Green chile spoon bread

Spoonbread is from the deep Southern US. It has a pudding-like texture and is so delicate that it needs to be eaten with a spoon, hence the name. It was believed to have originated when a frontierswoman accidentally combined ingredients for cornbread and corn mush.

This recipe is light, fluffy, and delicate. It is gently spiced with green chiles and has a wonderful texture from the corn. I served it as an accompaniment with Red bean gumbo with greens, but it is a wonderful side for any meal.

This book of bread from the South includes some fantastic recipes from New Mexico and the famed Cafe where I had a wonderful dinner. Every recipe I have tried, like this one, has been amazing and brings out the flavours and history of the region and its people.

For more recipes from this cookbook, click here.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups milk

1 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup cornmeal

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4-1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

2 New Mexico green chiles, de-seeded and diced fine

3/4 cup frozen corn

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 eggs, separated and the yolks lightly beaten

9-inch square Pyrex/baking dish

Butter

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Coat a 9-inch Pyrex dish with butter. Set aside.

Cook the corn and diced chiles in the oil in a frying pan until the corn is charred, about 4-5 minutes. Turn the heat off and set the pan aside. Alternatively, mix the chiles and corn with the oil and broil in an oven till charred, about 10 minutes.

Heat the milk, oil, and butter in a pot until they simmer. Add the cornmeal and spices and stir to mix in. Continue to stir so no lumps form and the cornmeal thickens, about 3-5 minutes. (It may take longer for coarse cornmeal, but it adds a wonderful grainy texture to the dish.) Taste the cornmeal to make sure it is cooked. You may need to add a touch of milk to make the mix wet. Remove from the heat.

Add the charred chiles to the pot and mix in. Mix in the buttermilk. Add the beaten egg yolks and mix in. Beat the egg whites to soft peaks. Gently fold the whites into the mix.

Pour this mix into the buttered Pyrex dish. Set the Pyrex dish in a larger baking pan and put it in the oven. Fill the outer pan with water until it is about halfway up the Pyrex dish.

Bake for 20-25 minutes till the top is a deep golden. When the bread is cooked through, a toothpick or knife will come out dry and clean.

Serve warm out of the Pyrex dish.