My family can't tell this corn bread from the recipe on the box of cornmeal. Instead of flour, the recipe substitutes chick pea flour, a common product in Indian and Middle Eastern cuisines. Find it at specialty stores or markets that sell Indian groceries. Chick pea flour is almost the same color as the cornmeal and lends a nutty flavor to the bread. Use lactose-free milk if you like.
1 cup cornmeal
3/4 cup chick pea flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1/4 cup drippings, vegetable oil or melted butter
1 egg
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spritz a 9-by-9- or 8-by-8-inch square pan with nonstick baking spray. Combine the cornmeal, chick pea flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Combine the milk, oil and egg in a glass measure and whisk to combine.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix just to combine. Dump the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes until the cornbread begins to pull away from the sides of the pan and is golden in color.
Serve as is with butter, or use to prepare cornbread stuffing. Makes 9 pieces.
Thursday, November 16, 2000
