Recipe: Devil’s Cornbread

Devil's CornbreadWhen 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

  1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9-inch cast iron pan or a baking dish.
  2. 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.
  3. Spread cheese to melt in even layer and top with bacon bits, green onions, herbs and jalapenos.
  4. 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!