Recipe: Corn Bread

Recipe

Corn Bread

I don't know why, but warm corn bread and black bean soup are great together. It may be that complementary proteins aren't only good nutrition, but they taste good too. Whatever it is, the combination is tough to beat.

Corn bread is a quick bread. In the spirit of haste, and to make the making easier, I've developed a very tidy routine. I turn on the oven, put the butter in my cast-iron skillet and let it melt in the oven. Meanwhile I measure the other ingredients. When the butter is melted, I swirl it around the sides of the pan and pour it into the batter. This not only spares me the never-pleasant job of greasing the pan, I've also found that pouring the batter into a hot pan makes for a better crust.

Serves 4 to 6
You need a 12-inch cast iron skillet

4 T. butter
1 cup corn meal
1 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk

Turn the oven on to 375 degrees F. Use your cast-iron skillet to melt the butter in the oven.

Meanwhile, measure the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl and mix well with a fork.

In a small mixing bowl, use a fork to stir the eggs and milk until they are foamy.

Pour the milk and eggs into the dry ingredients and stir just to combine. Take the skillet from the oven, swirl the butter around the sides of the pan, then pour it into the batter. Stir it in and then scrape the batter into the skillet. Bake until lightly brown and pulling away from the sides—25 to 30 minutes.