Skillet-Sizzled Heaven from Crescent Dragonwagon

As some DallasEats readers may recall, last year at this time I was busy working on a review of a new cookbook for San Antonio's alt-weekly, The Current.  The cookbook in question was The Cornbread Gospels by Crescent Dragonwagon, and I chronicled my mouthwatering adventures exploring its fascinating subject matter in two posts - here and here.

Dragonwagon, the James Beard Award-winning author of Passionate Vegetarian, turned food historian for her follow-up book, tackling a homespun subject and revealing its deep-rooted relevance to cultures all around the world and right here in our own American back yards.  In The Cornbread Gospels she presents dozens of variations on the "basic cornbread" theme (illustrating in the process that cornbread is anything but basic), as well as recipes for cornmeal-based quickbreads, flatbreads, yeast breads and desserts.  

I fell in love with this book, quite by accident.  Hautily, I'd expected to maintain my professional detachment with ease while working on the project, ambivalent as I'd been about cornbread for most of my life - I'd always thought I could take it or leave it.  My first batch of Dairy Hollow House Skillet-Sizzled Cornbread changed all that.  The moment I poured golden batter into a pool of butter as it bubbled in my mother's cast-iron skillet, I knew I'd been converted by Dragonwagon's Gospels.  I continued cooking my way through the book with a newfound hunger for the soul-warming comfort of cornbread.

Below you'll find Crescent Dragonwagon's signature cornbread recipe (pictured above in the top left quadrant), named for the acclaimed bed and breakfast she ran for many years in Eureka Springs, Arkansas.  It would pair beautifully with FP's recipe for Green Chile with Pork, presented earlier this week.

Crescent Dragonwagon's

Dairy Hollow House Skillet-Sizzled Cornbread

vegetable oil cooking spray

1 cup unbleached white flour

1 cup stone-ground yellow cornmeal

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/4 cups buttermilk

2 tablespoons sugar

1 egg

1/4 cup mild vegetable oil

2 tablespoons butter

1.  Preheat oven to 375.  Spray a 10-inch skillet with cooking spray and set aside.

2.  Sift together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl.

3.  In a smaller bowl, stir the baking soda into the buttermilk.  Whisk in the sugar, egg and vegetable oil.

4.  Put the prepared skillet over medium heat, add the butter, and heat until the butter melts and is just starting to sizzle.  Tilt the pan to coat the sides and bottom.

5.  Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and combine quickly, using as few strokes as possible.  Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake until the cornbread is golden brown, about 20 minutes.  Slice into wedges and serve.

Are You Ready For Some Football (Food)?

In my house, football season is greeted with the same excitement usually reserved for kindergarteners on Christmas morning. Every weekend we anticipate the Longhorn’s and Cowboys’ match-ups, and catch as many games our Fantasy Football players are playing in (yes, I play Fantasy Football) as possible.

Few foods pair as well with football and beer as chili. However, few foods make a room full of guys (and gals) as sluggish and let’s face it, gassy, as traditional chili. Over the years, I have cultivated a healthier chili recipe. It is satisfying, easy and deeply delicious - if a little unconventional - and pleases any football fan (and even those who aren’t - just ask C&S).

Robin’s Four Pepper Turkey Chili

2 tsp. olive oil
1 yellow onion, coarsely chopped

1 poblano pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped

1 red bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped

1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 tsp. salt (preferably kosher or sea salt) + 1 tsp. salt
2 jalapeño peppers, seeded (or not, if you like it uber-spicy) and minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb. of lean ground turkey (93/7 is good)

28 oz. can of tomato sauce

28 oz. can of petite diced tomatoes (drained)
28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes

15 oz. can of Rotel tomatoes, drained
2 tbs. chili powder
2 tbs. cumin
2 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
6 oz. can of tomato paste
15 oz. can of hominy, drained

In a large non-stick pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onions, red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, and poblano pepper and sprinkle with 1 tsp. of salt. Sauté for 5-7 minutes or until the onions start to get translucent. Add the jalapeños and sauté for another minute. Add the garlic and sauté for another minute. Transfer the pepper mixture to a plate.

In the same pot, add the turkey breast and brown. Once cooked through, add the peppers back to the pot and combine. Add the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, Rotel tomatoes, 1 tsp. salt and the rest of the spices. Bring to a slight bubble and add the tomato paste until completely incorporated. Add the hominy last, reduce the heat to medium low, and cover. Cook for at least an hour or as long as you can stand it.

Serve it with:
Cilantro
Sour cream
Fritos