A Menu around Cornbread

At the beginning of April, I wanted to break in the new cast iron skillet I had purchased. I wanted cornbread first, and since when I think cornbread I think Southern food, I decided to make black-eyed peas and kale to go with it.

Butter melting in the pan to grease it:

Then while the cornbread is baking in the oven, I make the black eyed peas (Dean Ornish's Hoppin' John):

The black-eyed peas are under that layer of vegetable broth, promise.
And the kale (I do not remember at all the recipe I used for this):

Now the cornbread is out of the oven:

And we have a meal:

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Hoppin' John (by Dr. Dean Ornish, from Everyday Cooking with Dr. Dean Ornish)

INGREDIENTS:

1 (20-once) bag frozen black-eyed peas
1 onion, chopped
1 cup chopped celery
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 3/4 cups Vegetable Broth, homemade or store-bought
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 3/4 cups instant brown rice
1 red bell pepper, seeds and ribs removed, finely diced
Liquid hot pepper sauce or hot pepper vinegar (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, combine peas, onion, celery, garlic, broth, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer gently 30 minutes.

Uncover, add rice, and stir to combine. When liquid returns to a boil, cover and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let rest, covered, for 10 minutes. Remove the bay leaf.

Just before serving, add the bell pepper and stir with a fork to fluff the mixture. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Transfer to a serving bowl. Serve, if desired, with hot pepper sauce or hot pepper vinegar.

Serving size: 1 cup
Calories: 318
Fat: 2.2 g
Cholesterol: 0
Carbohydrate: 66.3 g
Protein: 9.0 g
Sodium: 748.0 mg


Grandma's 365 Day Buttermilk Cornbread (by Texas Cooking)

INGREDIENTS:

3 tablespoons bacon drippings (I used butter instead)
2 eggs
1-1/2 cups corn meal
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1-1/4 cups buttermilk (Made my own using vinegar and milk)

INSTRUCTIONS:

This cornbread is best baked in a 10-inch cast iron skillet but if you don't have one, a Pyrex dish will do just fine. If you halve this recipe, use an 8-inch square dish; if not, use a 9x13-inch dish or pan.
Preheat oven to 400°F.

Put the bacon drippings in your baking dish or skillet and let them melt while the oven is preheating and you're mixing up the batter.

Beat the eggs in a medium bowl until frothy. Add the corn meal, salt and baking soda, and stir to thoroughly combine. Add the buttermilk and stir well. Remove the hot pan from the oven. Swirl the pan to make sure it is coated with melted bacon drippings, and pour the bacon drippings into the batter. Stir well to combine.

Pour the batter into the pan, and bake 25 to 30 minutes. Cornbread will begin to pull away from the sides of the pan.

Makes six servings. (Very large servings)

Prep time: 10 minutes; Cooking time: 20-25 minutes; Total time: 30-35 minutes