Don't Forget the Chilis

By now you know that chili peppers are my favorite seasoning.  I use them in a lot of recipes.  There are endless varieties of size, color and heat to choose from and they all add tons of flavor to sweet or savory dishes.  The smaller ones tend to be hotter. 

Peppers are delicious in meat and vegetable dishes, eggs, salsas, breads, muffins, jams and jellies.  My favorite recipe for the bright and shiny little jalapeno is now Green Chili Corn Bread. 

My neighbor made some recently.  She’s a terrific cook and always on the lookout for new recipes.  She clips them out of every magazine and newspaper she can get her hands on, and she found another good one. 

The other night we dined with her and she barbecued chicken.  It was served with a salad and, of course, this incredible Green Chili Corn Bread.  It was golden yellow, loaded with green peppers, very moist and absolutely delicious.  It was the best I’d ever tasted.  Naturally, she gave me the recipe. 

The combination of the fresh green chiles, creamed corn and cheddar cheese makes this corn bread one of the most satisfying in color, texture and flavor.  It was delicious smeared with sweet soft butter. 

The heat delivered by some chili peppers comes from the natural substance called capsaicin.  The capsaicin is mainly in the inner white ribs running down the middle and along the sides.  Removing both seeds and ribs minimizes the heat considerably but not completely.  Some heat actually imparts flavor too. 

Since jalapenos can be rather spicy, in this recipe I removed all the seeds and ribs before dicing them.  Two medium-size jalapenos measured almost a half-cup.  That was close enough.  Depending on your heat preference, you may want to do the same.  You can enjoy the flavor without having to fight the heat. 

 

Green Chili Corn Bread

1 C butter

¾ C sugar

4 eggs

½ C green chilis, seeded, ribs removed and diced small

1 ½ C canned cream corn

½ C cheddar cheese, shredded

1 C flour

1 C yellow corn meal

2 T baking powder

1 t salt

Preheat the oven to 325º and butter a 9” square pan.

Measure the flour, corn meal, baking powder and salt and set aside.  Cream the butter and sugar.  Add the eggs one at a time.  Add the dry ingredients a little at a time.  Add the chilis and cheese and mix well to combine. 

Pour the batter into the buttered pan and bake 1 hour.  Test with a toothpick in the center for doneness.  Cool before slicing and don’t forget to serve with plenty of soft sweet butter. 

Enjoy!

©Pauline Boren 2010

Any questions or comments?  Contact me at conservativecook@gmail.com.