Cornbread Stuffing

Cornbread stuffing is the ultimate stuffing. Regular stuffing is good and all, but cornbread stuffing? Game changer people. First let us delve into the world of cornbread.

Corn and corn based products have been used by Native Americans for centuries. When the gringos finally came over from Europe to settle in North America, they relied on their Native American brethren to teach them how to use this native crop to survive. Then they promptly gave everyone small pox and committed genocide. They don’t teach you that in 3rd grade social studies!

Once the settlers had tuckered themselves out from ruining the lives of the Native Americans, they decided that they could use this magical crop to make something like the bread that they were accustomed to back home in Europe. And kablamo, cornbread was born. Since then cornbread has become a staple of American cuisine, specifically in the South. Something that I didn’t know is that depending on what region of the U.S. you live in, cornbread is prepared differently. In the South, cornbread is not sweet it’s more like bread while in the Northeast cornbread is sweet and more cake-like (which is what I prefer, dessert sides!).

My cornbread baptism started where all my American food experiences started…AT BOSTON MARKET! We would always order cornbread at Boston Market as a kid and it was this delicious sweet cake-like slice of heaven that I always wanted more of. Cornbread did not exist in my house and we never made it at home. So whenever I got a chance to have it, that was a special treat.

Which leads me to stuffing, I love stuffing. It’s been around for centuries, dating back as far as Roman times where different types of animal cavities were filled with various fruits, nuts, and grains. Stuffing is basically old bread, spices, and some veggies there isn’t much to it. The better old ingredients you use the tastier it will be.

Again, my stuffing experiences began and ended with Boston Market, that place has the best sides I don’t care what anyone says. So I decided to combine the two this past weekend when I had copious amounts of leftover cornbread sitting in my fridge. This recipe is addicting. It’s so good. I ate a whole dish of this stuff in one sitting.

One misnomer, do not cook your stuffing inside a turkey/chicken cavity. It’s a good way to end up with food poisoning. Just cook your stuffing separately and use chicken broth to keep it moist. Don’t get salmonella poisoning because you insist on not thinking of the consequences of your cooking actions.

Recipe: Cornbread Stuffing

Ingredients

5 or 6 Pieces of Day Old Cornbread

1/4 Cup of Milk

2 Tbsp. Butter

1 Tsp. Sage

1 Tsp. Thyme

1/8 Cup of Crispy Pancetta or Bacon (or Holiday Ham)

2 Tbsp. Diced Green Onions

Method

Step 1: Break up cornbread into smaller pieces and spread into a 8 x 8 Pyrex.

Step 2: Add milk to the dish and make sure bread is evenly coated.

Step 3: Distribute spices evenly over the stuffing.

Step 4: Sprinkle Pancetta and green onions over top the stuffing

Step 5: Bake in the oven at 350 F for 10 to 15 minutes, stuffing should be golden brown at the tops and milk should be fully absorbed.

Enjoy!