O.T. Cornbread discovery!!!

Redwolf · Post by **Redwolf** » Wed Jan 22, 2003 4:24 pm

On 2003-01-22 11:18, SteveK wrote:
On 2003-01-22 11:04, Sandy Jasper wrote:
I've never had black eyed peas before, I don't even know what they look or taste like! Do you buy them fresh, dried, frozen or in a tin? (One of those mysteries from the age of television!)
Black eyed peas are really beans, I think. Anyway, they're light colored and look like beans with a dark spot. We get them dry. Here's a page with some info.

http://southernfood.about.com/library/w ... 123198.htm

Steve

Yup...they're really a type of bean...they're also called "cow peas" or sometimes "pigeon peas." Here you can get them fresh, dry or tinned. In North Carolina, the tinned variety was available with the other tinned beans...here in California I find them, for some reason (probably the name) with the tinned vegetables. I usually use the tinned variety in Hoppin' John (or just for eating plain), but nothing quite beats the taste of fresh!

So Sandy...you want my Hoppin' John recipe too? Goes well with cornbread! I'll post both that and the tamale pie recipe tonight after choir.

Redwolf

[ This Message was edited by: Redwolf on 2003-01-22 17:40 ]

Redwolf · Post by **Redwolf** » Wed Jan 22, 2003 4:29 pm

On 2003-01-22 15:48, Paul wrote:
mvhplank Posted: 2003-01-22 07:30
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Having grown up on Southern cornbread--salty, not sweet--I found myself unable to eat a well-meaning friend's "Yankee" cornbread with flour and sugar.
mmmMMM! You've got that right, Marguerite! Also, all the old-timers use real lard instead of vegetable oil or shortening. It really really makes it good.

-Paul

As an alternative, you can crumble a little bacon or bacon substitute into the mix (yes, I'm a vegetarian, but I also understand the importance of regional cooking! Our first rule when living in the South was "don't even ASK about lard or drippin's...what you don't know won't gag you!"

)

Redwolf

selkie · Post by **selkie** » Wed Jan 22, 2003 7:35 pm

Is this cornbread like ordinary bread? I'm gluten and wheat intolerant and also severely nut and sesame seed allergic to point of death from them. The bread made from rice is so dry and makes me choke. I have some Corn Grits and is this what people are talking about?

spittin_in_the_wind · Post by **spittin_in_the_wind** » Wed Jan 22, 2003 8:16 pm

On 2003-01-22 11:04, Sandy Jasper wrote:
The cornbread we had was from a resturant called "Montanas" It has a cowboy motif thing going. The cornbread is amazing! It is sweet with a crispy oily kind of crust along the side.

So first off, I have to buy a cast Iron pan of some sort, then cornmeal, I can handlle this!!

As chili is a favorite among certain family members, I'll try the tamale pie as well!

I've never had black eyed peas before, I don't even know what they look or taste like! Do you buy them fresh, dried, frozen or in a tin? (One of those mysteries from the age of television!)

Being raised by an English mother and a Scottish Grandmother, I know plenty about shortbread and mint peas and nothing about cornbread and black eyed peas!

Thanks for all the ideas!

Sandy

Oh honey, come over to my house sometime and have blackeyed peas, cornbread, collard greens and chili--I'll show you how it's done!

Robin

[ This Message was edited by: spittin_in_the_wind on 2003-01-22 21:17 ]

Lorenzo · Post by **Lorenzo** » Wed Jan 22, 2003 8:29 pm

Cornbread is best when cooked in a castiron skillet.

spittin_in_the_wind · Post by **spittin_in_the_wind** » Wed Jan 22, 2003 8:32 pm

On 2003-01-22 21:29, Lorenzo wrote:

Cornbread is best when cooked in a castiron skillet.

Exactly!!

Walden · Post by **Walden** » Wed Jan 22, 2003 8:57 pm

On 2003-01-22 10:37, Redwolf wrote:
Throughout the South, black eye peas are traditional on New Years...they symbolize prosperity. In NC, they're usually eaten with greens (the peas represent coins and the greens, dollar bills), and the idea is that you will be prosperous in the New Year if you don't fail to eat this on New Year's Day!

Grandma usually puts okra in her New Years blackeyed peas. She saves the smaller okra pods, and doesn't fry them, and puts them in her blackeyed peas. Likely as not she also serves greens with them, but I don't know of any symbolism.

spittin_in_the_wind · Post by **spittin_in_the_wind** » Wed Jan 22, 2003 9:08 pm

Ohkraaaaahhhhhhh.....sigh.

Daniel_Bingamon · Post by **Daniel_Bingamon** » Wed Jan 22, 2003 9:11 pm

My father would put unsweetened cornbread in a bowl and spring sugar on the crust and pour milk all over it. That was good.

mvhplank · Post by **mvhplank** » Wed Jan 22, 2003 9:32 pm

On 2003-01-22 13:05, TelegramSam wrote:
the whole sugar-in-the-cornbread deal is a southern convention, I think...

I'd be confused too--I've NEVER had sweet cornbread from a native Southern kitchen. Even the strange little cafeteria in Rome, GA, where you could get fried okra and collard greens only offered big squares of salty cornbread, no sweet stuff.

M

spittin_in_the_wind · Post by **spittin_in_the_wind** » Wed Jan 22, 2003 9:43 pm

Gotta agree with the majority here...cornbread isn't supposed to be sweet. I can't eat the cornbread that's made around here (I call it "cake"), it just isn't normal.

I say this with the caveat that I like mine with butter and molasses....however, the cornbread itself is definitely not sweet.

Robin

[ This Message was edited by: spittin_in_the_wind on 2003-01-22 22:45 ]

mvhplank · Post by **mvhplank** » Wed Jan 22, 2003 9:43 pm

On 2003-01-22 20:35, selkie wrote:
Is this cornbread like ordinary bread? I'm gluten and wheat intolerant and also severely nut and sesame seed allergic to point of death from them. The bread made from rice is so dry and makes me choke. I have some Corn Grits and is this what people are talking about?

Well, sort of, but it's a very heavy bread and no good for sandwiches. If you're not allergic to anything in corn (maize), you may be able to eat cornbread--if you make it yourself and know what goes into it. Our family recipe doesn't use flour, it's just corn meal, buttermilk, baking soda, salt, oil, and egg. It tends to crumble and won't hold up to thin slices--I eat it in wedges or "pones", which you make with a special pan with molds shaped like ears of corn.

You wouldn't make cornbread with grits, though, which is more like polenta (as someone previously said).

Corn meal mix probably has some flour in it, which makes the bread hold together better but won't be good for you because of your dietary restrictions.

Enjoy!

M

spittin_in_the_wind · Post by **spittin_in_the_wind** » Wed Jan 22, 2003 9:49 pm

On 2003-01-22 22:43, mvhplank wrote:
On 2003-01-22 20:35, selkie wrote:
Is this cornbread like ordinary bread? I'm gluten and wheat intolerant and also severely nut and sesame seed allergic to point of death from them. The bread made from rice is so dry and makes me choke. I have some Corn Grits and is this what people are talking about?
Well, sort of, but it's a very heavy bread and no good for sandwiches. If you're not allergic to anything in corn (maize), you may be able to eat cornbread--if you make it yourself and know what goes into it. Our family recipe doesn't use flour, it's just corn meal, buttermilk, baking soda, salt, oil, and egg. It tends to crumble and won't hold up to thin slices--I eat it in wedges or "pones", which you make with a special pan with molds shaped like ears of corn.

Care to share the recipe, Marguerite?

cowtime · Post by **cowtime** » Wed Jan 22, 2003 9:53 pm

OK, here's my husband's recipe for real, authentic southern appalachian cornbread-
you really do need a seasoned cast iron skillet to get the real thing-it will be crunchy on the outside-
*set oven at 450 degrees
*melt a little lard or pour some oil(about 3 tablespoons) in skillet and place the skillet in the oven to heat as the oven pre-heats
*mix 2 1/4 cups cornmeal
1 pint of buttermilk
2 eggs
when oven is pre-heated remove the skillet, pour 1/2 of the heated oil in the batter and mix well
*pour this mixture in the skillet and bake 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown on top

when you take the cornbread out of the oven let it set about 10 minutes before turning it out. Slice it into pie shaped pieces, slice the pieces horizontally and butter immediatedly (like a sandwich) then EAT

To truely get the real meal for this bread you need to make a pot of soupbeans to go with the cornbread. There's lots of ways to get the end result-pressure cooker, slow cooking, but I'll tell you how Tom does it-

get a 1 lb. bag of dried pinto beans and "look them"(this involves going through all the beans and picking out any that look bad, or picking out any little rocks that might have gotten in there. Wash the beans.

put the beans in a bowl or pot and cover with water, let set over night

in the morning, drain the water off the beans and put them in a crock pot(slow cooker) with 1 1/2 quarts water, a teaspoon of salt, and a piece of salt pork "fatback" , about a couple of inches thick, OR, you can throw several slices of bacon in there if you don't have any fatback.

Cook on low 8 to 10 hours OR on high 4 to five hours. (If you are very impatient you can do what I use to and bypass the soaking etc. and just throw everything in the pressure cooker and cook about 1 to 1/12 hours.

When your soupbeans and cornbread are ready cut up any one of the following and add to the bowl of soupbeans- sweet onion, lettuce, mayonaise, tomato etc. (I personally prefer onion only)

Hope Ya'll Enjoy!!

This soupbeans and cornbread meal has raised many a family in the hills and is always a favorite meal around here.

I did not think to state that the cornmeal is WHITE cornmeal, none of this yellow stuff.

That reminds me of riding the horse with my grandaddy to take a sack of corn to the mill to be ground for cornmeal for cornbread which was the staple bread around here before cars made going to the store an everyday thing. They always ate cornbread. The sliced white bread that we now buy in stores was known as "light bread", and was not eaten everyday.

Tyghress · Post by **Tyghress** » Wed Jan 22, 2003 10:05 pm

BEANS and CORNBREAD had a FIGHT
BEANS knocked CORNBREAD out of SIGHT
CORNBREAD said now THATS all RIGHT
MEET me on the CORner toMOrrow NIGHT

IIIIIII'll be READY. . .
I'll. . .be ready. . .

We now return you to your normally scheduled program.