This cornbread is delicious both hot or cold, served with a salad and perhaps some salsa or ketchup on the side. It has a lovely golden cheesy topping and the sweetness of the onions and sweetcorn. I used polenta, which gives it a slightly springy, light texture. Kids can enjoy a slice of it and you could omit the chillis if need be. You could also add different vegetables such as pepper or courgette. I like to eat a big wedge of it the day after served cold.
The recipe is from Jamie Oliver’s America cookbook, which, although not my favourite Jamie cookbook as the recipes feel a bit heavy, has a real array of different types of cooking e.g. soul food/Mexican. It contains a fantastic ‘mad dog’ salad with roast avocado and nachos which I LOVE, and was mentioned in my first ever blog. Here is the link in case you missed it and want to discover what roast avocado tastes like! http://labellacook.blogspot.co.uk/2010/01/mad-dog-salad.html
Another winner is the velvet cupcakes recipe, which I will blog sometime soon.
Here is the recipe for the chilli cheese cornbread:
Ingredients
60g butter
2 onions, thinly sliced
2 corn on the cob
4 large eggs
325g polenta or coarse cornmeal
250ml full-fat milk
1 teaspoon baking powder
6 tablespoons plain flour
salt and pepper
140g freshly grated mature cheddar cheese
3 fresh green chillis, 2 of them deseeded and finely chopped, the other finely sliced
olive oil
Preheat your oven to 200 degrees / gas mark 6. Put your butter into a frying pan on a medium heat and add your sliced onions. Fry gently for about 10 to 15 mins, until they are golden. Meanwhile, hold the corn upright on a board and carefully run a small knife from the top of the corn to the bottom, cutting all the kernels off. Add these to the pan with the onions and cook for a further 5 mins, then remove from the heat.
In a bowl, mix your eggs, polenta or cornmeal, milk, baking powder, flour, a good pinch of salt and pepper and most of your grated cheese. Beat until well mixed, then stir in your cooled onion and corn mixture and your 2 finely chopped chillis. Grease a 22cm cake tin with some olive oil, line the base with greaseproof paper, and pour in your mixture.
Sprinkle the chilli slices on top, then pop the cornbread in to the oven to bake for approx 45 mins to 1 hour (depending on how quickly it cooks), until golden brown on top and a knife comes out pretty much clean. About 15 mins before it is ready, pull it out, sprinkle over the remaining cheddar and return it to the oven. Once ready, let it cool for 15 mins, then turn it out on to a wire rack or plate, cheesy side up. Can be eaten hot or cold.
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