Foggy Day Chili & Farm Stand Cornbread
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Chili and cornbread are two of my favorite things to eat on crisp autumn or cold winter days. Not only do they fill you up, but they make you feel warm and toasty, transforming the icy winds into a welcome mealtime accompaniment. Sure the weather outside may be frightful, but in here honey, I got me some kick-ass chili and a hunk ‘o cornbread! Delightful indeed. I like to mix bits of cornbread into my chili. 
Last weekend we received our first taste of ‘real’ winter weather when a snow storm hit Connecticut, canceling Sunday school to the jubilation of students everywhere. (Except for my students, who obviously were crushed by the thought of not seeing me.) I used the extra time to dabble in the kitchen and get ahead on school work, the result being a finished final paper, a steaming pot of Foggy Day Chili and a tray of Farm Stand Cornbread. Cornbread is one of those dishes that many people nostalgically associate with down-home American cooking, but in truth cornbread has its roots in Native American cooking. Native Americans roasted their corn and ground it into meal that was used to make cakes, breads and porridges, including something called “ash cake.” This last dish was exactly what its name implies - a corn cake, which was wrapped in leaves and then baked in the ashes of a fire.
Colonial settlers learned about cornmeal from the Native Americans, and the addition of corn-based dishes to their diets is what helped them survive the hardship of their initial years on the North American continent. Hence, while we imagine colonial wives happily serving cornbread in their kitchens, in reality they saw cornbread as the food of hardship. They were used to cooking with flour and lamented the coarse texture of cornmeal, not to mention its refusal to respond to yeast. No matter how they cooked their breads and cakes the results were a far cry from baked goods made with expensive wheat flour. But if anything colonial housewives were resourceful and innovative in the kitchen, so not long after they learned about cornmeal we find things like johnny-cakes, slapjacks, spoonbreads and grits popping up in journals and handwritten cookbooks. The colonial version of cornbread emerged here as a creative combination of meal, which was readily available, and flour, which was harder to come by. Eventually the colonial palate grew accustomed to corn, so that generations later we not only enjoy cornbread but also view it as a tasty throwback to colonial cooking. Funny how things work out huh? Hurray for cornbread! (And chili, which has a fascinating history all its own.)
The recipes featured in this post are from Food to Live By, by Myra Goodman. This past week I raffled off six copies of this book in the sidebar and the lucky winners were: Susan G (#19), jL (#6), Martha (#9), Karen (#14), Rachel (#18), and Megan (#20). Congrats everyone! The last book in my holiday giveaway is currently listed in the right-hand sidebar - check it out! 
Foggy Day Chili
Reprinted with permission from Food to Live By, by Myra Goodman. Recipe has been slightly adapted.
Ingredients: Serves 6
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, cut into 1/4 inch dice (about 3/4 cup)
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef (I used fake meat, Yves is a good brand)
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 can (15 oz) black beans, undrained
- 1 can (15 oz) pinto beans, undrained
- 1 can (28 oz) crushed or diced tomatoes, with their juices
- 1 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Dried red pepper flakes (optional, I didn’t use them)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder (up to 1/2 tsp is fine, depending on tastes)
- Top with freshly grated cheddar cheese and/or sour cream if you like
I added:
Heat the oil in a large, heavy pot over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until the onion and garlic are soft but not browned, about 1 minute longer. Add the beef or fake meat, and break up the meat with a wooden spoon.
Increase the heat to medium-high and add the cumin, chili powder, and oregano. Cook, stirring frequently, until the meat is browned and cooked through, about 7 minutes. If you are using fake meat, cook about 2 minutes, just until the ‘meat’ is heated.
Add the chipotle powder, tomato paste, black beans, pinto beans, and diced tomatoes, with their liquids, and bring the chili to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and let the chili simmer, gently stirring occasionally until thickened and the flavors are concentrated, about 45 minutes.
Add the salt, then taste for seasoning, adding more salt as needed, black pepper to taste, and red pepper flakes, if using. Serve the chili hot with bowls of grated cheese and sour cream on the side, if desired, and corn bread. If you are not planning on serving the chili at this time, let it cool to room temperature. It can be refrigerated, covered, for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
Farm Stand Cornbread
Reprinted with permission from Food to Live By, by Myra Goodman.
Ingredients: Makes one 9×13 inch cornbread
- Butter for greasing pan
- 3 large eggs
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 1 1/2 cups half-and-half
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 cups fine yellow cornmeal
- 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 cup fresh corn kernels (from 2 ears); or 1 cup frozen, unthawed kernels; or well-drained canned corn kernels
- 3/4 cup freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese, or any other cheese you like
Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter a 9×13 inch baking pan and set it aside.
Break the eggs into a medium-size bowl and whisk until just combined. Add the butter, half-and-half, and cream and whisk well.
Place the cornmeal, flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar in a large bowl and whisk to combine well.
Add the egg mixture to the cornmeal mixture and stir with a rubber spatula until partially combined. Add the corn kernels and cheese and stir until just combined. Do not over mix the batter or the corn bread will be tough. Spoon the batter into the prepared baking pan and smooth the surface (the batter, will be very thick).
Bake the cornbread until it is lightly golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 25 to 35 minutes. Serve warm. The corn bread tastes best the day it’s made, but if necessary, it can be stored in an airtight container and refrigerated for up to 3 days. Reheat it in a microwave for about 20-30 seconds or in a preheat 350 degree F oven for 5 to 10 minutes.
Food to Live By, by Myra Goodman, features over 260 organic recipes that will make you reconsider, in a good way, what it means to eat healthfully. From sweet dishes like ‘Sarah’s Chocolate Souffles with Raspberry Sauce’ and ‘Earthbound Farm Ginger Snaps,’ to savory options like ‘Creamy Potato Gratin’ and ‘Ziti with Ratatouille,’ this book proves how healthy eating can have a rich variety of flavors. I especially loved Goodman’s recipe for ‘Farm Stand Cornbread,’ which includes cream, fresh corn and cheese among its ingredients: the ratio of these indulgent tidbits isn’t high enough to offset the hearty character of the bread, but it is just enough to produce an irresistible taste and texture. Goodman recommends serving the cornbread along with a bowl of her ‘Foggy Day Chili,’ which is another recipe I enjoyed, though I did add a bit of chipotle powder to kick the heat up a notch, and used ‘fake meat’ instead of ground beef. With the exception of ‘Foggy Day Chili,’ I didn’t try any of the meat recipes, but the vegetarian and baking recipes were satisfying. Many recipes include helpful kitchen tips that teach you about, for example, the differences between fresh, crystallized and ground ginger, or how to extract artichoke hearts effortlessly. Nearly every recipe is accompanied by an eye-catching photo - speaking of which, the image accompanying Goodman’s recipe for ‘Mexican Albondigas Soup’ made me long for my pre-vegetarian days. It sure looked good!
Chapters include: It All Began with Raspberries (all raspberry recipes in this section); Soups; Leafy Green Salads; Meat and Poultry Main Dishes; Fish and Shellfish; Pasta and Vegetarian Main Dishes; Side Dishes; Breakfast and Lunch; Desserts; and a Basics section that has recipes for homemade stocks, sauces, vinegars and other kitchen staples.
Other Posts You Might Like:- Avocado Enchiladas with Smokey Chipotle Sauce
- Lemon Berry Babycakes with Cinnamon-Nut Streusel
- Sweet Corn Coffeecake with Strawberries & Blackberries
- Upside Down Cardamom Pear Cake
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23 Responses to “Foggy Day Chili & Farm Stand Cornbread”
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The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of a Donner Party Bride By Daniel James Brown
It's not often that a history book will compel me to set all my novels aside, but "The Indifferent Stars Above" certainly did. Within the first few pages I was spellbound. I had to know how Sarah, a young woman newly married to her childhood sweetheart, would end up on top of the Sierra Nevada mountains in the dead of winter, starving and forced to do unspeakable things in order to survive.
"The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of a Donner Party Bride" tells the story of the Donner Party from the perspective of newlyweds Sarah Graves and Jay Fosdick. In April of 1846 the couple joined Sarah's family as they journeyed west from Illinois to the promised land of California. (Read the rest of this review...)
ooh, i made ash cake once at camp. we took a field trip to some native american stomping ground, and made the ash cake exactly the way you described it. we also made looms out of bent sticks, and learned to use them to make beaded bracelets.
The cornbread sounds crazy good!
Ooh, I think I may have to make some chili tonight
This would have been perfect for yesterday - here in the south east of england we’ve been having really hard frosts and freezing fog - however the views in the countryside are spectacular…..
hmmmmmm - I’ve not been out here for a while and this recipe has my mouth watering and it’s only 8am!
wishing you all the best over the festive season - I’ll be adding this to my lists of suppers to make
xx
Aaahhh!!! It looks so good! I love chili and cornbread! *drool*
I love the name of the recipe — Foggy Day…
Paz
I am unable to resist cornbread in any form! It’s perfect with chili, but I’m happy to eat it all on its own. Will definitely try this recipe! Happy new year, Ari.
I love, love, LOVE cornbread. Will have to try this new recipe. Like, immediately!
That’s sounds like a perfect combo! I’ve been looking for a good cornbread recipe too.
Thanks.
I hope that you are able to stay warm and toasty while enjoying your break!
Ah, how I love cornbread. I know that a lot of traditional Southern versions don’t use much, if any, sugar, but given my sweet tooth, I like mine sweet! It’s just the thing for cold winter nights :).
I love cornbread with my smoky turkey chili. I recently got a wonderful book called The Cornbread Gospels by Crescent Dragonwagon. It’s a cookbook devoted to cornbread and it is such a pleasure to read and cook from.
Julie
I’ll second ALL of the comments…When there’s leftover chili, I like to put it in a baking dish and pour cornbread batter over it, for the best of both worlds. That looks so yummy! I’ll just drool until your wonderful gift copy comes.
My husband tells me he stays married to me for my cornbread. : ) Not a bad compliment for a half-Jewish girl from the midwest transplanted to the south…
Happy holidays to you and the family Ari!
That photo is stunning…makes me long for a bowl of chili right now!
This meal looks absolutely delicious and satisfying, especially on a cold winter day!
What a wonderful way to warm up!
i just made chili a couple days ago with Yves meatless meat. It was SOOOO good I might never go back to ground beef! Next I will have to try your chili recipe!
how funny - i made (vegan) chili and cornbread as well! YUM!
I forget how good chili is on a cold day. Happy New Year to you, Ari! Hope 2008 is full of health and happiness!
Those are two specialities I LOVE! Comforting and scrumptious!
Cheers,
Rosa
Looks fantastic. You could of made the cornbread in the Madeleine pan, they would of had a great little shape to them. I have this massive iron skillet that my mother left me, she used to make corn bread in it and it was always tremendous.
Do the recipes include nutritional information (especially calories, fat, and fiber)?