CORNBREAD WITH SCALLIONS, CHILLI & NIBLETS (A); yeast-free, low sugar & salt

PERFECT WITH SOUPS, FOR BRUNCH, BBQ'S & POT LUCK DINNERS...

American Cornbread with a Latin twist: Cornbread with Chilli, Chives & Niblets

photo 10/3/16

Food fads in London come and go but North American standards remain UK favourites.  My lunch group had never encountered Cornbread before but it was a knock-out success.  

Processed & organic
Cornmeal

Cornmeal, also known as polenta, is the key to the dish; it looks like coarsely ground yellow flour.  There are two varieties - instant, which is pre-cooked, and organic, which is unprocessed. (Cornflour is not cornmeal/polenta.)

Cornbread is an easy-peasy recipe, whipped up in 10 minutes.  It's versatile, too - the corn niblets can be replaced with ham or cooked bacon and/or cheese.

And it scores high in the health stakes: barely any sugar, low-salt and no yeast.

Produces: 10 thick slices or 12 good-sized muffins
Cost: around £2.50

Use a 22 cm/1.3 litre loaf tin or a similar sized cast iron skillet, or well-greased muffin tins.  Double the recipe and cook in a 11x13 rectangular pan.

Ingred:

140g/5oz plain white flour mixed with a tsp of baking powder 
125g/4.4oz coarse cornmeal/polenta, organic if poss  
1 Tbsp sugar (opt)
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp (yes, tbsp) baking powder

70g/ 2.5oz butter, melted and cooled
2 med eggs
200 ml dairy milk 

125g fresh or drained tinned sweetcorn kernels
3-4 spring onions sliced thinly on the diagonal, green and white OR 3-4 tbsp chopped chives OR a mixture of both
1-2 red chillis to taste, membranes & seeds removed, finely diced OR 1/2-1 tsp chilli flakes
1/2 tsp pepper
4 oz/110 gm grated strong cheddar (opt)

Method:
      Preheat oven to 190C/170fan/375F/gas 5

1. Generously grease loaf pan;  fit a strip of greaseproof paper on the bottom, extending at the ends, for easy removal 
2. Sift dry ingredients into a large bowl
3. Whisk eggs with milk; add melted butter, corn, spring onions, chillis & pepper; stir well 
4. Tip wet ingred. into dry; combine loosely but with ingredients distributed well.  Lumpy is fine except in the case of organic polenta which has not been pre-cooked, in which case mix thoroughly but not vigorously. 
5.  Rest 10-15 mins 
6. Scrape into tin, levelling it off with a spatula
6. Bake 30-35 min until golden and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.  
6. Run a knife around the inside of the tin and turn onto a wire rack to cool.ak

Comment:
'The best I have ever had - the burst of chilli against the backdrop of corn was wonderful.' Political Agent


Variation: Cornbread Muffins with Ham, Chilli & Niblets

 Corn Muffins without garnish

1. Replace onions with a generous handful of chopped ham
2. Mix ham with niblets and chillis; hold back about 1/4 cup for garnish
3. Proceed as in step 3
4. Scoop into a well greased 12-hole muffin tin (67 uses a spring loaded ice cream scoop); scatter with garnish
5. Bake 20-25mins 
6. Rest 5 mins in tin; run a knife around the inside of each muffin hole, turn out onto a wire rack to cool

Tips:

• If you liked this you will also like Bacon & Corn Savoury Pancakes, portable & perfect for lunchboxes & Sweetcorn, Spelt & Polenta pancakes with soup or for brunch
• Cornbread keeps several days and toasts beautifully.
• Frozen corn is cheaper than tinned but not as crisp. 

More cornbread on NavBar: Recipes 1/Baking

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This recipe has been developed by B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced, in any form, without the author's written permission.