Italian Corn Bread
When my wife (then girlfriend) visited my parent’s home for her first Italian themed Thanksgiving she was bewildered by the selection of non traditional Thanksgiving day foods such as pasta, salumi, olives, various vegetables, nuts, fruits, cheeses, and pastries (I offered no explanation, but suggested she eat as much as possible so as to not offend the many dyed-in-the-wool Mediterranean types in the room).
The culinary hit of our first, shared, Thanksgiving however was my wife’s Italian white corn bread. The bread, made with white corn meal, was universally applauded and especially praised by the male contingency at the table. In turn, here is a slightly modified version of Italian white corn bread, including olive oil and optional red pepper flake. Enjoy during your next Italian Thanksgiving or any time throughout the year.
- 1 cup white corn meal
- ½ cup of whole milk
- 1 cup of flour
- ¼ cup of sugar
- 3 teaspoons of baking powder
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- ¼ cup of olive oil
- 1 beaten egg
- 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes (optional)
- Preheat oven to 400° F. Coat a baking pan with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, mix the corn meal, flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and optional red pepper flake. In a separate bowl, mix the egg, milk, olive oil, . Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, just enough to mix. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown.
