It’s bread, but not as you know it.
Cornbread is easy, fast, delicious, healthy(ish), and with a slight change of ingredients can be a tasty addition to almost any meal. For dinner, it can be served with soups, Mexican or as a side for your meat and veg. For lunch, use it as the bun for a lamb or veggie sandwich. And for breakfast, slice in half, pan fry in olive oil and serve with vegetables and eggs (my favourite).
I’m still not exactly sure what gluten is, but I have read that cornbread is gluten free. You might want to fact check me on that for the sake of your digestive tract. The foundation for cornbread is dead easy, but you’ll want to experiment with the optional ingredients to create your signature dish.
DRY INGREDIENTS
1 1/4 cups polenta (AKA grits)
3/4 cup cornmeal flour (I prefer Healtheries) and 2 .5 teaspoons baking powder
New Zealand’s Best Holiday Reading
SUBSCRIBE NOW
1-2 tablespoons brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
WET INGREDIENTS
2 eggs
3-5 tablespoons melted butter from heated skillet (or go old-school with bacon drippings)
1 cup milk
MAGIC INGREDIENTS
This is where the magic happens. There are infinite options, but whatever you add should total 1 cup or less (not including cheese), otherwise your cornbread might not bake through.
1 cup shredded cheese: cheddar, mozzarella, you name it. (Optional, but not really, because why wouldn’t you add cheese every time?)
Bell peppers
Sun-dried or uncut cherry tomatoes
Bacon / hamKale
Black beans
Basil and other herbs
Prawns
SPICY INGREDIENTS
For this Nathan special, add the following to the basic recipe:
1/4 cup sautéd onions
1/4 cup corn kernels
1/4 cup sweet piquante peppers (they’re in the pickle aisle)
1/8-1/4 cup of sliced jalapeños, depending on the sensitivities of your guests
1 teaspoon of black pepper
Secret sauce: 50/50 mayonnaise to chopped chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. Zing!
HOW TO MAKE ANYTIME CORNBREAD
Preheat the oven to 220 degrees Celsius.
Whisk together dry ingredients.
When the oven is heated, place a standard sized (26 to 28cm) iron skillet with 3 to 5 tablespoons of butter on a middle rack. Once melted, make sure the entire skillet is coated with butter.T
hen combine wet ingredients and mix in a separate bowl.
Combine the dry ingredients and wet ingredients, add your optional ingredients (see below), stir until combined, pour into the hot skillet and bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until golden brown.
WORDS & PHOTO: NATHAN WEATHINGTON
