Years ago, we visited Mesa Verde National Park in Southern Colorado, and ordered chili and cornbread. Never having been to the Southwest before, we weren't sure what to expect. Large bowls of steaming chili were placed in front of us and we dove in; only to quickly discover that chili in the Southwest USA is FAR hotter than chili in Canada. Our poor virgin Canadian tastebuds were about fried to oblivion, and just to get through it we dunked huge, buttery pieces of cornbread into the fiery sauce and nibbled.
Back home I found this recipe, which is obviously not authentic Southern cornbread (if any of my readers have a recipe for authentic, please share!) but it's still easy and really delicious dunked in a chili.
Adapted from Food To Grow On
1 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup flour
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 egg, beaten
1 1/2 cups milk
2 tbsp melted butter
Pre-heat your oven to 375 F and butter a 9x9 inch square baking pan.
In a bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg and milk together. Pour into the cornmeal mixture and mix until it's well blended. Then pour in the melted butter, and mix some more.
Pour into your prepared pan, and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden and when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool on a baking rack. I love to slice it up while the cornbread is still warm, and serve with chili or stew.
Makes a 9x9 inch pan, about 6 servings.
