Mountain Stew (aka Shepherd's Pie)

This recipe is one that goes back all the way to my childhood, we had it on our first snowy winter night's visit to our rented cabin in Lake Arrowhead, California. There are lots of variations, it is essentially a simple stew with cornbread that bakes on top of it. With the right touch and in the right environment (like a frosty cabin being slowly warmed by a fire in the hearth), it is so good it simply cannot be forgotten.

Ingredients:

Stew:

1 – 1.5 lbs ground beef, browned and seasoned with garlic, salt, pepper, and oregano or italian seasoning.

1 med onion, diced

1 lg carrot, diced

1 cup peas, frozen

1 cup corn, frozen or canned

1 can condensed soup of your choice, e.g. chicken noodle, minestrone, or mushroom

(Note: feel free to mix/match/substitute your favorite stew ingredients such as frozen mixed vegetables to replace the corn, peas and carrots)

Cornbread:
2 cups corn meal

½ cup flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1 ½ oz olive oil or melted butter

1 oz sugar

1 egg, pre-beaten

1 ¾ cups milk

1. Line a 9 x 12 baking pan with aluminum foil.

2. Add the vegetables and browned ground beef to the bottom of the pan, spread evenly.

3. Mix the cornbread ingredients, add a little extra milk if necessary until consistency is like a thick pancake batter. Avoid over-stirring the batter or cornbread will not be fluffy.

4. Pour the batter over the top of the meat and vegetables, do your best to evenly distribute the batter over the top. It actually comes out nice if you pour so that the batter does not touch the edges.

5. Cover loosely with foil and bake on center rack for 45 mins at 375F.

6. Remove foil covering and bake for 20 mins at 425F. Done when cornbread is beginning to brown in places.

(Note: may be done sooner at higher altitudes)