Last year, I gave Brain Candy readers the inside scoop on how to cook yummy black-eyed peas for New Year’s Day. This year, I’m living back in the south, so I don’t think I’ll have a problem finding them, unless there’s already been a run on the pea aisle at Kroger.
But I’ve been preaching to you about baking cornbread for a while now, yet haven’t given you a decent recipe. Today, I’m going to share my mom’s mom’s recipe for Mexican cornbread. Yes, you could make this in a round cake pan, but I beg, beg, beg you to go out and buy yourself a decent cast-iron skillet. I promise you won’t regret it. I cook everything from cornbread to chicken pot pie to cakes in mine.
- 1 cup meal (meaning corn meal)
- Flour (hers didn’t call for any, but I have no idea why. I would say about ¾ cup)
- ½ tsp. baking soda
- ¾ tsp. salt
- 1 cup sweet milk (regular milk, rather than buttermilk)
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup cream corn
- 1 large onion
- 1 garlic pod
- ½ lb. grated cheese
- 3 to 5 hot peppers (this will make it pretty hot, so use to taste)
- 1 can Ro-tel (drained)
- ½ cup bacon drippings (this really does make the best cornbread, but you could substitute olive or canola oil)
My grandmother’s recipe didn’t have any real instructions, but this is how I do it. Sift all dry ingredients together. Whisk together milk and eggs and add to dry ingredients. Add remaining ingredients, except for bacon drippings. I would recommend sautéing the onion, peppers and garlic a little before adding it to the mixture.
Heat bacon drippings in your iron skillet in the pre-heated 350 degree oven until liquid. Pour drippings into cornbread mixture and mix well. The pour the whole she-bang back into the skillet. The residual grease in the skillet will keep your cornbread from sticking and will make a yummy, crunchy, brown crust!
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or so.
Honestly, this cornbread could be a meal in itself!
What do you cook for New Year’s Day?
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Today is Global Family Day so give a shout-out to your family all around the world!
