When Michelle and I were together, I did most of the cooking. She'd basically eat whatever I put in front of her (truly, the mark of a good mate-- for me, anyway) and my own appetite itches for experimentation most of the time. However, when I wanted something that tasted like the South, I would beckon the lovely girl to the kitchen. Michelle's recipe repertoire, unlike mine, has little to do with cookbooks and a whole lot to do with habit. And when that girl has her way with greens, cabbage, pinto beans, pork butt, fried chicken, cornbread... Lord almighty, ain't nothing like it.
So, last week, I got a real hankering for cornbread. None of that sweet, cake-like Yankee shit you get in places that aren't the South. I wanted the steamy, salty, hard stuff-- with onions and jalapenos, like my girl used to make for me. So, I emailed her. I know she went home and had to make it in order to take notes to tell me how she did it, so second-nature is its composition for her. But send me the recipe, she did. There's something to be said for staying friendly with former lovers.
Here's my vegetarian, organic version:
Jalapeno Onion Cornbread
3-4 tbsp organic canola oil
1 cup fine-ground organic corn flour (yellow or white-- either is fine)
1 cup medium-ground organic corn meal
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 -1 tsp kosher salt
2 tbsp Healthy Balance soy spread (or organic butter), melted
1 large organic egg
1-1 1/2 cups organic lowfat buttermilk
1/2 a medium yellow onion, chopped
1 large jalapeno, diced
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Shortly before the oven comes to temperature, coat a 9-inch cast iron pan* with 2 tbsp of the canola oil. Preheat the pan in the heating oven for a few minutes-- but not too long, as it can catch fire.
Mix the remaining ingredients together in a large mixing bowl, adding the egg and buttermilk last. Add the buttermilk a 1/2-cup at a time. You want the mixture to be distinctly wet, but not runny or watery. (When I made it, it took a full cup and a half, but you never know how much water you'll get from your onion.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the top is firm and golden brown. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve. Ah, nostalgia.
*A note regarding cast iron skillets for the uninitiated: When Michelle and I broke up, her parting gift to me was a cast iron skillet she'd seasoned herself. At that point in our relationship, we weren't doing so well at the being-friends thing. There was so much hurt between us -- mostly because we loved each other so much we were both furious with each other and with ourselves that, after nearly 5 years, we couldn't pull it out any longer. But she knew I loved her cornbread. And she knew I couldn't make it myself without a proper skillet. So, the thing about cast iron is that it must be seasoned to be usable. That means, you put it in the oven with only some oil coating its inner surface and you bake it until it turns black. It usually takes a few coatings and cookings to become properly dark. And then, every time you use it, you clean it by swiping an oil-coated paper towel around it. Never-- I repeat, never-- put soap in your cast iron skillet. Unless you want to start the seasoning process all over again, that is. Over the years, the skillet should develop a good, thick, black crust of cookin' love all over it. That's when you know you'll have perfect cornbread or fried chicken or french fries or zucchini dill frittatas or whatever-- every time.
So, here's Michelle's non-vegetarian, non-organic version (yeah, the bacon-drippings really do make it better-- but I promise, my version's pretty good too):
Michelle's Fool-proof Cornbread
2 cups Martha White Self Rising Meal (Approx amount)
½ to 1 teaspoon salt (optional)
3 to 4 tablespoons Bacon Drippings (less if you have smaller than a 9 inch skillet)
1 Large Egg
2 tablespoons melted butter (optional)
1 to 1 ½ cups buttermilk or whole milk (just check your mix, not to dry and definitely not watery)
1 pinch of sugar (just a pinch!!)*
1/2 a yellow onion, chopped
1 large jalapeno, minced
Mix all the ingredients adding the milk and eggs last, mix well. (Do this while the skillet is preheating)
Use the bacon drippings to season the skillet before putting the mix in (Make sure to preheat the skillet with the drippings for a few minutes). Not too long-- you don’t want to start a fire!!! Heat oven to 450 degrees. Mix should sizzle when you put it in.
Cook for 20 to 25 minutes or until the top is firm and golden brown.
*I didn't put any sugar into my version because I like my cornbread good and salty. If you simply must do it the pussy way-- er, I mean, the Yankee way-- er, I mean, the way Michelle tells you to do it, feel free to sweeten it to your taste.
Every once in a while, Michelle would add a cup or so of shredded sharp cheddar to her cornbread mixture too. That's another delicious option if you happen to have some around, but be forewarned-- the stuff is a little tricky to get out of your skillet once it's melted onto it.
Bon appetite, and happy memories!
3 comments:
Your recipe sounds awesome. I'll have to try it. I inherited a six-inch, coal black, cast iron skillet, which I was told never to wash. That puzzled me until someone else told me to put it in the oven every time I bake something (with me that's usually biscuits). That seems to keep it clean by burning off any residue.
I grease it with olive oil and use a Martha White mix to make my cornbread. Then I doctor the bread with pinto beans (usually from a can. Sorry.) and pour on tomato ketchup. This is an old Southern-style dish.
One more thing you can do with cornbread is crumble it into an ice-cold glass of buttermilk, then add pepper and salt in liberal amounts. Another Southern tradition. You can have it in the morning with your sawmill gravy slathered over your biscuits.
I'm not crazy about the Martha White mix-- which is why I substituted my own combination of cornmeal, corn flour, and baking powder. The mix has way more additives than I like, plus it uses wheat flour, which I try to avoid. Also, I don't think you can actually find Martha White products this far north--but then, I don't ever go to mainstream groceries, so I don't know for sure.
I can't say your hobo food sounds terribly appealing to me-- not a fan of soggy bread of any sort. Eesh. The idea of putting it in buttermilk or sopping up bean juice with it makes me wretch a little. But hey, if works for you, that's what counts.
We did that buttermilk thing when I was a kid. I hated buttermilk and that was the only way I could stand it. Same thing with cow's milk straight from the barn, I could never get it down. "Hobo food," okay, touche.
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