This green chilli cornbread is the perfect accompaniment to a bowl of mussels or to any hearty dish with a tomato-based sauce. Can’t wait for the evening meal? Eat it fresh out of the oven slathered with butter and honey (and then make a second batch in time for dinner!).
Ingredients
- 1 large Green chilli
- 115g of butter, melted and cooled
- 180g of cornmeal “polenta flour”
- 130g of self-raising flour – sifted
- 1½ teaspoons of baking powder – sifted
- ½ teaspoon of bi-carb soda – sifted
- 50g of brown sugar
- 2 ½ cups (590 ml) of buttermilk
- 2 eggs
Method
- Finely slice the green chilli.
- Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 220*C. Put the butter in a 23cm cast-iron skillet or non-sticky pan and place in the oven for 4 minutes until the butter is foamy.
- In a large bowl, sift the self-raising flour, baking powder and bi-carb soda. Add the cornmeal and and brown sugar and mix together.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs and remaining melted butter. Stir in the sliced green chilli.
- Make a well in the centre of the flour and cornmeal mix and pour the buttermilk mixture in. Stir just until well combined.
- Pour the batter into the hot buttered skillet.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.
- Let cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a cutting board and serve.