There comes a time in every respectable kitchen when somebody makes a beautiful pot of chili, sits down to eat it, and discovers there is absolutely nothing available to wipe up the last bit of sauce.
This is a serious oversight.
Fortunately, Captain Moonboot's Culinary Research Department has developed a solution involving cornmeal, cheddar cheese, jalapeños, and a cast-iron skillet.
It's called cornbread.
Apparently, somebody else invented it several hundred years ago, but World HQ sees no reason to let that interfere with our announcement.
⏱️ Recipe Information
Servings: 8 generous wedges
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Baking Time: 20–25 minutes
Cooling Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 45–50 minutes
The baking time includes cooking the cornbread in a preheated cast-iron skillet until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
The cooling period allows the cornbread to firm up slightly before slicing into 8 generous wedges.
🛒 Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 2 tbsp honey
The Good Stuff
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 medium jalapeño, finely diced
- 1 tbsp butter for greasing the skillet
Optional: ½ cup corn kernels, fresh, frozen or canned and drained.
🥣 Step 1: Prepare the Skillet
Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).
Place a 9-inch cast-iron skillet in the oven while it heats.
If you don't have a cast-iron skillet, an 8 × 8-inch baking dish will work perfectly well. Grease the baking dish and leave it at room temperature until you're ready to fill it.
Captain Moonboot recognizes that not every household owns cast iron.
Some people have invested their money in other things, such as electricity and groceries.
🌽 Step 2: Mix the Dry Ingredients
In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Set aside.
This is the easy part, although World HQ recommends checking that you're using baking powder rather than powdered sugar.
The containers look remarkably similar when you're not wearing your glasses.
🥚 Step 3: Mix the Wet Ingredients
In another bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, melted butter and honey.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
Stir gently until just combined.
Don't overmix. A few small lumps are perfectly acceptable.
Fold in the shredded cheddar, diced jalapeño and optional corn kernels.
The batter should be fairly thick but easily spreadable.
🔥 Step 4: Into the Skillet
Carefully remove the hot cast-iron skillet from the oven using proper oven mitts.
Add the tablespoon of butter and swirl it around to coat the bottom and sides.
Pour the batter into the skillet and spread it evenly.
You should hear a satisfying little sizzle as the batter meets the hot butter.
This helps produce a delicious golden crust.
Important: The skillet handle is now approximately the temperature of a small industrial furnace. Remember this when you decide to adjust its position.
🧀 Step 5: Bake Until Golden
Bake for 20–25 minutes, until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
If using a baking dish rather than cast iron, allow an additional few minutes if needed.
Let the cornbread cool for about 10 minutes before slicing into wedges or squares.
Serve warm with butter.
For something a little special, drizzle a small amount of honey over the top.
At this point, you may discover that cornbread doesn't actually require chili to justify its existence.
🌙 Moonboot Modifications
🧀 The Extra-Cheesy Bad Decision
Increase the cheddar to 1½ cups.
Sprinkle a little additional cheese over the batter before baking.
The result is slightly richer and considerably more likely to attract people who were previously claiming they weren't hungry.
🌶️ The Mild-Mannered Version
Remove the seeds and white membranes from the jalapeño before chopping.
For an even milder version, substitute finely diced green bell pepper.
You still get a little colour and flavour without requiring everyone to keep a glass of milk within reach.
🥛 The Buttermilk Emergency
No buttermilk?
Add 1 tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar to a measuring cup, then add enough regular milk to make 1 cup.
Stir and let stand for about 5–10 minutes.
It's a perfectly acceptable substitute.
Captain Moonboot considers this an excellent example of making something useful out of milk that hasn't yet had the opportunity to become buttermilk.
🥓 The Bacon Department
Add ¼ cup cooked, crumbled bacon to the batter.
Because apparently cheddar cheese and jalapeños weren't already creating enough excitement.
🍲 What Goes with It?
This cornbread is particularly good alongside Recipe #9: One-Pot Beef & Bean Chili or Recipe #14: Slow-Cooker Pulled Pork.
It's also excellent with baked beans, barbecued ribs, homemade soup or a big bowl of beef stew.
And if you have leftovers, warm a slice the following morning, spread it with butter and drizzle it with honey.
Congratulations.
Yesterday's side dish has become today's breakfast.
The World HQ Accounting Department appreciates this kind of efficiency.
🧊 Storage and Leftovers
Store cooled cornbread in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Reheat individual slices in the microwave for approximately 15–20 seconds, or warm them in a covered skillet over low heat.
Cornbread also freezes well. Wrap individual portions tightly and freeze for up to 3 months for best quality.
📖 From the Captain's Log
I've always admired people who can take a handful of inexpensive ingredients and produce something that tastes considerably better than it has any right to.
Cornbread is a perfect example.
Cornmeal, flour, eggs, milk and a little butter.
Nothing particularly complicated.
Then somebody adds cheddar cheese and jalapeños, and suddenly we're serving something that sounds like it belongs on the menu of a restaurant where the waiter introduces himself and explains the history of the farm that supplied the corn.
At World HQ, we prefer a simpler presentation.
"Here's some cornbread. There's butter on the table."
No reservations required.
No suggested gratuity of 25%.
And absolutely nobody is going to ask you to complete a customer satisfaction survey before you leave the kitchen.
Although The Missus may have a few observations.
She generally does. 😁🌽
🚨 WORLD HQ FILING NOTICE
Recipe #17 introduces our first dedicated bread and side dish to Making Salsa: Recipes & Other Bad Decisions from Captain Moonboot.
It's inexpensive, easy to prepare, and complements several recipes already in the collection.
It also gives the Recipe Images Department a particularly appetizing assignment: a rustic cast-iron skillet filled with golden cornbread, melted cheddar, flecks of green jalapeño, and one generous wedge sitting beside the skillet with butter melting over its surface.
Captain Moonboot's Official Cornbread Policy:
If you're going to make chili, you might as well make something to clean the bowl with.