cornbread - Related Content

Sister Eulalia's Cornbread

Here is a recipe from one of the older Sisters who worked many years in the St. Rose kitchen. It's a nice fall/winter recipe.

Ingredients:
1/2 C fat (used bacon grease) Vegetable oil is a good substitute.
1/2 C sugar
2 eggs
1 C cornmeal
1 Cup flour
2 T baking powder   
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 C milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Grease and flour a 9” x 9” pan
3. In a medium bowl, combine fat and sugar. Add eggs and set aside.
4. In a separate bowl combine dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, and salt.
5. Add dry ingredients to the fat, sugar, egg mixture, alternating with the milk
6. Bake in prepared pan for 30 to 35 minutes.  Poke a knife in the center and if it comes out clean, it's done!

Story:
Many of us did not know Sister Eulalia, yet her cornbread is remembered long after she has passed from our midst! When we make something with love, the gift and the love it embodies is present.

Memory and love linger. Christians believe that love never dies. In this recipe, remember a “house” Sister who fed and cleaned for a whole community of Sisters so that they could minister. Do you have food memories of loved ones, of a person who prepared a meal so you could be nourished in a time of need? Thank someone this week for gifts made with love. Remember them as we recall Sister Eulalia and are reminded to put love into small acts like cooking, shopping and homemaking for one or for a household.

Corn Facts:

• Archeologists discovered evidence of corn that grew wild near modern-day Mexico City as early as 7,000 years ago.
• Maize began as wild grass. Seeds clung to its stalk and over time farmers selected seeds from the best ears to breed a food more like what we think of as corn today.
• Christopher Columbus described maize kernels as “affixed by nature in a wondrous manner and in form and size like garden peas.” Native to middle America, corn had never been seen by Europeans. They didn’t know how to use or grow it until natives shared their knowledge of a food source that was their sacred sister.
• Wide-ranging trading routes brought maize to other tribes. The Iroquois dried and pounded its kernels into flour and made a paste by adding water. Sometimes nuts or berries were added. Small loaves of this paste were cooked in boiling water until they floated like dumplings. The dough was also baked or fried in oil pressed from sunflower seeds.
• By adding wheat flour from the old world and sweeteners like maple syrup, molasses or honey, settlers built on the basics. When available, eggs and yeast improved this staple grain.
• The use of cornmeal was important to enslaved people because flour was not often available to them. Cornbread biscuits, hoecakes (fire-roasted on the back of a clean shovel), spoon bread and corn grits were ways that poor families of all walks of life valued corn as a sustaining food. It is a favorite in the Southern and Northern states. Corn remains a sacred basic to Native peoples and throughout Central and South American cultures in the form of tortillas, tamales, corn cakes, pozole, hominy and more. 

The tidbits above are adapted from delishably.com, which is also the source of the cornbread photo.

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Ingredients:
2 T extra-virgin olive oil or vegetable oil
1/2 C chopped onion
1/2 C chopped green bell pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz lean ground beef or turkey
1/4 C bulgur (*see note)
2 T chili powder
1 tsp smoked or regular paprika
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 C water
1/3 C ketchup
1/3 C tomato sauce (low sodium or salt-free)
1 T Worcestershire sauce
4 whole wheat hamburger buns, split
Serves 4

Directions:
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add meat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until it is no longer pink, 3-4 minutes. Add onion, bell pepper and garlic. Stir in remaining ingredients, reduce heat to low, cover and cook, stirring once or twice, until the bulgur is tender, 10-12 minutes.

Traditionally served with pickles and potato chips as pictured above by mashed.com in The Untold Truth of Sloppy Joes.

*Note: Bulgur is a quick-cooking whole grain that’s made by parboiling, drying and grinding or cracking wheat berries. It can be fine or coarse, which has a similar texture as cooked ground meat. Using it in this recipe cuts the saturated fat in half and adds 6 grams of fiber. With a whole wheat bun, the fiber count goes up some more!

Bulgur can be found in the whole foods section in bags or in bulk. Bob's Red Mill is a popular brand. Click this All Recipe link for a video version of preparing this recipe using all beef!

Story:
Bulgur: Bulgur is a whole grain, meaning it contains the endosperm, germ and bran of the grain. Because it comes from the whole wheat seed or “berry”, it is rich in fiber, B vitamins and other nutrients and has a nutty taste no matter what seasonings are used. The wheat berry itself can also be used after cooking in many similar dishes.

Bulgur is a wheat product. We picture “amber waves of grain”, wheat shining in the sun across the American Plains. While wheat grows in many parts of the world today, the humble origin of wheat is Egypt, the Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean or the “fertile crescent.” Originally, foraged, early cultivated species of wheat were einkorn, emmer and spelt which are gaining interest today for their health benefits.

The first bread was most likely baked in Egypt where archeologists believe it may have been the result of flour accidentally falling into the brewing barley beer. Huge wood-fired ovens have been unearthed in Egypt which may have been built and stoked with wood by the hands of Hebrew slaves and others. Jesus and his friends would have been raised on whole wheat barley and wheat loaves of all kinds.

Cooked, bulgur can be added to bread dough (reduce flour in recipe by 3/4 C and water by 1/4 C.) Use it in a Greek Salad called Tabouli or as a substitute for rice or couscous.

Sloppy Joes: Some believe that this popular sandwich is a more flavorful version of a Midwest “loose meat” sandwich like Iowa’s Maid-Rite or Nu-Way. Mashed.com writes that the Sloppy Joe got its start in Sioux City where a cook named Joe (translate “common” Joe) added tomato sauce and seasonings to a loose hamburger, making it sloppy. Others claim it originated in a messy or “sloppy” restaurant owned by Jose Otero in Havana, Cuba. His sandwich became known by his nickname, “Sloppy Joe.” It seems a famous patron was Ernest Hemmingway who convinced a friend in Key West, Florida to Americanize the sandwich and rename his restaurant “Sloppy Joe’s!” This eatery still serves over 50,000 “Sloppy Joes” and hosts a yearly Hemmingway look-a-like contest. Conagra's Hunts Foods (known for tomato products and ketchup) developed a special sauce named “Manwich,” advertising that “a sandwich is a sandwich, but a Manwich is a meal!” presenting an even quicker route to the convenient dish.

The Sloppy Joe is a popular school lunch item and can be made for a crowd at home in a slow cooker or “Nesco.” Today the Sloppy Joe has meatless versions using all bulgur or TVP (textured vegetable protein). A leaner version called the Sloppy Jane, is made with ground turkey. Sloppy Joe filling can be served on a hoagie and topped with cheese, wrapped in lettuce or a tortilla, embellished with coleslaw and onions. Variations make it an even more popular recipe!

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Ingredients:
1 C yellow cornmeal
1 1/2 C amaranth (may substitute all-purpose flour)
3 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
3 T maple syrup (pure is best!) 
1 sweet red pepper, chopped
1/3 C warm water
1/2 C coconut oil (may substitute sunflower or corn oil)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line an 8x8” baking dish with parchment paper
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. Add maple syrup and sweet pepper
3. Stir in water until just combined, then add oil (a few lumps are fine)
4. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and gently smooth the batter
5. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown

Option: Brush additional maple syrup on cornbread as a glaze while still hot.

Story: The recipe Maple Amaranth Cornbread is shared by Meg Paulino who has been part of maple syrup production on Saint Joseph Ridge. It was posted by the Ho-Chunk Nation's Division of Health as a Harvest of the Month. For Indigenous people, both maple syrup and amaranth have many uses and sacred connections to their food sovereignty, culture and spirituality.

Amaranth Facts:

Amaranth has more than 70 species. It can grow up to 9’ and has bright purple, red, or yellow flowers. The young plants and growing tips of older plants make nutritious vegetables that can be boiled like spinach or eaten raw as salad.

Some varieties are valued ornamental plants as both the leaves and the flowers can be stunning. Others are grown for their seeds which can be cooked whole or ground into flour. The plant is indigenous to North and Central America but also grown today in China, India, Southeast Asia, West Africa and the Caribbean. It is shown above during harvest in India.

Amaranth is considered a seed. The seed is about the size of a pinhead. Amaranth has 9 grams of protein per cup and twice the amount of protein as rice and corn. It is a complete protein, meaning it contains all the essential amino acids your body needs. It is also is gluten-free, and high in minerals and antioxidants.

It is harvested and stored much like other common cereals like quinoa and buckwheat. It can be stored whole in the pantry for 4 months or in the freezer for 8 months. Amaranth flour can be kept in the pantry for 2 months or in the freezer for up to 4 months. It pairs well with squash, corn, cinnamon, vanilla and chocolate. We would find Amaranth in the whole foods section of a coop or other grocery store. Bob's Red Mill is one of many companies that sells amaranth and other whole foods. Amaranth can be foraged. However, if it grows in an area that may have been sprayed or grows in pesticide-sprayed soil, it will most likely absorb the toxic chemicals, making the plant itself toxic.

This hardy plant has followed the cycles of colonization which brought it from its origins in mesoamerican to China, India, Southeast Asia, West Africa and the Caribbean. The harvest of amaranth is shown above in India. Colorful names have been used for it's many species such as African spinach, bush greens, callaloo, Chinese spinach, golden grain of the Gods, Indian spinach, Joseph's coat, yin-choi and love-lies-bleeding and pigweed.

Ancient Indigenous Food:
The Aztecs of mesoamerica cultivated amaranth as one of their major crops and used it during several seasonal festivals honoring various deities. The American Indian Health and Diet Project describes one festival in May during which milled amaranth and toasted corn seeds are mixed with honey or maguay sap (much like agave). This sweet dough was used to make idols that represented the war god Huitzilopochtli. Food historian Jonathan D. Sauer writes that "during the festival meal these idols are broken up, distributed, and eaten in a communion-like ceremony."

"In the 16th century, Spanish conquistadors banned the plant's cultivation, fearing that the spiritual connection with it would stymie the establishment of Catholicism on the continent. Quinoa had a similar demise, but was rediscovered centuries later."

Ecology journalist Cecilia Cowell writes in the Guardian, "It could feed the world: amaranth, a health trend 8,000 years old that survived colonization." She reports that "for many Indigenous farmers in Guatemala and the United States, growing amaranth has provided a degree of economic independence, but it has also offered a route to food sovereignty.

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Tomato Upside Down Cornbread

Ingredients:
3 medium tomatoes sliced into 1/4-inch-thick slices
3-5 T grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
several grinds black pepper
1/2 C fresh dill chopped OR 4 tsp dried
3/4 C medium grind cornmeal
1-1 1/4 C milk
3/4 C all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp kosher salt (less if using regular salt or if using salted butter)
6 T melted butter
1 T sugar
3/4 C plain yogurt or sour cream
2 eggs

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Cut out a round of parchment paper and line the bottom of a 10-10 1/2-inch cast iron skillet. Lightly oil the upper side of the parchment with oil.
2. Place tomatoes in a single layer, cut side up, on the parchment to cover the entire skillet. Top with a grind or two of pepper, most of the dill (reserving just enough for garnish), and a generous layer of fresh grated Parmesan or Romano cheese- between 1/4 and 1/2 cup.
3. In a medium saucepan combine the milk and cornmeal over medium heat. Cook, stirring or whisking constantly, until it is the consistency of the batter and completely lump-free, about 3-4 minutes. If it gets too thick add 1 or 2 T. of milk. Remove from heat and transfer to a large bowl.
4. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pepper together in a large bowl; set aside.
5. Whisk together the melted butter and sugar, and add to the cooked cornmeal mixture. Next whisk in the yogurt. Make sure the cornmeal mixture isn’t so hot it will cook the eggs and then whisk in the eggs until thoroughly combined. Fold in flour mixture until thoroughly combined and the batter is very thick.
6. Pour the batter into the skillet, then smooth it into an even layer over the tomatoes. Bake until the top is golden brown, and the edges have pulled away from the sides of the skillet, 22 to 25 minutes.
7. Let the cake cool for at least 10 minutes, then run a knife along the edge of the pan. Invert onto a large plate and carefully remove the layer of parchment.
8. Garnish with remaining fresh dill and an additional sprinkle of grated cheese.
9. Slice into wedges. Serve warm or at room temperature. Makes 8 servings.
10. Can be covered and stored at room temperature for one or two days.

Story: 
At this time of year, tomatoes couldn't be more gorgeous! This recipe celebrates them. One of the healing secrets of food is that when we slow down, we can more intensely appreciate the beauty of what Mother earth produces! Use all your senses to take in the color and shape, fragrance, and intricacy of the fruits of creation!

Try this exercise at meal or snack time soon: Take time as you shop and look around at the beauty of fresh food. Take it slow as you prepare food and before you eat. Touch and smell a fresh fruit or vegetable. Break it open. Look for the colors and patterns of seeds, juice, flesh and skin. Consider it as an artist in awe of his or her creation. Become aware of the God who made food just to please us, to offer what earth’s creatures need.Take a small taste and notice how it feels in your mouth, individual flavors and textures. Be mindful as you slowly chew and swallow each bite. Let yourself sense what this product of soil, wind, water and hands has brought to your table and to life. Continue to eat slowly as you honor our brother and sister plants and animals who heal and nourish the world.

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