Vera Beck’s Cornbread with Cheese and Chiles
Vera Beck resembled one of those African-American matriarchs who, once upon a time, were thought of as saints—a woman in her twilight years whose culinary expressiveness was like a gift she bestowed upon the people she loved. In the few short years we had together at the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Vera taught me a few life lessons while showing me the way to light and flaky buttermilk biscuits.
Ingredients
- 2 cups yellow cornmeal
- 1 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 cups shortening
- 3/4 cups buttermilk
- 1 egg, beaten
- 15 ounces cream-style corn
- 4 ounces diced green chiles
- 1/4 cups chopped green onion
- 1 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 375°.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix well with a wire whisk.
- Melt the shortening in an 8-inch cast-iron skillet. Pour the shortening, buttermilk and beaten egg into the dry ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon until just moist.
- Stir in the corn, chiles and green onion and pour half the batter into the hot skillet. Sprinkle with cheese.
- Top with the remaining batter and bake for 40 minutes, or until done.
