Snacks & sides
Jalapeño cheddar cornbread
This is a moist, savoury cornbread baked in a cast-iron pan or cake tin, with fresh jalapeño and cheddar through it. Serve it warm with butter alongside chilli con carne, soup or barbecue.
Big-podded jalapeños like Megatron and Mammoth are easy to dice and give plenty of flesh per chilli. Scrape out the seeds and membrane for a milder bake.
- Prep 15 min
- Cook 30 min
- Total 45 min
- Serves 8
Ingredients
- 200 g fine cornmeal or polenta
- 125 g plain flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 eggs
- 300 ml buttermilk
- 80 g butter, melted, plus extra for the pan
- 150 g grated sharp cheddar
- 2 to 3 jalapeños, finely diced
- 2 spring onions, sliced
Method
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Step 1
Heat
Heat the oven to 200°C and put a buttered 23 cm cast-iron pan or cake tin in to warm.
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Step 2
Mix dry
Whisk the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar in a large bowl.
-
Step 3
Mix wet
Whisk the eggs, buttermilk and melted butter together, then stir into the dry ingredients until just combined.
-
Step 4
Fold
Fold through most of the cheddar, the jalapeños and spring onions.
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Step 5
Bake
Pour into the hot pan, scatter over the rest of the cheese and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until golden and a skewer comes out clean. Rest for 10 minutes before cutting.
Grow your own
The chillies in this recipe are easy to grow from seed in New Zealand.
