Cornbread

Cornbread typically consists of cornmeal, water, an egg, and something to make it rise. Some people will add diced jalapeño peppers, corn kernels, and other tidbits.

Sure, you can put japs in there if you like. But it's the bacon grease that makes cornbread real. Martha White's Self-Rising cornmeal mix is all you need to start with. Use buttermilk, not regular milk. (Do they have buttermilk outside the South? I can just see a bunch of Yankees throwing a stick of butter in a glass of milk and putting it in the microwave.) Water is out! Out, I say! No wonder some people think it's a freaking cake.

You don't need a measuring cup. Just throw a bunch of Martha White in a bowl, add an egg, put some bacon grease in there (2 tablespoons per pan of cornbread will be about right), and add buttermilk until it's about the consistency of.... sperm. Or whatever. That's all I could think of right now. The thing is, you don't want it so thick that you can't stir it, but you don't want it so watery that if you turned the bowl sideways, it would immediately run out. Clear enough?

Now, one of the biggest things that ruins cornbread is what you cook it in. Are there options? Hell fucking no! A black skillet is the only option. And you've got to put some bacon grease in there and heat it up in the oven for at least five minutes (425 is the recommended degree of hotness), so that when you put the mix into the skillet, you hear a decided sizzle. Never wash a black skillet! You have to season it, and that means you clean freaks will just have to live with a bit of a mess if you want cornbread.

Cook it at that temperature until it's brown on top; probably about 15 minutes. Either eat it hot with real butter or put it in a glass of cold milk (some prefer buttermilk) and crumble it up. If you're going to eat it with food, beans would be your best bet. A bowl of pinto beans with some hot cornbread and a slice of onion and some pickle relish and some coleslaw -- man, what you talkin' 'bout? This is the best cheap meal you'll ever have.

Oh, and the japs part. If you want Mexican cornbread, add japs, one of those little cute cans of whole kernel corn (drained), pimentos, a bunch of grated cheddar cheese, and diced onion to the mix before you cook it. It's a colorful and delicious "cake."

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup flour
  
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
  
• ¾ cup milk
  
• 1 tablespoon sugar
  
• ½ teaspoon salt
  
• 1 ½ cups yellow corn meal
  
• 1 egg
  
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat a greased 9x9 pan in a 425ºF oven for 20-22 minutes. Pour bread mixture into hot pan and place back in oven for 20 minutes.

Yield: 1 large loaf
Source: Paraphrased from McCoy, The Sabbats
Use for: Lughnasadh, Mabon

Pagan recipes

This recipe is slightly different from those above, mainly in that it makes more, and a few ingredient substitutions. In my experience, white sugar should be avoided in some kinds of baking, as the end product is softer and less sweet when honey is used instead. Cornbread that is too sweet can suffer from the "cake" syndrome.

Ingredients

• 2 cups yellow cornmeal
• 1.5 cups white flour
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons salt (don't forget)
• 2/3 cup canola oil (other vegetable oils will work, but taste different)
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2.5 cups milk
• 2 eggs
• Shortening, butter, lard, or (ick) aerosol oil for greasing the pan

Equipment

• Large mixing bowl
• Medium mixing bowl
• Very small bowl or large mug for beating eggs
• Wire whisk
• Cake pan (9 x 13 or slightly larger works well)

Procedure

1. Start the oven heating to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Combine the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
3. Beat the eggs, and warm the honey in a microwave oven or by floating a cupful of it in warm water. Warm honey pours better and mixes better.
4. Combine wet ingredients in the medium bowl. Add the honey last.
5. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Combine with the whisk until it's all mixed, then stop. Do not overmix.
6. Pour this mixture into the greased pan.
7. Put the pan in the oven. Set the timer for 20 minutes.
8. After 20 minutes of baking, open the oven and test the cornbread by poking something skinny into it (a toothpick or skewer is best, but knives work). If it comes out clean, and the edges of the bread are a little brown, it's done. Cornbread is very sensitive to being overbaked, so watch carefully. I've never had a batch take longer than 25 minutes to reach perfection.
9. Remove from the oven, serve warm. Put whatever doesn't get eaten immediately in the fridge, or it will go rancid 2 days later.

Enjoy. Notify me of any improvements you can think of, as I'm always open to kitchen experimentation. Always room for improvement.

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Their bassist is Eddie Waylen.
The drummer is Robbie Wilson.
The guitarists are Alex Jacobs and Marcus Pittman.

Discography:

Following Ceres - 1999

Headspace and Timing - 1999

Presents the Unseen - 2000
1. Intro
2. What You Known Fo
3. Do What You Gotta Do
4. So Called
5. Soulja's Love Song
6. Retaliation
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No Place Like Home - 2001

Cornbread's web page is http://www.cornbreadmusic.com

Allergy Safe Recipes

2 tablespoons bacon grease
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 cups self-rising cornmeal (this is corn meal with the proper proportions of baking soda, baking powder, and salt already added; you can use regular cornmeal and add the required other ingredients)

Turn the oven to 425 (F). Put the bacon grease in a 10" iron skillet. Put the skillet into the oven. Meanwhile, combine the eggs and buttermilk.
Put the cornmeal into a large bowl. When the bacon grease is melted, pour the grease into the eggs and buttermilk while mixing. Stir the egg/buttermilk/grease mixture into the cornmeal. Pour the cornmeal into the hot skillet and spread it quickly.

Put the skillet into the oven and bake 25 minutes. Immediately remove from the oven and upturn it onto a serving plate.

Serve with turnip greens with lots of pot likker and cold buttermilk.

Copyright 1997-1998, Eileen Kupstas Soo. Use and copying of this information are permitted as long as (1) no fees or compensation are charged for use, copies or access to this information, and (2) this copyright notice is included intact. -- CST Approved.

Normally I don't see the point in embellishing something so perfect as cornbread with additional crap, particularly meat, but this is a very popular variation where I'm from. It doesn't have a name that I am aware of so I will name it...

novasoy's Hammy Cornbread

2 boxes of sweet yellow cornbread mix
2 cans, yellow sweet whole corn, drained
2 cups, shredded smoked or country ham
.5 cup, diced yellow onion
other ingredients listed on cornbread box (milk, eggs, oil, etc.)

You see, what you are basically doing is making a double batch of cornbread with some ham and onions in it. Coat the bottom of a large cast iron skillet with cooking spray. Preheat your oven to 375°. In a large mixing bowl, mix all ingredients together, and then pour into the skillet. Place skillet into the oven. It should take about 40 minutes to bake, but you should test it with a toothpick every 10 minutes or so so it doesn't overcook. When the toothpick comes out clean, you're ready to eat!

This recipe goes great with a pot of beans, as the Cab Calloway/Louis Jordan song "Beans and Cornbread" attests, or try it with some chili.