Guest Author - Phyllis Doyle Burns
Corn pone, and a special casserole type pie are easy recipes for just about any time of the year. The aroma of these delights as they are taken out of the oven is a call to everyone that supper is on the table.
Thousands of years before cornmeal became a staple in Appalachian kitchens, Native American tribes were using ground corn as a staple in their diet. From the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, and Creek peoples came recipes that the early settlers found to be very tasty and nutritious.
Cornbread is one of those recipes I like to cook in my cast iron skillet in the oven -- it just seems more homey -- giving me and my family that down home goodness feeling when the hot pan is sat on the table. Here are some down-home and countrified recipes from my "Folks Down Home Recipe Box".
Corn Pone
1/4 cup canola oil
1 1/2 cups white cornmeal
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/3 cups buttermilk
2 eggs
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. On the center rack, place a 9 inch cast iron skillet. As soon as the skillet is hot, remove it from the oven (please use hot pads). Pour the canola oil into the skillet and tip back and forth (the skillet, not you) to coat the pan evenly, bottom and sides. Return the pan to the oven for ten minutes.
As the oil in the skillet is heating, mix all other ingredients in bowl to a thin batter. Batter will be a bit lumpy, this is ok.
Using hot pads pull out oven rack and pour the batter into the preheated skillet. Bake till a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean -- this should take about 20 to 25 minutes.
Remove from oven and serve while corn pone is warm. Corn pone is good with breakfast, lunch or supper.
Hamburger-Chili Corn Pone Pie
1 pound ground beef
1 medium can stewed tomatoes
1 medium can chili
1 medium onion, chopped
2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Cornbread batter (see below)
Brown hamburger in large cast iron skillet, drain off excess fat. Add remaining ingredients and heat through. Top with cornbread batter and bake at 450 degrees until bread is done and golden brown.
Cornbread Batter
3 cups biscuit baking mix
1 cup white sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
3 eggs
1 1/4 cups milk
1 can corn, drained
1/4 cup melted butter
In a large mixing bowl, combine baking mix, sugar, baking powder and cornmeal. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk and melted butter until creamy. Stir in flour mixture until blended. Fold in corn. Pour batter over mixture in skillet. If your skillet is not deep enough to take all the batter, bake extra batter in small pan.
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