beaten
⅔ cup milk
4 canned chipotle peppers (stems removed and discarded) plus 2 teaspoons adobo sauce, puréed
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spray a 10-inch cast-iron skillet with oil and dollop in the butter.
2. Combine the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
3. Whisk together the eggs, milk, and puréed chipotle-adobo mix in a small bowl.
4. Place the prepared skillet in the oven to heat up for a few minutes, allowing the butter to melt.
5. Combine the cornmeal mixture and the egg mixture, stirring until everything is just mixed. Then pull the skillet from the oven and pour about half the melted butter from the skillet into the batter. Stir the butter in, and working quickly so the skillet remains almost smoking hot, transfer the batter into it. Put the whole shebang back in the oven and bake until it’s deep golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.
“Two teaspoons of baking powder?
Well, I like it rather flat.
I substituted cayenne pepper;
it should get a rise from that!”
—M AX Y OHO, FROM
“Cornbread Poem” © 2004
( Felicia, These Fish Are Delicious , D ANCING G OAT P RESS )
S ERIOUSLY S PICY M AIN D ISH C ORNBREAD
S ERVES 6 TO 8 AS A SIDE DISH, 4 AS AN ENTRÉE
I have to say that I love, love, love this particular cornbread, a kickin’, very hot meal in a pan. Is it really a full meal? You bet. Serve it with either a salad or the simplest of soups (like heated-up tomato juice with a bit of golden miso stirred in at the end, and the juice of a lime), and, honey, you have dined. Fresh mango for dessert, maybe with lemon sorbet, or just ice-cold watermelon wedges. Tecate or Dos Equis to drink.
¼ cup mild vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1¼ cups stone-ground white cornmeal
⅓ cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon sugar
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
¾ cup canned creamed corn (see Pantry, page 351 )
2 cups well-drained cooked kidney beans
½ cup sliced pickled jalapeño peppers, well drained
1 cup (4 ounces) grated sharp Cheddar cheese, or a Cheddar-Monterey Jack mixture
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Place a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat, and add 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add the onion and sauté it until it’s limp and transparent, about 5 minutes.
3. As the onion sautés, combine the cornmeal, pastry flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in a medium-large bowl. Stir them together well.
4. Whisk together the buttermilk, egg, and creamed corn in a small bowl. In a second small bowl, stir together the beans and jalapeños.
5. By this time the onions should be soft, and the oven nice and hot. Remove the skillet from the stove and scrape the onions into the bowl with the beans. Add the remaining vegetable oil to the skillet, and place the skillet—containing only the oil—in the oven.
6. Wait a minute or so, until the skillet gets good and hot; the oil should be almost smoking. Then, working quickly, stir togetherthe cornmeal mixture and the buttermilk mixture until barely combined. Stir in the bean mixture with just a couple of strokes. Carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven. Pour the hot oil from the skillet into the batter and stir into the batter briefly. Place the hot skillet down on your stovetop or other heatproof surface, and transfer the batter into the skillet. Pop the whole thing into the oven.
7. Let bake for 20 minutes, then carefully pull the cornbread out of the oven. Sprinkle it with the cheese and lower the temperature to 350°F. Let the cornbread bake until firm and golden, another 20 to 25 minutes. Let stand in the pan for at least 10 minutes before cutting it, otherwise it will fall apart on you.
S ONORAN S KILLET C ORNBREAD WITH M ESQUITE M EAL
M AKES 8 WEDGES
Think of mesquite at all, and you probably think of mesquite-grilled something-or-other. But this unprepossessing tree (a member of the locust family, like carob, or Saint John’s
⅔ cup milk
4 canned chipotle peppers (stems removed and discarded) plus 2 teaspoons adobo sauce, puréed
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spray a 10-inch cast-iron skillet with oil and dollop in the butter.
2. Combine the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
3. Whisk together the eggs, milk, and puréed chipotle-adobo mix in a small bowl.
4. Place the prepared skillet in the oven to heat up for a few minutes, allowing the butter to melt.
5. Combine the cornmeal mixture and the egg mixture, stirring until everything is just mixed. Then pull the skillet from the oven and pour about half the melted butter from the skillet into the batter. Stir the butter in, and working quickly so the skillet remains almost smoking hot, transfer the batter into it. Put the whole shebang back in the oven and bake until it’s deep golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.
“Two teaspoons of baking powder?
Well, I like it rather flat.
I substituted cayenne pepper;
it should get a rise from that!”
—M AX Y OHO, FROM
“Cornbread Poem” © 2004
( Felicia, These Fish Are Delicious , D ANCING G OAT P RESS )
S ERIOUSLY S PICY M AIN D ISH C ORNBREAD
S ERVES 6 TO 8 AS A SIDE DISH, 4 AS AN ENTRÉE
I have to say that I love, love, love this particular cornbread, a kickin’, very hot meal in a pan. Is it really a full meal? You bet. Serve it with either a salad or the simplest of soups (like heated-up tomato juice with a bit of golden miso stirred in at the end, and the juice of a lime), and, honey, you have dined. Fresh mango for dessert, maybe with lemon sorbet, or just ice-cold watermelon wedges. Tecate or Dos Equis to drink.
¼ cup mild vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1¼ cups stone-ground white cornmeal
⅓ cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon sugar
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
¾ cup canned creamed corn (see Pantry, page 351 )
2 cups well-drained cooked kidney beans
½ cup sliced pickled jalapeño peppers, well drained
1 cup (4 ounces) grated sharp Cheddar cheese, or a Cheddar-Monterey Jack mixture
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Place a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat, and add 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add the onion and sauté it until it’s limp and transparent, about 5 minutes.
3. As the onion sautés, combine the cornmeal, pastry flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in a medium-large bowl. Stir them together well.
4. Whisk together the buttermilk, egg, and creamed corn in a small bowl. In a second small bowl, stir together the beans and jalapeños.
5. By this time the onions should be soft, and the oven nice and hot. Remove the skillet from the stove and scrape the onions into the bowl with the beans. Add the remaining vegetable oil to the skillet, and place the skillet—containing only the oil—in the oven.
6. Wait a minute or so, until the skillet gets good and hot; the oil should be almost smoking. Then, working quickly, stir togetherthe cornmeal mixture and the buttermilk mixture until barely combined. Stir in the bean mixture with just a couple of strokes. Carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven. Pour the hot oil from the skillet into the batter and stir into the batter briefly. Place the hot skillet down on your stovetop or other heatproof surface, and transfer the batter into the skillet. Pop the whole thing into the oven.
7. Let bake for 20 minutes, then carefully pull the cornbread out of the oven. Sprinkle it with the cheese and lower the temperature to 350°F. Let the cornbread bake until firm and golden, another 20 to 25 minutes. Let stand in the pan for at least 10 minutes before cutting it, otherwise it will fall apart on you.
S ONORAN S KILLET C ORNBREAD WITH M ESQUITE M EAL
M AKES 8 WEDGES
Think of mesquite at all, and you probably think of mesquite-grilled something-or-other. But this unprepossessing tree (a member of the locust family, like carob, or Saint John’s
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