Cornmeal
- 4 Cups Water
- Chili Powder. We used Hatch Chile powder.
- A pinch of Salt
- Olive or Avocado Oil
- For your Pie Filling:
- 1 Can Pinto Beans (or refried beans)
- Green Bell Pepper
- Onion
- Salsa
- Shredded Cheese. We used a blend of cheddar and monterrey jack.
- Red Chile Sauce. We used a Roasted Habanero Garlic Sauce.
- Green Chile Sauce. We used a Hatch Chile Salsa.
Method:
- Bring your water and a little oil to a simmer.
- As your water heats, dice your pepper and onion.
- When your water is simmering and almost to a boil, add in your cornmeal while whisking vigorously. Then, add in your chili powder and salt, and stir intermittently for a while until your polenta begins to firm up appreciably. This took us around 45 minutes.
- As your polenta cooks, sautee your onions and peppers.
- Rinse and drain your beans. Then, either hit them in the food processor to break them down, or mash them by hand.
- When your peppers and onions soften, add your mashed beans, and add a little salsa and more oil as needed.
- When your polenta firms a bit and doesn’t just run back into itself when you’re stirring it, it’s ready for the next step:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Spread a little oil in a pie pan.
- Spread your polenta as evenly as you can into your pie dish and up the sides.
- Scoop and spread your beans into the polenta crust, and bake for 25-30 minutes.
- Towards the end of your baking time, spread your cheese over the beans, and then top it with your red and green chile sauces.
- Continue baking for a few more minutes to melt your cheese.
- Plate, devour, and enjoy!
