Frito Pie

Frito Crumb Crust Ingredients:

1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

1/2 cup cold water

3 oz corn chips, divided

1 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup yellow cornmeal

1 Tbsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. granulated sugar

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

1 oz. shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

Chili Ingredients:

1 (15 oz. ) can pinto beans, rinsed well and drained

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, diced small

1 large green bell pepper, seeded and cored, diced small

1 large red bell pepper, seeded and cored, diced small

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 lb. ground beef

1 poblano pepper, roasted and diced small

1 jalapeno pepper, finely diced

2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, finely chopped

1 to 2 Tbsp. chili powder

1 Tbsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. finely chopped fresh Mexican oregano

1/2 tsp. ground cayenne pepper

1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes

8 oz. light ale or wheat beer

shredded sharp Cheddar cheese for topping

sour cream, for topping

finely snipped Mexican oregano and crushed corn chips as garnish

Detailed Steps:

Pie Shells:

Stir vinegar into water and set aside.

Places two ounces of chips in food processor and pulse until chips are crushed into small, uniform crumbs. (About 30 seconds.) This should make about 1/2 cup of crumbs.

Add flour, cornmeal, salt, sugar and black pepper to the processor and pulse three more times to bring the ingredients together.

Add cubed butter and pulse more–just until sandy. About 20 or 30 seconds

Break up remaining 1 ounce of chips with fingers (or slightly crush with a rolling pin.) Add these chips and the shredded cheese to the food processor and pulse 3 times.

Add 1/4 cup of the vinegar water and pulse 2 or three more times. Open processor and squeeze a walnut-sized clump of the dough in your palm. If it’s still too crumbly and does not hold together, add more vinegar water, 1 Tbsp at a time, until the dough holds together when squeezed.

Preheat oven to 375.

Butter pie tins. Press crumbs up the sides and across the bottoms of the tin. Prick the crust bottoms all over with tines of a fork.

Bake shells 10 to 12 minutes or until the shells are crisp, but not browned. Remove from oven.

Chili:

Roast poblano pepper by placing it on a cookie sheet under the broiler for three minutes on each side. Place charred pepper in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside.

In a heavy saute pan, melt butter and olive oil over medium-high heat. Stir in the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes, until onion is translucent.

Add bell pepper and galic; reduce heat to medium. Cook for an addtional 5 minutes until garlic is fragrant, but not browned.

In a separate heavy skillet, brown the beef. Pour off fat. Set meat aside.

Add poblano, jalapeno (if using) chipotle peppers, chili powder, cumin, oregano and cayenne pepper (if using) to the onion mixture. Stir to combine. Cook for three or four minutes, adding a few tsp of olive oil if the ingredients start to stick or dry out.

Stir in beef and crushed tomatoes. Add beans and beer. Heat to boiling. Cover. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Stir occasionally and add more ale if the pot dries out. Remove from heat and season to taste with lime juice, salt, and black pepper.

Preheat oven to 400. Spread cook sheet with parchment paper. Set pie tins on the parchment and fill each with chili. (You’ll have some chili left over to eat on the side.)

Top each pie with cheese; bake for 10 to 15 minutes until cheese is completely melted.

Garnish with sour cream, oregano and crushed corn chips. Serve immediately.