African Style Mealie Tart

Ingredients

• 8 ounces Ground pork - bulk, 10-15% fat.
• 8 ounces Pork sausage - bulk, medium spiced
• 1/2 cup Onion - chopped
• 1 cup Cabbage - shredded fine
• 2 cloves Garlic - fine diced
• 12 ounces Ro-Tel Tomatoes - Medium w/ chiles
• 1/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt - to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon Red Pepper - to taste
• 1 1/2 cups Polenta cubed
• 1 cup Whole corn - frozen or canned
• 3 cups Water
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1 cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese - shredded

Instructions

1. In a large frying pan (or Dutch oven) brown the pork and sausage until thoroughly cooked. While cooking finely crumble them and blend the two meats together. Drain all fat and liquid from the meat and set aside.
2. Gently saute the onions and cabbage until they are both soft. Add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes. The add the canned tomatoes , blend the mixture and add the meat back in. Other vegetables such as French cut green beans may also be added at this point if you desire. Allow the mixture to simmer and adjust the flavor w/ salt & black (or red) pepper if needed. It should be moderately spicy. Allow this to cook down a bit to thicken the sauce.
3. While the filling is simmering, start the Mealie Paap. Add the polenta, water, and salt to a heavy pan or double boiler and allow it to come to a very low boil. Stir this frequently and have a bit of extra water available as it will suddenly thicken. Add water and keep stirring until the mixture is creamy and fairly thick. Now add in the whole kernel corn, stir and adjust the consistancy to a thick, but still spreadable, consistancy.
4. Pre-heat oven to 350 Oil or spray a 9 inch pie pan or 8X8 pan.
5. Spread a (about 1/2 inch) layer of the polenta on the bottom, followed by a layer of filling. Add the next layer of polenta and another layer of filling. A third layer may be possible depending on volumes. End with a layer of the filling on top and cover that with the grated cheese.
6. Bake this for 40 - 60 minutes until everything is “firm” and the cheese has browned lightly.
7. Serve with a green salad and vegetables.
8. Each (1/8 of tart or 250g) serving contains an estimated:
9. Cals: 375, FatCals: 203, TotFat: 23g
10. SatFat: 9g, PolyFat: 2g, MonoFat: 9g
11. Chol: 54mg, Na: 540mg, K: 320mg
12. TotalCarbs: 28g, Fiber: 3g, Sugars: 1g
13. NetCarbs: 25g, Protein: 15g
14. Adapted from recipe by Katie Brimelow from Johannesberg, South Africa
15. http://www.bigoven.com/~cleverkt