When my friend Helen took me to Jamie Oliver’s Barbecoa in London I was instantly drooling over the Devil’s cornbread. A cast-iron skillet arrived with cornbread topped with cheese, bacon and herbs. Sadly, it was not gluten free and this Celiac had to admire from afar. Back in my own kitchen I recreated the dish, inspired by the version at Barbecoa, making sure to smother the cornbread in cheese and topping it with some of my favourite Irvings Farm Fresh dry-cured bacon. I always save my bacon grease, which is great to use for savoury dishes like this when you need to grease a cast-iron pan or baking dish.
Ingredients
- 1 cup yellow corn meal
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter melted, plus more for pan
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup shredded cheese (cheddar, mozarella or your favourite)
- 3 strips of cooked bacon, chopped
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 3 tbsp fresh parsley or cilantro, chopped
- 1 jalapeno, sliced (optional)
Preparation
- Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9-inch cast iron pan or a baking dish.
- In a mixing bowl combine corn meal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl; set aside. In a separate bowl whisk together butter, buttermilk and eggs. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until just combined, do not over mix. Transfer to prepared pan.
- Spread cheese to melt in even layer and top with bacon bits, green onions, herbs and jalapenos.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool on a rack for 15 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
