Cornbread and other cornmeal-based recipes...

I have been a big fan of cornbread since I spent a year as an exchange student at a VA college Some of you might grimace at this but I confess that I like my cornbread made with yellow cornmeal and slightly sweet

Does anyone have any simple cornbread recipes out there that I can adapt to making here in the UK (i.e. with butter, not lard; it's also damned difficult to find buttermilk here)? I have a few bags of cornmeal that some friends from the States snuck over here for me to use

What is the difference between cornbread and hot water cornbread?

Does anyone have a foolproof recipe for Hush Puppies? What else can I make with my cornmeal (I have both yellow and white varieties).

Here is a recipe for Broccoli Cornbread that is very good:

Mix together:
5 eggs
1 package of frozen chopped broccoli
1 chopped onion
3/4 cup margarine or butter
2 cups of cottage cheese
1 tsp of salt

Add this to the batter for a normal batch of cornbread and bake in a greased 13x9x2 inch pan at 350 for one hour.

"Cowboy" Cornbread

Mix together:
1.5 cups cornmeal
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp soda
1/2 tsp salt

Add and stir well:
1 cup of milk
2 eggs
2 tbsp vegetable oil

Fold in:
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1 can cream style corn
1 chopped onion
10-13 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 tbpsp chopped pimento
optional - add some chopped jalepenos to taste.

Mix well and pour into a greased iron skilltet or baking dish and bake in a preheated oven at 350 for 40-45 minutes.

Enjoy!

This is my sister's recipe for Jalapeño Cornbread, and there is none better!

(Ooooops! Forgot to post the recipe)

Jalapeño Cornbread

Mix together:
3 C cornbread mix
2 1/2 C milk
1/2 C salad oil
3 eggs (beaten)
1 large chopped onion
2 T. sugar
1 C cream style corn
1 1/2 C grated cheddar cheese
1/2 C chopped jalapeños
1/4 lbs bacon pieces
1/4 C chopped pimentos

Bake in three 8X8 greased pans @ 400° for 35 min.


Actually, this recipe looks very similar to Lone Star's recipe.

Around the Sundancer's house we do the Tennessee Fried Corn bread. What makes it really good is the crust and the ingredients. There is a trick to get a good crust, to evict the corn bread from the cast iron pan and to insure a moist interior. Here is how the Sundancer does it:

I use a cast iron pan and I use liberal amounts of bacon grease in the pan. I put the pan in the oven and I heat it at 425-450. When the pan is hot, I pull it out and sprinkle flour all over the pan and I add ingredients and I put back in the over until the product is totally brown and pulled away from the pan. Usually about 35-40 minutes. For some reason it varies with the seasons. Never understood that.

1 Egg beaten
1 1/3 Cups milk (butter milk is better)
1/4 cup oil/lard/shortening
2 cups self rising corn meal (I Use White Lilly)
1 whole onion ( I use a sweet Vidalia)
1 whole Jalopeno sans seed
1 cup sweet corn sans juice
1/4 cup bell pepper

I mix all this junk up and add to the pipping hot pan you pulled out of the over. After it has baked (it actually fries in the pan) it will pop out of the pan due to the flour you added when you pre heated the cast iron pan.

Slice that delicious morsel and add real butter. It is a real wonderful treat and goes great with a Canadian.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

quote:

Originally posted by Sundancer7

Usually about 35-40 minutes. For some reason it varies with the seasons. Never understood that.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Paul,
Bet it takes longer in the summer, when the humidity is up down there in Knoxville. Adds more moisture to the mix, takes longer to bake. That's why bakers prefer to weigh their dry ingrediants to measuring in a cup.

OC: Thanks and I'll bet you are correct. It does take longer in the summer. Try my Tennessee Fried Cornbread and you will want to move to Knoxville, TN

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

quote:

Originally posted by Sundancer7

OC: Thanks and I'll bet you are correct. It does take longer in the summer. Try my Tennessee Fried Cornbread and you will want to move to Knoxville, TN

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

If I made it here and called it Alaskan Fried Cornbread would everyone want to move to Alaska

Jellybeans, all the above recipes sound great! If you like it a little on the sweet side (nobody included sugar as an ingredient) add 1/4 C sugar to any of the above recipes, but this is gonna get you into trouble! Sugar in cornbread? Beans in chili? Uh oh, here we go!

quote:

Originally posted by lleechef

Jellybeans, all the above recipes sound great! If you like it a little on the sweet side (nobody included sugar as an ingredient) add 1/4 C sugar to any of the above recipes, but this is gonna get you into trouble! Sugar in cornbread? Beans in chili? Uh oh, here we go!

You know lleechef: A little sugar makes the medicine goes down

Really a little sugar improves the corn bread. Not enought that it makes it like cake. Just enough.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Thanks for your help, guys!!!

What about Hush Puppies?

Any other ideas about what to do with cornmeal? I tried cooking it like oatmeal and bleh!

Jellybeans, This recipe for pancakes is particularly good because of the corn meal. I have 3 stunning pancake recipes and this is my favorite. Have you thought of making your own butter milk? My mom made her own as she used some every day in hot breads; I believe she made it with instant milk.
Fannie Flagg’s Buttermilk Pancakes

2 eggs

¼ cup vegetable oil or melted butter

2 cups buttermilk

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup all-purpose flour

¾ cup self-rising cornmeal

Beat eggs in a large bowl; beat in remaining ingredients in order, mixing until smooth. For each pancake, pour about ¼ cup batter onto a hot, lightly greased griddle. Turn pancakes when tops are covered with bubbles, and cook the other side. Serve with syrup or hot jam.

Yield: About sixteen 4-inch pancakes

Recipe from Fannie Flagg’s Original Whistle Stop Cafe Cookbook by Fannie Flagg. Ballantine Books, 1993.


Serve with melted butter and BROWN SUGAR SAUCE, which Marion Flexner, in Out of Kentucky Kitchens (1949), said "many old-time, dyed-in-the-wool Kentuckians prefer…to any other for their waffles and pancakes."

Mix one cup of firmly packed dark brown sugar in a saucepan with 4 tablespoons of water and 1 tablespoon of butter. Boil until the sugar melts, stirring to prevent sticking. Serve warm.

Copied by JimInKy, Lexington, Ky. February 2000.

You certainly CAN cook cornmeal like oatmeal, use chicken stock, stir and stir and stir for about 30 mins. with a wooden spoon and voila, you have the famous Italian polenta! Of course you cannot serve it nekked, several handfulls of good grated pecorino romano have to be added at the end, along with salt and pepper (and whatever else you like, sundried tomatoes and rosemary are excellent too). Then you can do one of two things: consume immediately or chill. For eating hot polenta I suggest (this is the Venetian way of eating it) you put it in a bowl, make an indentation, place two lovely homemade grilled Italian sausages on top, give it a splash of garlicky marinara. Top with more grated cheese. It's divine. This is a traditional Christmas Eve dish in Venice (along with risotto with peas.....another recipe, another thread).
If you don't want hot polenta, turn the mixture out into a loaf pan. Chill in the fridge. Cut into slices, brush with olive oil and grill while you're cooking your rack of lamb. Cut grilled polenta into triangles, arrange on the middle of a plate, cut the lamb rack and stand the chops up around the polenta. Accompany by some nice broccoli rabe sauteed in olive oil and garlic.

You used the word "simple" when you requested recipes for using cornmeal. It occurred to me that I put cornmeal to greatest use in my house in the form of fried corn cakes. Corn cakes are made by pouring corn meal batter into a skillet of hot grease (vegetable oil works fine) and frying the cake until golden brown on both sides. Corn cakes have to be fried in a certain amount of oil as they depend on the soaked up fat for their goodness. Properly fried, they turn out crispy around the edges. Best served hot.

The batter I make for baked corn bread works just fine for corn cakes. I mix the batter from memory. It includes milk or buttermilk, egg, bacon drippings or oil, white corn meal, salt, baking powder and baking soda.

Fried corn cakes are fast and easy to do and go well with a number of foods we like here in the South. I remember corn cakes being served with barbeque in some parts of the south. I especially like them with bean soups.

When you make the corn meal mush put butter on it.

Also use cornmeal to dredge fish in when frying

Here's a link to a recipe that sounds good. You don't need to be frying a turkey, but make sure the oil is really hot.
That way they'll start browning on the outside before they can soak up a lot of oil.

http://www.briansbelly.com/recipes/more/hushpuppies.shtml

Thanks for the recipes, guys!

Jim: Do you have the method your mom used to make her own buttermilk from milk powder?

[shy]

When I need buttermilk (for a certain sugar cookie recipe), I usually use regular milk with just a little bit of vinegar thrown in. I'd say a teaspoon or two of vinegar topped off with enough milk to make it a cup of liquid. I let it sit a bit and then use it in the place of buttermilk.

Sounds like a tasty recipe JimInKy... Hopefully try it out this week! Thanks!

quote:

Originally posted by Greco

When you make the corn meal mush put butter on it.

Also use cornmeal to dredge fish in when frying

Here's a link to a recipe that sounds good. You don't need to be frying a turkey, but make sure the oil is really hot.
That way they'll start browning on the outside before they can soak up a lot of oil.

http://www.briansbelly.com/recipes/more/hushpuppies.shtml

What is a good recipe for cornmeal and fish frying? I always go the egg wash and flour way... Willing to try something new here! Thanks!

Polenta Strata

2 cups yellow cormeal or authentic ground polenta
6 cups chicken broth
4 minced garlic cloves
1 10 oz jar sundried tomatoes packed in oil


Bring chicken broth in oil. Add rest of ingredients and cook until thickened.

Grease a large loaf pan with olive oil

Pour about a two inch layer of polenta into the pan.

Add this as the next layer:

Pesto

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves

1 cup fresh parsley

5 cloves of garlic

3/4 cup Pine or Pignoli Nuts

Salt and pepper to tase

Process this mixture until well blended and layer over the polenta

Add another layer of polenta

On top of this add:

1/2 lb ground beef
1/4 lb ground italian sausage
salt and pepper to taste

Brown the meat and seasonings..drain off fat.....layer over polenta

Add another layer of polenta
over this add 3 cups of various shredded and grated italian cheeses

Add final layer of polenta over top

Refrigerate overnight or until well set

1. Extrude from pan and slice in 1 inch slices. Brush with olive oil and grill until browned

OR

2. Extrude from pan and slice in one inch slices. Dredge slices in flour then fry in 1/2 inch olive oil, turning after each side is golden

quote:

Originally posted by Sundancer7

Around the Sundancer's house we do the Tennessee Fried Corn bread. What makes it really good is the crust and the ingredients. There is a trick to get a good crust, to evict the corn bread from the cast iron pan and to insure a moist interior. Here is how the Sundancer does it:

I use a cast iron pan and I use liberal amounts of bacon grease in the pan. I put the pan in the oven and I heat it at 425-450. When the pan is hot, I pull it out and sprinkle flour all over the pan and I add ingredients and I put back in the over until the product is totally brown and pulled away from the pan. Usually about 35-40 minutes. For some reason it varies with the seasons. Never understood that.

1 Egg beaten
1 1/3 Cups milk (butter milk is better)
1/4 cup oil/lard/shortening
2 cups self rising corn meal (I Use White Lilly)
1 whole onion ( I use a sweet Vidalia)
1 whole Jalopeno sans seed
1 cup sweet corn sans juice
1/4 cup bell pepper

I mix all this junk up and add to the pipping hot pan you pulled out of the over. After it has baked (it actually fries in the pan) it will pop out of the pan due to the flour you added when you pre heated the cast iron pan.

Slice that delicious morsel and add real butter. It is a real wonderful treat and goes great with a Canadian.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

I've used the same basic method you use for a long time...but never knew about the flour in the pan before the batter! Great!! This forum thing is already paying off. Thanks!

quote:

Originally posted by UncleVic

What is a good recipe for cornmeal and fish frying? I always go the egg wash and flour way... Willing to try something new here! Thanks!

Here's a Southern Living article on frying catfish from my files. It may still be available online with photos and additional information.

CLASSIC FRIED CATFISH

INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
6 (4- to 6-ounce) farm-raised catfish fillets
1/4 teaspoon salt
Vegetable oil

INSTRUCTIONS

Combine first 5 ingredients in a large shallow dish. Sprinkle fish with 1/4 teaspoon salt; dredge in cornmeal mixture, coating evenly.
Pour oil to a depth of 1 1/2 inches into a deep cast-iron skillet; heat to 350 degrees. Fry fish, in batches, 5 to 6 minutes or until golden; drain on paper towels.

Tips for frying catfish:

• Remove excess moisture from fish before dredging.
• Don't coat fish too far ahead of time or it will become soggy.
• Keep one hand clean for dredging and the other hand available for frying.
• Use a Dutch oven or a deep cast-iron skillet to keep oil from popping out.
• Keep the temperature of the oil at 350° for crisp fish.
• Don't overcrowd the skillet; fry in batches of two catfish at a time. Bring remaining oil back to the proper temperature before frying another batch.
• Remove fish from skillet with a wide slotted curved spoon.
• To keep warm, place fried fish on a wire rack with a foil-lined pan underneath. For a crisp texture, do not cover.

From Southern Living.com

Wooooooooo!!! I've checked my pantry and discovered that I have like FIVE bags of cornmeal. Man, I am gonna try out some of these cornbread recipes this week and probably make some green bean casserole to eat with it in the bargain (or maybe roast a chicken!) That'll keep me in tasty leftovers for days!

Question: does cornbread and/or polenta freeze well?

quote:

Originally posted by lleechef

You certainly CAN cook cornmeal like oatmeal, use chicken stock, stir and stir and stir for about 30 mins. with a wooden spoon and voila, you have the famous Italian polenta! If you don't want hot polenta, turn the mixture out into a loaf pan. Chill in the fridge. Cut into slices, brush with olive oil and grill

lleechef: I tried it and for some reason, even though I had chilled the polenta for 2 days, it remained paste like and didn't set: what did I do wrong?

Thanks Jim for the recipe... Though I'm not into catfish (actually never tried them), I have plenty of smelt, bluegill, trout, bass, salmon and pike available to fish out around here! After my next outing I'll be sure to try your recipe!

Can cornmeal be used to make sweet desserts and puddings? Any recipes out there?

To any of the above recipes for cornbread add 1/2 to 1 whole
baked sweet potato. Cut back on your lard/oil when you do. If
you like to add jalepeno or other hot peppers,the swet potato
really is nice .

quote:

Originally posted by Jellybeans

quote:

Originally posted by lleechef

You certainly CAN cook cornmeal like oatmeal, use chicken stock, stir and stir and stir for about 30 mins. with a wooden spoon and voila, you have the famous Italian polenta! If you don't want hot polenta, turn the mixture out into a loaf pan. Chill in the fridge. Cut into slices, brush with olive oil and grill

lleechef: I tried it and for some reason, even though I had chilled the polenta for 2 days, it remained paste like and didn't set: what did I do wrong?

Too much liquid. I never measure anything but keep adding liquid as the polenta cooks. But it does have to be thick like oatmeal at the end. If I had to guess, I would say I use a ratio of 3-1, liquid to cornmeal. Mine sets up like mad!

In answer to the question about using cornmeal in desserts, I use a little cornmeal in chess pie.

Every year, our family has a Little House on The Prairie Week with no TV, computer use, etc. and we try to eat foods that were available then. One of the meals is usually a big pot of baked beans with bacon and this pudding, which bakes along with them.

SWEET INDIAN PUDDING

3 cups milk
1/ 3 cup molasses
1/ 3 cup yellow cornmeal
1 beaten egg
1/ 4 cup sugar
2 Tbs. butter
1/ 2 tsp. ground ginger
1/ 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/ 4 tsp. salt

In saucepan, combine milk and molasses; stir in cornmeal. Cook and stir until thick, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. In a bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Gradually stir the cornmeal mixture into the egg mixture. Bake, uncovered in a 1 quart casserole at 300 degrees about 1 1/ 2 hours. Serves 6