I’m Ann Clipperton. For me, 2013 is a year of extracting the heart of life and setting everything else aside. You can read more about it on my blog, How to Eat an Artichoke. Also, I like food. Boyfriend likes to say the following about food: “I’m going to eat it with my mouth.” While he does that, I’m going to write about it here (and eat it with my mouth, too).
I grew up in rural, Southern Minnesota, where there are only two major food groups: Meat and Potatoes. My childhood favorites included preservatives, Oscar Meyer, and heavy sauce. After I moved away from home, I attempted many fresh dishes I’d never tried before, but mostly my culinary endeavors resulted in either mush or tears. For a long time, it was easier to eat out, microwave a little plastic tray, or, during a few of my darkest days, not eat at all.
At age 25, I moved to California. My food world expanded with sushi, fruit so sweet it was better than candy, and a million ways to make a salad. Still, I struggled to merge these discoveries into every-day life. My emotions were so deeply attached to the food I’d grown up with that it would take more than buying new groceries to foster change. In the past year, I’ve grown to know the importance of better eating, and I hope this blog will serve as a community for anyone who cooks, as I grow in my ability. (More on that later.)
I found this recipe about five years ago and have been begged numerous times to pass it on. It has an eclectic mix of ingredients and textures, which fill each bite with an array of flavor — sweet, salty, tangy. I like to pair it with a light soup or white meat to balance the taste.
CORNBREAD APRICOT STUFFING
from www.cooksrecipes.com
- 1 (8-inch) pan of cornbread
- 1/2 cup chopped celery
- 2 tablespoons chopped onion
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup apricot preserves
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans (I prefer almonds)
- 1/2 cup beef broth (use vegetable broth if you don’t eat meat)
Like your relationship with your significant other, you can make your relationship with cornbread as complicated as you want it to be: pre-made, box, or made from scratch. For me, this stuffing recipe has turned out best from making the cornbread either from a box or from scratch, but if you’re in a crunch for time, pre-made cornbread will also do. Prepare your cornbread according to its directions.
While your cornbread is baking, chop up 1/2 cup celery and 2 tablespoons onions. Ignore the burning in your eyes and write yourself a note to buy a new, prettier cutting board.
Before I peel onions, I always lop off their heads. It makes peeling off their skin a lot easier, and puts them out of their misery.
Grab a medium-sized skillet, and heat up your 2 tablespoons of butter. You’ll want a pan that’s large enough to accomodate these ingredients, as well as your apricot preserves and almonds (or pecans — whichever you prefer). This is what it means to sauté something. You’re pretty much just simmering it in butter. You’re typically supposed to let it get a little brown and flip it around a little, but I just stir it until the onions are tender.
It will look like this while it’s cooking. And it will smell like love.
While that’s doing its thing, your cornbread may be done baking. It will also smell like love and your grandma. After it’s done baking, adjust your oven temp to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
I like my cornbread brown around the edges, but others may like to remove it from the oven a little sooner. Let it cool for a few minutes, and then you get to take a utensil, and smash it:
It starts like that. Then it should look something like this:
You’ll need that in a second. Now, check your onions. They should be tender by now. Add in 1/2 cup apricot preserves and 1/2 cup almonds.
Once the items in your skillet are combined well, toss the cornbread crumbles with the skillet items. I should note here that the recipe says to move everything into another, well-greased casserole dish. I find it unnecessary to dirty another dish. Do they think dishes grow on trees? I just pour everything into the original cornbread dish.
First, pour half of the skillet mixture over the cornbread crumbles.
Mix in the first half, and then add in the second half, to ensure everything is well-blended. Drizzle the 1/2 cup beef broth over the top of everything.
Return it to the oven, to bake for 30-40 minutes at 325 degrees Fahrenheit. When it’s finished, it will be slightly crunchy on top and lightly browned.
I like this photo, because the heat from the stuffing started fogging up the camera lens. This is real, people!
Let cool for a few minutes, and then serve! I ate mine with a nice black bean soup and a dollop of yogurt. Delish.
You can find the full recipe here.
