Green Chile Cheddar Cornbread

Green Chile Cheddar Cornbread – When it comes to house breads of the South, cornbread is neck-in-neck with buttermilk biscuits for first place.  Truthfully there really is no contest as each are loved equally and tend to be favored depending on the meal being served.  Cornbread goes particularly well with a simple bowl of pinto beans, a cozy bowl of soup, stew or alongside an all vegetable plate.   Southerners love to garden and can easily make a meal with fresh vegetables from their own backyards.  An all-vegetable plate might include sauteed squash, green beans and new potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers and a skillet of cornbread to round it out. It’s standard fare.

Cornbread itself can be a blank palette and I love experimenting with variations.   For this cornbread I like adding a small amount of flour to give it a tender texture.  The argument that “real” cornbread has no flour in it is simply hogwash.   Every single cook in the South makes cornbread the way they were taught to make it by their Mothers and Grandmothers.  In my opinion, there is no wrong way just so it pleases those eating it right?  I love adding flour to my cornbread and in fact prefer the more tender crumb.  There’s plenty of cheese in this version to make it even more flavorful and the green chiles are mild giving it just the right twist to keep things interesting.

If you don’t have a cast iron skillet you can certainly bake this in an 8 x 8-inch pan as well so don’t worry about “ruining” the recipe.  Just be aware the baking time may need to be adjusted slightly. While this cornbread is moist, it still needs butter for slathering on each glorious piece so it can melt into each and every nook and cranny. Serve it on the side or smothered with beans, soup or stew for a taste of the South in your mouth!

Print

Green Chile Cheddar Cornbread

Servings 8

Author Melissa Sperka

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp butter
• 2 cup yellow self rising cornmeal
• 1/2 cup self rising flour
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 8 oz cream corn
• 1 large egg beaten
• 1 4 oz can green chiles, drained
• 1 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 6 green onion chopped

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Place a 10-inch cast iron skillet or similar in the oven. Add 2 Tbsp butter to melt while the oven preheats.
2. In a medium size mixing bowl, sift together the cornmeal, flour, sugar and garlic powder.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together buttermilk, cream corn and egg.
4. Add the wet to the dry ingredients mixing just until fully moistened.
5. Stir in the green chiles, 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese and chopped green onion. Mix well.
6. Remove the skillet from the oven and swirl the melted butter to coat the bottom and sides. Pour the batter into the pan and top with the remaining shredded cheddar cheese.
7. Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden and a toothpick inserted into the center show moist crumbs.
8. Serve warm.