Chili-Cheese-Bacon Cornbread

This rich, moist cornbread is flavorful with charred poblano chili, sharp cheddar cheese and bacon grease. The guilty pleasure of bacon grease is balanced by the healthy addition of olive oil! Sweetened with applesauce. Bake in the cast iron skillet used for frying the bacon.

Ingredients:

1 cup 1% milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 large poblano chili
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
½ cup flour
3/4 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp paprika
1 cup cornmeal
½ cup unsweetened applesauce (I buy the little plastic containers.)
2 Tb bacon grease, melted but not hot, made from 3 slices bacon.
2 Tb olive oil
2 eggs

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425◦ and place rack in middle position.
Add vinegar to milk and let it curdle while you mix the other ingredients.

Place poblano chili on comal or heavy frying pan over high heat, turning so that it burns in places. Place in a small covered pot to sweat.

While chili is sweating, grate 1 cup of sharp cheddar cheese and set aside.

Fry 3 pieces of bacon in a cast-iron skillet. Eat the bacon or add it to frijoles pintos, but save the grease. It should yield 2 Tb of bacon grease. Add the olive oil to the pan, and then scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the skillet. Cool while preparing the other ingredients.

Sift white flour with baking powder, salt, paprika, and baking soda into a medium bowl. Stir in cornmeal until well combined.

Remove poblano chili from pot and scrape off the blackened skin. (Don’t rinse it, since you’ll be rinsing away some of charred flavor.) Mince the chili. Include the seeds if you like more heat.

Whisk eggs with milk in a separate bowl, then whisk in applesauce and bacon-oil mixture, including the browned bits of bacon.
Stir in minced poblano chili and ¾ cup cheese.
Pour dry ingredients into wet ingredients. Slowly mix and fold with a large spoon, only until batter is combined.

Pour batter into the skillet that you fried the bacon in. Sprinkle remaining ¼ cup cheese on top.
Bake for 20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Excellent served with frijoles pintos.

Gluten-free Cornbread

To make gluten-free cornbread, I substituted masa harina, the corn flour used to make tortillas or tamales, for wheat flour in my cornbread recipe. The result was a fluffy textured cornbread which had a taste of tortillas. I added a bit more salt. You can put rosemary in it if you like.

Ingredients:

masa harina

1 cup 1% milk

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 cup cornmeal

1/2 cup masa harina

¼ cup ground flax-seed

1 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary (about a one-inch sprig) optional

3/4  tsp salt

1 Tb sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup applesauce

1/4 cup olive oil

2 eggs

Preheat oven to 425’

Add vinegar to milk and let it curdle while you mix the other ingredients.

Sift baking powder and baking soda. Stir in the rest of the dry ingredients and rosemary if using, and mix well.

Mix eggs with milk in a separate bowl, then stir in applesauce and oil until well mixed. Pour into dry ingredients. Mix with a large spoon only until ingredients are combined.

Spray an 8 inch square pan with olive oil spray. Pour in batter.

Bake for 20-25 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Delicious out of the pan, or use for making Low-fat cornbread sage stuffing with chestnuts and apples.

Olive Oil Cornbread

This light cornbread is super moist from olive oil, applesauce and corn kernels. If you have polenta on hand, swap out 1/4 cup cornmeal for it. I use the little 1/2 cup size applesauce containers if I don’t want to eat all the applesauce in a jar.

Ingredients:

1 cup 1% milk

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 cup cornmeal or 3/4 cup cornmeal and 1/4 cup polenta

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

½ tsp salt

1 ½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

2 eggs

½ cup applesauce

¼  cup olive oil

½ cup frozen or fresh corn kernels

1 Tablespoon butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425’ Add vinegar to milk and let it curdle while you mix the other ingredients. Place corn kernels in a small bowl with a splash of water and microwave for two minutes. Set aside to cool.

Sift white flour with baking powder and baking soda. Stir in the rest of the dry ingredients and mix well.

In a separate bowl, whisk eggs with applesauce, oil and milk. Pour into dry ingredients. Add corn, then mix with a large spoon only until ingredients are combined. Spray bottom and sides of an 8 inch square pan with nonstick spray. Add  1 tablespoon butter and place pan in the hot oven for a couple of minutes while the butter melts. Tip pan to distribute butter evenly on the bottom of the pan. Pour in batter. Bake for 20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Nice with soups or stews or a roast chicken.