be somewhat thinner than most cornbreads.
5. Quickly stir in the onion, creamed corn, jalapeños, and cheese. Remove the hot pan from the oven and transfer the batter into it, then return the pan to the oven.
6. Bake the cornbread until golden and crusty around the edges, 20 to 22 minutes.
P ATSY W ATKINS ’ S R OCKIN ’ C ORNBREAD
M AKES 8 WEDGES
Patsy Watkins, chair of the University of Arkansas School of Journalism, makes a jalapeño cornbread that is similar to my very own Dairy Hollow House Skillet-Sizzled Cornbread ( page 12 ). Patsy is very particular that the jalapeños be pickled for the piquancy of the vinegar.
Vegetable oil cooking spray
1 cup unbleached white flour
1 cup stone-ground yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1¼ cups buttermilk
1 egg
2 tablespoons sugar
¼ cup mild vegetable oil
¾ cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
About ¾ cup grated extra-sharp Cheddar and/or Monterey Jack cheese
⅓ cup chopped pickled jalapeños
2 tablespoons butter or mild vegetable oil
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray a 10-inch cast-iron skillet with oil, and set aside.
2. Sift together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl.
3. In a smaller bowl, stir the baking soda into the buttermilk. Whisk in the egg, sugar, and oil. Then stir in the corn, cheese, and jalapeños.
4. Put the prepared skillet on the stove over medium heat, add the butter, and heat until the butter melts and is just starting to sizzle. Tilt the pan to coat both the sides and bottom.
5. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and combine them quickly, using as few strokes as possible. Scrape the batter into the hot, prepared pan and bake until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool for a few moments, and slice into wedges to serve.
C ON Q UESO
Cornbread and dairy products go together almost as well tastewise and nutritionally as the ancient combo of cornbread and beans (like beans, dairy products supply amino acids corn is lacking, and vice versa). We’ve already come across milk and buttermilk in countless recipes Northern and Southern; in the Southwest, dairy often appears as cheese.
The food Hernán Cortés and his army found in Mexico City in 1519 was based on corn and beans, enriched with local ingredients from chiles to chocolate. But there were no dairy products, because there were no cows. Cortés changed that: Part of his entourage were offspring of the cattle Christopher Columbus had taken to Hispaniola on his second New World voyage in 1493.
The land was hospitable to cattle, especially the region now called El Norte, which extends along 1,800 miles of United States border and is quite distinct geographically and historically. Successive waves of immigrants left their mark: Spanish, Sephardic, Chinese, Mormon, and Mennonite people all settled in northern Mexico. Most brought their own traditions of dairying. Over time, El Norte became famous for cheese.
Thus cheese, especially in El Norte, began to find its way into many traditional dishes, almost always including or served with corn tortillas. Queso fundito (cheese fondue), sopa de queso (cheese soup), cheese enchiladas, quesadillas … all went into Tex-Mex, and eventually Southwestern–style, cornbreads.
C HIPOTLE C ORNBREAD
M AKES 8 WEDGES
Chipotle chile peppers are actually jalapeño peppers that have been dried and smoked. They are often packed in adobo sauce, which is full of herbs and spices and adds lots of flavor in and of itself. Together, they lend this cornbread a slightly complex, smoky-sweet-hot flavor.
If you like, bacon drippings can be used in place of the butter; the bacon’s smokiness plays up that of the chipotles.
This is excellent with almost any kind of bean stew.
Vegetable oil cooking spray
⅓ cup butter
1 cup coarse stone-ground yellow cornmeal
1 cup unbleached white flour
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 eggs, lightly
5. Quickly stir in the onion, creamed corn, jalapeños, and cheese. Remove the hot pan from the oven and transfer the batter into it, then return the pan to the oven.
6. Bake the cornbread until golden and crusty around the edges, 20 to 22 minutes.
P ATSY W ATKINS ’ S R OCKIN ’ C ORNBREAD
M AKES 8 WEDGES
Patsy Watkins, chair of the University of Arkansas School of Journalism, makes a jalapeño cornbread that is similar to my very own Dairy Hollow House Skillet-Sizzled Cornbread ( page 12 ). Patsy is very particular that the jalapeños be pickled for the piquancy of the vinegar.
Vegetable oil cooking spray
1 cup unbleached white flour
1 cup stone-ground yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1¼ cups buttermilk
1 egg
2 tablespoons sugar
¼ cup mild vegetable oil
¾ cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
About ¾ cup grated extra-sharp Cheddar and/or Monterey Jack cheese
⅓ cup chopped pickled jalapeños
2 tablespoons butter or mild vegetable oil
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray a 10-inch cast-iron skillet with oil, and set aside.
2. Sift together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl.
3. In a smaller bowl, stir the baking soda into the buttermilk. Whisk in the egg, sugar, and oil. Then stir in the corn, cheese, and jalapeños.
4. Put the prepared skillet on the stove over medium heat, add the butter, and heat until the butter melts and is just starting to sizzle. Tilt the pan to coat both the sides and bottom.
5. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and combine them quickly, using as few strokes as possible. Scrape the batter into the hot, prepared pan and bake until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool for a few moments, and slice into wedges to serve.
C ON Q UESO
Cornbread and dairy products go together almost as well tastewise and nutritionally as the ancient combo of cornbread and beans (like beans, dairy products supply amino acids corn is lacking, and vice versa). We’ve already come across milk and buttermilk in countless recipes Northern and Southern; in the Southwest, dairy often appears as cheese.
The food Hernán Cortés and his army found in Mexico City in 1519 was based on corn and beans, enriched with local ingredients from chiles to chocolate. But there were no dairy products, because there were no cows. Cortés changed that: Part of his entourage were offspring of the cattle Christopher Columbus had taken to Hispaniola on his second New World voyage in 1493.
The land was hospitable to cattle, especially the region now called El Norte, which extends along 1,800 miles of United States border and is quite distinct geographically and historically. Successive waves of immigrants left their mark: Spanish, Sephardic, Chinese, Mormon, and Mennonite people all settled in northern Mexico. Most brought their own traditions of dairying. Over time, El Norte became famous for cheese.
Thus cheese, especially in El Norte, began to find its way into many traditional dishes, almost always including or served with corn tortillas. Queso fundito (cheese fondue), sopa de queso (cheese soup), cheese enchiladas, quesadillas … all went into Tex-Mex, and eventually Southwestern–style, cornbreads.
C HIPOTLE C ORNBREAD
M AKES 8 WEDGES
Chipotle chile peppers are actually jalapeño peppers that have been dried and smoked. They are often packed in adobo sauce, which is full of herbs and spices and adds lots of flavor in and of itself. Together, they lend this cornbread a slightly complex, smoky-sweet-hot flavor.
If you like, bacon drippings can be used in place of the butter; the bacon’s smokiness plays up that of the chipotles.
This is excellent with almost any kind of bean stew.
Vegetable oil cooking spray
⅓ cup butter
1 cup coarse stone-ground yellow cornmeal
1 cup unbleached white flour
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 eggs, lightly
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