We have been making a lot of soup in recent weeks. Its been cold and dreary here where I live. Seriously. I think we've seen the sun only twice in the past month or more. You might think I'm exaggerating (unless you live here too!), but I'm not! Our favorite go-to soup that we almost always have ingredients on hand for is White Chicken Chili. We love to have this with a side of cornbread. Especially if it has some diced jalapenos in it! This is my family's way of making cornbread. I didn't know when I was a kid that you could have it any other way, but Brian's family likes a sweeter cornbread. I have converted him. This is the only cornbread recipe I use--it is not sweet at all. So, if you like sweet cornbread, this is not for you! If anyone has an amazing sweet cornbread recipe, please feel free to post it in the comments or email it to me! For this cornbread to work best, you need a cast-iron skillet. That's what gives it its wonderfully crunchy texture on the bottom--my 2nd disclaimer is that I don't know how this will cook up in a regular pan!
Cornbread
1 cup cornmeal (see here for mixing your own in China)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1/4 cup oil
Heat oven to 450F (230C). Place 1 Tbs oil in a medium sized cast-iron skillet* and place it in the oven as it preheats--make sure oven is nearly to desired temperature and that skillet is hot before starting the next step. Sift together cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt. Add in milk and oil--mix well, but just until thoroughly moistened. Remove hot skillet from oven and pour in batter. Cook for about 15-20 minutes depending on thickness in pan--remove when top is light browned. Can test with a toothpick if you aren't sure. Turn out onto a plate and serve!
Variation: Add in a tablespoon or two of diced jalapenos! Here is a recipe for pickled jalapenos from my sister!
*A note about the skillet: This recipe is for about an 8-inch, deep cast-iron skillet. That will make a good thick cornbread. Double the recipe if you're using a 12-inch skillet. I often use a cast-iron skillet I got at Ikea here in our city several years ago--its about 10 inches but shallow and makes a thinner cornbread but with lots of the crispy, fried edge that I love! I'm not sure this skillet is still available there though.
Cornbread
1 cup cornmeal (see here for mixing your own in China)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1/4 cup oil
Heat oven to 450F (230C). Place 1 Tbs oil in a medium sized cast-iron skillet* and place it in the oven as it preheats--make sure oven is nearly to desired temperature and that skillet is hot before starting the next step. Sift together cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt. Add in milk and oil--mix well, but just until thoroughly moistened. Remove hot skillet from oven and pour in batter. Cook for about 15-20 minutes depending on thickness in pan--remove when top is light browned. Can test with a toothpick if you aren't sure. Turn out onto a plate and serve!
Variation: Add in a tablespoon or two of diced jalapenos! Here is a recipe for pickled jalapenos from my sister!
*A note about the skillet: This recipe is for about an 8-inch, deep cast-iron skillet. That will make a good thick cornbread. Double the recipe if you're using a 12-inch skillet. I often use a cast-iron skillet I got at Ikea here in our city several years ago--its about 10 inches but shallow and makes a thinner cornbread but with lots of the crispy, fried edge that I love! I'm not sure this skillet is still available there though.
This is the recipe I like to use for a sweet cornbread: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/grandmothers-buttermilk-cornbread/detail.aspx
ReplyDeleteI just use a bit of vinegar mixed with milk to replace the buttermilk, and I usually use less sugar (like around 1/2 cup or even less). It's fabulous!
Thank you!!! I didn't know you could get good cornbread unless the Jiffy boxes were on sale at Wal-Mart! Trying this right now! You have been a life saver since I found you (Through Germaine) a few months back! Keep it coming!
ReplyDeletehi sara beth -- does your cast iron skillet have ridges on the bottom?
ReplyDeleteHey Beth, do you mean like a grill pan? No, it doesn't. Its flat. I'm not sure Ikea makes this same one anymore unfortunately. I haven't seen it in a long time. Cause man its hard to want to bring one from the States--they are so heavy!
ReplyDeleteBut you know, my mom and grandmother used to make cornbread in this cast iron pan that had little holes that looked like corn cobs--they were bumpy--it might could work in a grill type cast iron pan....just have to make sure its well oiled on the tops of the ridges so it dumps out easily!
ReplyDeletethanks, sara beth! yeah, i mean like a grill pan...it's the only one we could find at ikea, and i really wanted a cast iron skillet...actually, it was my birthday present. :) i didn't check anywhere else in taipei because i figured ikea was the best bet...although now i bet we could probably find one at city super or a department store, but i'm sure it would be MUCH more expensive there. i didn't think about the grill part being an issue for cornbread until after we got it. i was actually thinking that i would make the bottom even crispier/crunchier because of the ridges. but then i googled it and found on some forums that people were warning against it. but i'm going to do it anyway!! i'll let you know how it turns out. and thanks for the tip on oiling it well!
ReplyDelete