NEWS for North Dakotans
Agriculture Communication, North Dakota State
University
7 Morrill Hall, Fargo, ND 58105-5665
February 19, 1998
I can't remember the first time I ate cornbread. It's kind of like how I can't remember the first time I breathed air. It just seems like I've always been doing it.
To my dad, cornbread was a staple. I mean, we ate it at least once a week when I was a kid, always with white beans and ham, or bacon. All our cornbread was made from scratch, and Dad always insisted on using white corn meal. Mom, who often still calls cornbread "Johnny cake," has maintained her fondness for yellow corn meal.
Despite their disagreement, my parents taught me to love cornbread, and by the time I was 10 or so, I was able to make cornbread with the best of them. My secret was getting the cast iron skillet hot before pouring in the batter. Another secret was using bacon drippings or lard instead of vegetable shortening, melting the amount the recipe called for in the skillet first, and then adding it to the recipe.
I have to admit I've acquired my dad's preference for white corn meal. Mostly it's because of appearance. When I'd make cornbread as a kid, the pieces would come out of that old skillet with a quarter-inch sorrel-colored crust on the bottom. The top reflected more of a golden hue, and in between those varying shades of perfection was the creamiest whiteness a hungry person's eyes might ever see.
On top would go a glob of butter and then on top of the now-weeping butter, a spoonful of the steaming, smoky beans—that was how I always ate my first piece of cornbread. If it was early summer, Mom surely would have picked lettuce from her garden for a salad that boasted a dressing made (usually by Dad) of cream, white vinegar, and a little sugar and salt. Simple yet unforgettable, in the way all things made by caring hands should be.
My seconds of cornbread usually consisted of more of the same, but for thirds, I was again torn between preferences. Mom liked syrup on her cornbread, but Dad liked to conclude our cornbread-and-bean feasts by eating his final piece of cornbread simply, with milk and cream. If you've never had a mouthful of warm cornbread that's saturated with milk and cream, you're missing more than the boat.
Many of today's cornbread recipes feature skim milk and suggest using only egg whites, although I did come across a recipe on the Internet for a rather elegant custard-filled cornbread, which if you added some high-quality vanilla extract and topped it with a generous portion of brown sugar would have its own creme-brulee thing going.
I also found a cornbread recipe that called for crumbled blue cheese and pine nuts. A South American version features cottage cheese, Muenster cheese, cream-style corn and ground anise seed. Another uses a mixture of ground beef, bell peppers, onions, jalapeno peppers, sour cream and cheddar cheese. Low fat? Not.
Here's a recipe for cornbread that I think provides a nice balance between being good and being good for you. Eat a piece hot out of the oven with honey, syrup or whatever you like. And while you're doing that, think about a simpler time.
Beyond Basic Cornbread
Yield: 8 servingsIngredients:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white corn meal
3 tablespoons sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg plus 2 egg whites
1/4 cup canola oilProcedure:
Whisk together dry ingredients. Lightly beat buttermilk, eggs and oil; add to dry ingredients and mix with a spoon by hand or with an electric mixer until smooth. Don't overbeat. Bake 20 to 25 minutes at 425 F in a 8x8x2 or similar-sized baking pan that's been sprayed with vegetable oil.
What's Your Take on This, Julie?
We all have our comforting, sentimental foods. With our less-strenuous lifestyles, modern conveniences, and knowledge of nutrition, people are steering away from the high-fat favorites of the past. Yet, in the United States (and also in North Dakota), about one-third of the population is considered overweight, and the leading cause of death is heart disease.
Hearing reminiscences of food fried in lard and bread oozing cream and butter would certainly send some present-day fat-fearing consumers running to pick up their aerobics shoes on the way to the gym. However, few people are "perfect eaters." I have yet to meet one (or be one). Healthy eating really comes down to eating a variety of foods from all the food groups every day, with an eye toward moderation and balance.
As a nutritionist, I certainly hear about great grandparents who lived to be 97 after drinking cream at every meal. Genetics and other lifestyle factors, such as physical activity, play a great role in what we can eat without endangering our health. These same grandparents probably worked in strenuous occupations, perhaps clearing farm or ranch land by hand, often working from sun-up to sundown.
Research has told us that saturated fat, the type that's solid at room temperature, is the most artery-clogging of any type of fat. We should aim for 65 grams of total fat or less per day—that's about 13 teaspoons of total fat. Only 10 percent of the total should be from saturated fat. The "Nutrition Facts" panel on food products is a great tool to help us make healthier choices. The Surgeon General also advises that we accumulate 30 minutes of moderate activity (walking, gardening, shoveling) on five or more days of the week. By accumulate, I mean the exercise doesn't have to happen all at once but rather in five- or 10-minute intervals during the day.
Healthy versions of sentimental favorites are possible. A serving of this cornbread recipe (about 1/8 of the recipe) provides about 220 calories and 8.5 grams of fat. It also provides B vitamins and some calcium and iron. Try topping it with a drizzle of maple syrup for added flavor without added fat.
One thing Dean didn't tell in his part of this article is the fact that he's an avid runner (and I'm pretty sure he's cut out lard). That's comforting to know.
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Sources: Dean Hulse (701) 231-6136
Julie Garden-Robinson (701) 231-7187
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