Meet the prized grain of the Peublo Native American tribes in the Southwestern USA - blue corn.
With its blue, violet kernels and sweeter nuttier taste than its white and yellow cousins, it's no wonder it was a staple. Ideal for rustic fare like corn bread it has also been known to be used as a stuffing in fresh water fish and pancakes & griddle cakes.
In this recipe, I've used my old corn bread recipe and tweaked it to create this accompaniment to a bowl of hot steaming Chili. It works double duty on busy weeknight as I freeze the leftovers in a plastic bag and defrost them just in time for a steaming bowl soup.
I must say though the additon of roasted Anaheim chiles & horseradish cheddar cheese gives a bit of polish to this rustic bread. Adding some brown sugar rounds off the touch a heat quite nicely.
Gather the ingredients - 1/2 cup butter - softened, 2 large eggs, 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 cup stone ground organic blue cornmeal (I used Arrowhead Mills), 4 tsp baking powder, 1 cup milk, 1/4 cup + 2 tbs light brown sugar, 1 cup shredded Horseradish cheddar (I love Yancey's Fancy out of NY), 1 large Anaheim chile & 2 tbs melted butter for basting.
- On a gas stove or gas grill roast the anaheim chiles one at a time till black and charred. Use metal tongs to turn the chile so it is charred on all sides.
- Immediately seal the chiles in a sealable plastic bag and set aside for 20 minutes.
- Wet hands with tap water and begin scraping the skin from the chile. Cut a slit and remove seeds and top. Keep wetting hands and sraping till all the skin is off both the chiles. The idea is to get the skin off and preserve the chile oils which is why we are not rinsing them directly in tap water.
- Roughly chop the chiles and set aside.
- Grate the horseradish cheddar cheese from a block to yield 1 cup and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream the softened butter and light bowl sugar till pale and fluffy.
- Add the eggs and milk and whisk to combine or use a immersion hand mixer.
- In a separate mixing bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, blue corn meal & baking powder. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture in 2 batches, folding with a rubber spatula.
- Repeat till all the flour is used. Fold in the cheese and roasted chiles.
- Allow the mixture to stand (set aside) for at least 30 minutes to an hour.
- Grease a cast-iron skillet with melted butter and a pastry brush.
- Empty all the batter into the skillet and bake for about 25-30 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted in the center and the edges are a light golden brown.
- Brush with more melted butter before serving as the corn bread surface is quite dry looking even though the bread is moist within.
Moist, sweet, incredibly flavorful with the scent of roasted chiles, incredible color and texture with every bite, here is one corn bread that makes a wonderful change to the regular and will be a sure fire conversation piece at potlucks.
Organic blue corn meal is easily available at Specialty grocery stores.
Recipe for
Blue Corn, Anaheim Chiles & Horseradish Cheddar Bread
~
Preparation time - 25 minutes
Inactive resting time - 30 minutes
Baking time - 25-30 minutes
Serves 4-6
Shopping list
1/2 cup butter - softened
2 large eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup stone ground organic blue cornmeal (I used Arrowhead Mills)
4 tsp baking powder
1 cup milk
1/4 cup + 2 tbs light brown sugar
1 cup shredded Horseradish cheddar (I love Yancey's Fancy out of NY)
1 large Anaheim chile
2 tbs melted butter for basting
Method:
- To roast the Anaheim Chiles:On a gas stove or gas grill roast the anaheim chiles one at a time till black and charred. Use metal tongs to turn the chile so it is charred on all sides. Immediately seal the chiles in a sealable plastic bag and set aside for 20 minutes.
- Wet hands with tap water and begin scraping the skin from the chile. Cut a slit and remove seeds and top. Keep wetting hands and sraping till all the skin is off both the chiles. The idea is to get the skin off and preserve the chile oils which is why we are not rinsing them directly in tap water. Roughly chop the chiles and set aside.
- Cheese : Grate the horseradish cheddar cheese from a block to yield 1 cup and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream the softened butter and light bowl sugar till pale and fluffy.
- Add the eggs and milk and whisk to combine or use a immersion hand mixer.
- In a separate mixing bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, blue corn meal & baking powder. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture in 2 batches, folding with a rubber spatula.
- Repeat till all the flour is used. Fold in the cheese and roasted chiles. Allow the mixture to stand (set aside) for at least 30 minutes to an hour.
- Grease a cast-iron skillet with melted butter and a pastry brush. Empty all the batter into the skillet and bake for about 25-30 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted in the center and the edges are a light golden brown.
- Brush with more melted butter before serving as the corn bread surface is quite dry looking even though the bread is moist within.
Enjoy!
