Love Corn Bread? Saddle Up For A Fabulous Side Dish

Love Corn Bread? Saddle Up For A Fabulous Side Dish

There used to be a chain Tex-Mex restaurant near my home. It wasn’t the best food, but they did have this cool tortilla machine that would spit out rounds of dough on a conveyor belt, and then this lady would flatten them and cook them fresh for your table. My dream home definitely will have that contraption (and the tortilla lady) installed right next to the massive Krispy Kreme doughnut machine.

We didn’t dine at that restaurant for the tasteless tacos or the enchiladas suffocated under cheap Day-Glo cheese, but there was one thing that kept bringing us back. It was the sweetened corn cake that came on your combination plate. You couldn’t even call it a “side” because the restaurant would use a tiny melon-baller to scoop that corn cake onto the plates. But, oh, I cherished that two-bite goodness, always leaving the best for last and taking the daintiest of nibbles to stretch it out.

You should have heard me whooping for joy when I found Chi-Chi’s corn cake mix at the supermarket. Suddenly, my world changed. One package made an entire loaf pan. And I could even use a big fat ice cream scoop to elevate it to a “side dish.“ (Though one time it probably counted more as a main course serving for one.)

If you think this story can’t get any better, grab your car keys and bring this recipe along with you to the supermarket. I just got the book “Cooking the Cowboy Way” (Andrews McMeel Publishing, $29.99), and flipping through it, I found a recipe for Cowboy Corn Casserole that is way better than anything else. It’s less cake-y, less sweet and cheesier, and an easy side dish with minimal prep time. I guess corn cake is more “Tex” than “Mex,“ as the book describes this recipe as good cowboy eats. For my family, I omitted the jalapenos and garnished with some fresh minced parsley. A fantastic cowboy recipe, though I don’t think cowboys “garnish.“

COWBOY CORN CASSEROLEFrom “Cooking the Cowboy Way” by Grady Spears with June Naylor

Make sure that you do NOT drain the can of whole corn kernels (I have to be extra mindful of that, as automatically draining is a habit). If you like the casserole more cake-like, you can add more of the packaged corn bread mix. I’ve used up to a cup with great results.

• 1 15-ounce can creamed corn• 1 15-ounce can whole corn kernels, undrained• 2 eggs, beaten• 2 tablespoons sugar• 1/3 cup corn bread mix (from package)• 1/4 cup butter, melted• 2 jalapenos, stemmed, seeded and minced• 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese, divided

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Stir together in a bowl the corn, eggs, sugar, corn bread mix, melted butter, jalapenos and just 1/2 cup of the cheese. Transfer the mixture to a buttered 8-by-8-inch baking pan. Bake for 40 minutes; sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese on top and bake for 20 minutes longer. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.