a longer table
After decades of relentlessly increasing pressure, the human footprint on the earth has suddenly lightened. Air traffic halved by mid-March compared with the same time last year. Last month, road traffic fell in the UK by more than 70%, to levels last seen when the Beatles were in shorts. With less human movement, the planet has literally calmed: seismologists report lower vibrations from “cultural noise” than before the pandemic.
Also in nature news: a bear decimated my compost bin, like WRECKED it, but somehow silently, allowing Gus the dog unfettered access to the dregs of the festering fart nutrients on his last-pee outing of the evening (what a night that was for all of us!), and there is, as of this writing, a member of the vibrant and robust Chimney Mouse community (the one that has me whapping the stonework with a mallet like some menopausal Elmer Fudd when their raucous clogging parties in the ceiling get too loud) in the kitchen sink, where he and I will at some later moment come to agreement about how to extricate him.
But elsewhere in the kitchen, some heavy duty Greta Gerwig action has taken place. I normally make a monthly outing to cook community supper at my local community center but that’s just the kind of community thing that is not happening as we hunker down. Instead they asked me to make a little video of a dinner people could make at home, and while I might normally say, ‘ha ha oh my no’ to that, these days I am a fervent worshiper at Dance Church, and Normal Times Janet would rather have her eyeballs combed with hot fork than attend anything with even a passing resemblance to a dance class. Strange days.
So I strapped my $4 flexi-tripod to a bottle of canola oil and made a little movie. Brace yourself, America. THE GENIE IS OUT OF THE JAR. Lord knows what will happen next. Dogs! To wardrobe! We need you on set in five!
Meanwhile, you can catch the world premiere here. And the details on how to make the dinner (not the movie) follow below.
This meal is a way to deploy a lot of things that are probably already in your pantry and fridge, and create something hearty and comforting while you’re at it. It’s comfortable with substitutions and adaptations; if you have no buttermilk, use a mixture of regular milk and plain yogurt, or stir a tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice into some regular milk and let it sit while you mix everything else. Black beans or kidney beans or really any beans can stand in for the pintos, or use a chopped sweet potato instead or in addition. No green chiles? Use salsa. You see how it goes.
The cornbread uses a magical trick—a cup of heavy cream gets poured into the mixed batter once you have it in the pan, and some scientific mischief occurs in the oven to create a layer of savory custard in the middle of the bread. The recipe I started from called for a minced jalapeño, which I didn’t have. My fridge offered up a jar of pickled jalapeño slices, and while I can’t for the life of me explain how they got there, they did nicely in this pinch. A handful of frozen corn kernels or a couple/few chopped green onions would offer similar sparkly interest to the program if you have no peppers of any kind. If you don’t have any cream, well—then you will have cornbread without custard and who will even know what they missed out on, if you don’t tell them?
Serve the cornbread hot, with the chili ladled over it and lots more grated cheese and cilantro on top; a little sliced avocado and green salsa, if you have them, makes the bowl super nice but you’ll be happy enough without it I bet.
Warm wishes for full bellies and the soonest safe return to breaking bread together.
If you have extra these days, please consider the following (and share the helpers you are helping, in the comments!)
Indigenous Impact Rapid Response Fund
Custardy Cornbread with Some-bean Chili
For the chili:
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon mild chile powder
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 15 ounce can roasted tomatoes
3 cups cooked, drained pinto beans
1 4 ounce can chopped roasted green chiles
salt to taste
Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Sauté the onion until it’s soft, then add the garlic and the ground spices. Sauté briefly, until fragrant, then add the tomato paste and stir several times. Add the can of tomatoes, stirring well, then the beans and green chiles and about 2/3 cup of water.. Let this bubble a moment, then stir in the cilantro and salt to taste. Leave to simmer about 15 minutes, then hold until the cornbread is ready.
For the cornbread:
1 cup all purpose flour (120g)
For a gluten-free version, use this mixture instead:
½ c plus 1 tablespoon sweet rice flour (90g)
3T tapioca flour (20g)
1½ tablespoons buckwheat flour (10g)
¾ cups cornmeal (115g)
2 teaspoons sugar
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons finely minced pickled jalapeno
¾ cup shredded cheddar or jack cheese
4 tablespoons butter
2 eggs
2 cups buttermilk
1 cup heavy cream
Heat the oven to 375°. Have a 9” cast iron skillet or other heavy pan at the ready.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients until very well combined. Toss the cheese and minced pepper into this mixture.
Put the butter in the pan, and place the pan in the oven.
Drop the eggs into the measuring cup that holds the milk and whisk lightly, then pour into the dry ingredients and mix almost completely. Carefully pull the hot pan from the oven and pour all but about a tablespoon of the melted butter into the batter and whisk it in. Swirl the pan to ensure the remaining butter coats all sides, and then scrape the batter into the pan.
Pour the heavy cream into the center of the batter. Don’t stir! Slide the pan into the hot oven and bake until the top is golden and the sides begin to pull away from the pan, 35-40 minutes.
TO SERVE
Scoop the hot cornbread into bowls and top with a ladleful of the chili. Top as desired with grated cheese, chopped cilantro, cubed avocado and salsa.