Cee Dub's Mexican Cornbread

I spent day at Jenkinson Lake at Sly Park with a friend and our sons. Sun burned knees (I rarely don shorts, even in the summer) and edifying discussions were the order of the day as Frank and I prepared for a men’s Bible class this Sunday while the boys swam.

I cooked my chuckwagon chili and Cee Dub’s Mexican cornbread for lunch. The cornbread, from his first cookbook, has a more robust corn flavor than traditional cornbread. Cream corn and cheddar cheese contribute to its dense texture.

Feel free to alter the recipe. Add an additional 1/4-cup cheddar cheese to boost the cheesiness of the cornbread. Or try a spicy cheese like Monterey-Jack. And you can certainly use any combination of fresh or canned chili peppers.

MEXICAN CORNBREAD

This recipe is adapted from Cee Dub’s Dutch Oven and Other Camp Cookin’: A Back Country Guide to Outdoor Cooking Spiced with Tall Tales by C.W. “Butch” Welch (Back Country press, 1999).

1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (7-ounce) can diced green chilies
2 eggs
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 cup butter milk
1/2 cup olive oil

Pre-heat a 10-inch Dutch oven by placing 5 hot briquettes underneath and 15 in the lid while mixing the batter.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, cumin and salt. Add green chilies, eggs, cheese and butter milk. Mix just until combined. Fold in oil just until mixed.

Pour batter into pre-heated Dutch oven. Replace lid and bake with 5 briquettes underneath and 15 on lid for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool and cut into 8 pieces.