Cookin' it old school...Cast Iron and Cornbread

Cornbread

I had a "cookin' it old school" moment the other day when I made my contribution to Sunday dinner at my sister's home.  When I think about "cookin' it old school", the thing that comes to mind is making classic recipes with classic tools...in this instance it was making cornbread in my 10in smooth cast iron skillet.  

Smooth cast iron has become an obsession of mine...the classic cookware was the original non-stick pan, but now they are languishing away in thrift stores and antique shops; unloved, lonely, and dusty.  

My first piece of smooth cast iron came from my mother in the form of a Griswold, #6, 6in. skillet.  This skillet had belonged to her mother, my grandmother, "Good Mama" (we're from Kentucky).  I couldn't believe how smooth this little skillet was; it was like looking into black glass.  It fried an egg with the greatest of ease, no sticking...much easier than those skillets you buy at big box stores that are supposedly seasoned.  I was hooked, but my mom was not going to relinquish any more pieces to me...something about prying it from her cold hand (again, we're from Kentucky).  So at this point, I realized I would have to keep an eye open on Ebay, antique shops and thrift stores that I frequented in order to round out my cooking collection.

The last few years I have been on the look out for the perfect skillets/griddles for my home.  I have been able to acquire a perfect unmarked smooth cast iron 10in. skillet (no rust, like new and you can see the machine marks in it, supposedly from the '40s according to the vendors tag), a Wagner Ware Juinor Krispy Korn Kob Baker, and as of this afternoon a #9 Griswold griddle.  These pieces that grace my home now, once helped get food on the table for a family, they stayed on the stove ready to heat up at a moments notice, they have seen joy and tragedy, these pieces are what helped shaped cooking in America.  

Now to get back to "cookin' it old school"...I wanted to make cornbread for Sunday dinner at my sisters; what better way to bake it, but in a cast iron skillet. 

Cornbread from "William Sonoma's Comfort Food" cookbook
For printable recipe, please click here 

1 C  AP Flour

1 C  Yellow Cornmeal

¼ C  Sugar

¾ tsp  Baking Soda

½ tsp  Sea Salt

⅛ tsp  Cayenne Pepper

⅛ tsp Cinnamon *(this was my little addition)

⅔ C  Sour Cream

⅔ C  Whole Milk

2 Lrg Eggs

6 Tbsp  Unsalted Butter, melted *(I use TJ’s salted butter)

¾ C  Corn Kernals, fresh or thawed frozen

Preheat the oven to 400⁰F.  Butter a 10in. cast iron skillet (or other oven safe skillet or baking dish), set aside.  In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking soda, salt and cayenne pepper.  In another bowl, whisk together the sour cream, milk and eggs until blended.  Make a well in the center of the cornmeal mixture, pour in the sour cream mixture and melted butter and stir just until combined.  Do not over mix.  Fold corn kernels into the batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared skillet and smooth the top.  Bake until the corn bread is golden brown and it passes a tooth pick test, about 20 min.  Let cool in pan for 5 min.  Cut into wedges and serve warm with butter.

Cornbread in my 10in. cast iron skillet

Sunday Dinner with Cornbread

One of the other guests at dinner seemed shocked that the cornbread did not stick to the skillet when I was getting it out, I just smiled...its the original non-stick cookware, plus I slathered the skillet with butter before I put the batter in it. 

The cornbread was moist and delicious, plus I got to showcase my cast iron. 

Enjoy the foods of your labor.  :-)

Comfort in a bowl...

If I haven't mentioned...I'll mention it again...its FREEZING here.  Its not as bad as some places in the country, but gosh darn it...its cold for us (our winters are mild from the mid 30s to the 50s in temp).  So in order to keep warm I find I am cooking more...not sure if its the need to have the stove and oven going at all times or the need to eat something hot and melty.  The best of both worlds can be found in making chili and corn bread.  

In trying to figure out what to do for Sunday dinner I became convinced that something with a dumpling had to be made.   Chicken stew with biscuit dumplings on top??? No...there is no cheese in this.  Do I just make chili??? No...there is no dumpling in this...unless...wheels in head are turning, head is starting to hurt, idea forming...I could top it with a cornbread dumpling...genius had just occurred.  Then like divine intervention, an episode of Nigella Feasts  came on and she was making Chili con Carne w/ Cornbread (its like she was reading my mind).  I now had an idea of what to top my chili with...I will top it with cornbread and cheese, Nigella is a genius.  
 
I set about looking for the ingredients in the kitchen; I unfortunately was missing the proper amount of corn meal for her recipe in regards to cornbread...so I improvised.  Using a Trader Joe's cornbread mix and substituting milk for buttermilk, I prepared the mix as indicated and spread over the top of the chili I had prepared.

Chili

For printable recipe, please click here

2 lbs  Ground beef (85/15 is preferable)
2-4+ Tbs  Red Chili Powder (season to taste)
2+ tsp  Onion Powder  (season to taste)
2+ tsp  Garlic Powder (season to taste)
Salt (season to taste)
1+ tsp  Red Chili Flake  (season to taste)
3+ tsp  Cumin (season to taste)
About 1 Tbs  Flour
About 2+ cups Water 

Using a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat, brown the ground beef.  Season with the onion powder, garlic powder, salt, cumin, red chili powder and red chili flake  Once the meet is browned, add the flour to the meat, stir the meat around to be sure the flour is coating it (***be careful with the flour, use to much and it will taste pasty, use to little and the chili won't be thick).  Add the water and continue to heat through adding spices as you need them.  Serve warm with desired condiments (cheese, sour cream, cornbread, fritos, etc. etc. etc.).
 
***NOTE:  The seasonings are not an exact science, this is only a guideline to start from.  Chili powder varies greatly in heat and in taste.  I use the hot stuff that comes in a bag that is usually down the Mexican food isle of your grocery store (here, its not an isle...its a whole store...another reason I LOVE NM).  My mother uses Eagle Brand Chili powder.  I have used McCormick chili powder in the past (its what I could get at the time); it tends to be too bitter for my taste.   You can add oregano to the chili if you like;  I don't for my own, but my mother and sister do add copious amounts of oregano to theirs.  I tend to be heavier handed with my cumin...but that's again up to what you like.  Keep tasting it til its good for you.  This recipe is just a guideline for you to create something great for yourself, cook responsibly.   

After getting the chili stirred up, topped with cornbread batter and that topped with cheese; I popped the dutch oven in the oven on 400° for 25 min.  What came out of the oven was perfect cornbread topped chili as you can see below.  It warmed up the evening perfectly.

Enjoy the foods of your labor.  :-)

Chili before cornbread

Chili with Cornbread and Cheese

Getting ready to eat...I topped this off with a dollop of sour cream