Living in Seattle has opened my eyes to many culinary traditions. One of my favorites is Southern U.S.
cooking. Exploring that culinary region
is like inverting Midwest comfort food.
In the Midwest many of our beloved dishes come baked in a casserole dish. In the south they retreat to their barbecues
and stove tops; many dishes are made in a stockpot, on the grill, or in a
skillet.
I didn't grow up eating cornbread. With Wisconsin being predominately German and
Norwegian we had rye, potato, and cheese breads, as well as loaves of white sandwich
breads. The former paired well with meats,
potatoes, and casseroles; the latter with bologna and cheese.
In Seattle I began experimenting with different foods, and
in the past eleven years I have vastly increased my cooking repertoire. Cornbread has made its way into my life, and
more specifically: skillet cornbread. It
is what I want whenever I make chili, butternut squash soup, or chowder; it is
a wonderful accompaniment to any blustery night.
My recipe was adapted from Greg Atkinson’s book West Coast Cooking. Atkinson explains west coast cooking “represents
both the oldest and the newest trends of the nation.”
A note about oil: we have been using grapeseed oil and
avocado oil as our primary cooking oils. grapeseed oil is high in polyunsaturated fat, and avocado oil is high in
monounsaturated fat; both oils are better than olive oil for cooking at high
heat, and healthier than canola oil.
Ingredients:
1 cup
unbleached white flour
1 cup whole
grain cornmeal
1 tablespoon
baking powder
1 teaspoon
kosher salt
1 egg
1/3 cup
brown sugar
1/3 cup
grapeseed oil, plus 2 tablespoons for the skillet
1 cup half
and half
1 cup fresh
or frozen corn
Preheat oven
to 400 degrees. Place a 10-inch cast
iron skillet into the preheating oven while the batter is being prepared. In a large mixing bowl combine the flour,
cornmeal, baking powder, and salt. In a smaller
bowl whisk together the egg and sugar, and then add 1/3 cup oil, then whisk in
the half and half. Fold the wet
ingredients into the dry, and then fold in the corn; stir only enough to
combine the ingredients.
Using a hot
pad remove the skillet from the oven. Add
2 tablespoons of oil and swirl it into the pan.
Scrape the batter into the skillet, and if needed use a knife or a mini
offset spatula to nudge the batter to the edges. Bake the cornbread for 15 minutes. Cut it into wedges, and serve it hot with
your favorite soup, chili, or stew.
