Easy Trinidad Corn Pie

A delicious Trinidadian style corn pie, popularly found on dinner tables in the Caribbean for Sunday lunch. Sweet and savory, this corn pie recipe is a crowd pleaser.

This corn-filled pie can easily be the star of your lunch or dinner table.

It is an amazing corn casserole that is filled with corn mix, corn kernels and other vegetables. It’s then baked until it’s golden on the outside.

This pie is both a mixture of sweet and a little savory.

Let me tell you this does not last after it’s made. I mean, done in a flash. And if they are any leftovers, know for sure that your guests are going to be packing and taking away.

We subscribe to a narrative called “Sunday lunch” here in the Caribbean. This means we cook a banquet feast on Sunday to feed our families.

It’s a menu that include everything. Ranges from stew meats, to pies on the side, along with rice, and peas, salads, and let’s not forget the drinks.

I’m talking about a table filled with stew or curry chicken, rice and macaroni pie, some cucumber salad, callaloo.

Sunday lunch is not just about food but are really about family and building community.

How to make Trinidad corn pie

Ingredients

I usually like to stick to recipes that use basic pantry items, but this recipe requires an ingredient I know people don’t usually have in their pantry. Well I know Caribbean people don’t always have corn muffin mix.

So if you do choose to make this, make sure you plan ahead and get it.

The ingredients are:

• Corn muffin mix – I swear by Jiffy brand
• Cream style corn
• Whole-kernel corn
• Eggs
• Butter (you can use salted or unsalted butter)
• Chopped bell peppers/sweet peppers – Red, green, orange
• Onion
• Pimento peppers (optional)

Instructions

1. Mix the corns together. Drain the liquid from the sweet corn and combine it with the cream of corn in a large dish.
2. Beat the eggs. In another dish, beat your eggs together, and set aside.
3. Heat your heavy bottom saucepan on medium heat and melt the butter. Add your onions and bell peppers.

4. Once tender (onions opaque) add black pepper and remove from heat.
5. In the bowl with your egg mixture, add in the corn mix, corn mixture and vegetables.
6. Combine everything evenly making sure that the mix isn’t lumpy and is a consistent paste. A whisk is the best tool versus using a spatula.

7. Pour your batter into a well-greased dish. A 9 X 13-Inch baking dish works well or an 8″ bowl. If you want a thick pie. A wider dish would give you a thinner layer pie.

8. Bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes.
9. Remove from oven and leave to cool. Though you may want to slice this right out of the oven, this pie is best sliced when cooled.

Tips

• If you are not a huge fan of bell peppers, and especially having them in large chunks in your casserole, blending them up fine would be a good idea.You can use a food processor or a grinder, then add that mix to the melted butter. But I cannot suggest to you to omit it since this adds some great flavor to the pie.
• If you don’t grind them I like leaving them in slices since it looks prettier in the end with all the colors.

What to eat with Trini corn pie

A typical Sunday lunch would have some pie along with meat, peas, and a salad. Think of:

• Meat: Some stew chicken, curry beef, or stew lamb
• Peas: Stewed lentils or pigeon peas.
• Salad: Coleslaw or a cucumber salad

Storage and reheating

This pie reheats really well. And it also freezes really good.

For storage, it can last in the fridge for up to three days, any leftovers after that, need to be frozen. I freeze any leftovers like I do my bread pudding after it’s baked. Cut it up into small servings, wrap in plastic wrap, then put them into Ziploc bags. They can last in the freezer for up to 3 months.

To reheat, let pie defrost in the fridge, preferably overnight, then get it to room temperature and then just pop it into your microwave. I always cut the pie in to smaller pieces, though to make sure it gets warmed all the way through faster.

I love the hint of sweetness from the creamy corn, and the coarseness of the cornmeal mix, then the little savory from the vegetables.

This dish is an explosion of flavors. And if you are like me, I love my pie edges a little crispy, so that there is a contrast of texture in the pie when I bite in.

Can you tell I’m having memories of eating this pie right now?

I love that food is always a good common denominator for families. It easily becomes the one thing that can convince everyone to come out and create memories.

I really hope you decide to add this Trinidad corn pie to your lineup for your next family gathering during the holiday season.

More corn and cornmeal favorites

• Cornmeal coo coo
• Boiled corn
• Paime
• Corn soup

Recipe