Spiced Beef Corn Bread Cobbler
Fall is here, and we are cooking comfort foods. Watch out! We LOVED this and only wish it had made more for extra leftovers!! I suppose we'd need a larger dish though, too :)
We really really liked this. I'd read mixed reviews of it, but thought based on the ingredients you couldn't really go wrong! The cornbread seemed a bit dry though so I would maybe add a little extra milk or something next time.
I will tell you though, I made a few changes and I will include them below in the recipe in bold so you know what I added or did differently.
spiced beef corn bread cobbler
Gourmet | December 2006
Active time: 35 min
Start to finish: 50 min
Servings: Makes 4 (main course) servings.
Ingredients
1 medium onion, chopped
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 lb ground beef chuck (I used 93% lean ground beef)
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cayenne (I used regular chili powder)
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 (14- to 15-oz) can diced tomatoes in juice (since they are still in season here, I used 2 medium fresh tomatos, chopped, and kept the seeds/juice with it)
I also added about 3/4 Cup frozen corn kernels
topping
2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup whole milk
1 large egg
2 oz coarsely grated sharp Cheddar (1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons)
I also added about 1 Tb sugar for a sweeter cornbread
Preparation
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly oil a 9 1/2-inch (6-cup capacity) pie plate.
Cook onion in 2 tablespoons oil in a deep 10-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until edges are golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add beef and cook, breaking up large lumps, until no longer pink, 4 to 5 minutes. Add sugar, spices, and 1 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add tomatoes with juice, (this is also where I added the frozen corn),and briskly simmer, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced to about 1/4 cup, 8 to 10 minutes.
While beef simmers, whisk together cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt (and the sugar if you want!) in a medium bowl. Whisk together milk, egg, and remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a small bowl, then stir into cornmeal mixture until just combined. Fold in 1/2 cup cheese.
Spoon cooked spiced beef into pie plate with a slotted spoon, reserving juices in skillet. Skim off and discard fat from juices if desired, then pour juices over beef in pie plate. Since I used such a lean cut of ground beef, there really was no grease/fat, so I just poured all of it into the pie plate. This was all a bit liquidy though, because of the tomatos, so I would probably have added a little cornstarch earlier had I realized. It might also have helped keep the beef/veggies held together a bit
Spoon 4 mounds of corn bread batter over beef, then sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons cheese over batter. Bake until a wooden pick or skewer inserted into center of corn bread comes out clean, 15 to 25 minutes.
We really really liked this. I'd read mixed reviews of it, but thought based on the ingredients you couldn't really go wrong! The cornbread seemed a bit dry though so I would maybe add a little extra milk or something next time.
I will tell you though, I made a few changes and I will include them below in the recipe in bold so you know what I added or did differently.
spiced beef corn bread cobbler
Gourmet | December 2006
Active time: 35 min
Start to finish: 50 min
Servings: Makes 4 (main course) servings.
Ingredients
1 medium onion, chopped
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 lb ground beef chuck (I used 93% lean ground beef)
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cayenne (I used regular chili powder)
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 (14- to 15-oz) can diced tomatoes in juice (since they are still in season here, I used 2 medium fresh tomatos, chopped, and kept the seeds/juice with it)
I also added about 3/4 Cup frozen corn kernels
topping
2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup whole milk
1 large egg
2 oz coarsely grated sharp Cheddar (1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons)
I also added about 1 Tb sugar for a sweeter cornbread
Preparation
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly oil a 9 1/2-inch (6-cup capacity) pie plate.
Cook onion in 2 tablespoons oil in a deep 10-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until edges are golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add beef and cook, breaking up large lumps, until no longer pink, 4 to 5 minutes. Add sugar, spices, and 1 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add tomatoes with juice, (this is also where I added the frozen corn),and briskly simmer, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced to about 1/4 cup, 8 to 10 minutes.
While beef simmers, whisk together cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt (and the sugar if you want!) in a medium bowl. Whisk together milk, egg, and remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a small bowl, then stir into cornmeal mixture until just combined. Fold in 1/2 cup cheese.
Spoon cooked spiced beef into pie plate with a slotted spoon, reserving juices in skillet. Skim off and discard fat from juices if desired, then pour juices over beef in pie plate. Since I used such a lean cut of ground beef, there really was no grease/fat, so I just poured all of it into the pie plate. This was all a bit liquidy though, because of the tomatos, so I would probably have added a little cornstarch earlier had I realized. It might also have helped keep the beef/veggies held together a bit
Spoon 4 mounds of corn bread batter over beef, then sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons cheese over batter. Bake until a wooden pick or skewer inserted into center of corn bread comes out clean, 15 to 25 minutes.