This spicy Muffalata Cornbread is chockful of corn. It’s some impressive everyday cooking that still manages to be friend-worthy.
8
servings10
minutes26
minutes65
minutes20
minutes2
hours9
minutesIngredients
1 cup corn meal, plus more for baking dish
1 cup flour
½ cup sugar
1 Tbs baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
1 Tbs olive oil
3 slices Monterey Jack cheese, finely diced (½ generous cup, shredded), divided
¾-1 cup spicy muffalata, strained (try ¾ cup for more flavor)
1 lb. fresh (from 3 large ears) or frozen corn kernels
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease an 8-inch square glass baking dish with bacon fat. Coat with corn meal.
- In a large bowl, whisk the corn meal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, 100 strokes. In a medium bowl, thoroughly whisk the eggs, milk, and olive oil, 75 strokes. Stir in ⅓-cup of the cheese, plus the muffalata and corn.
- Pour the egg mixture into the corn meal mixture, and mix together with a fork. Be sure that all the dry ingredients get moistened. Run a flexible spatula around the sides and bottom of the bowl, to make sure no dry ingredients are lingering there.
- Spoon into prepared pan. Push into the corners and even out the top. Sprinkle remaining cheese over the batter. Bake until the bread is fully golden-brown, a little crackly, and a toothpick inserted at several locations in the center of the bread comes out not just clean, but dry: 60-65 minutes. The internal temp should register no less than 195ºF, preferably 200.
- Move to a rack and allow to cool for about 20 minutes before carefully turning the corn bread out onto a flat serving plate.
Notes
- Substitutions: strained oil from the muffalata for the olive oil. But beware: if the muffalata is spicy, this is going to spice your corn bread right into the stratosphere. Swap in your Parmesan, cheddar, or a mixture of the two for the Monterey Jack.
Social Learning
Muffalata is kind of olive salad: a chopped mix of green and black olives, capers, garlic, celery, carrots, pepperoncini, and onions, all marinated in olive oil. It’s tangy, salty, and deeply flavorful. You can find it maybe in the section of the grocery store where you might find other pickled things, or you might find it in the Italian section, if you’re lucky enough to have one in your store, even though it really hails from New Orleans.
Flavor
I use a spicy variety of muffalata, and the spice really comes through in the bread, decidedly so! The lesser amount I’ve called for looks great but produces a subtle olive flavor in the bread; try the higher amount for more olive flavor.
What also comes through is lots of corn flavor. I mean lots.
Serving
This corn bread goes great with black coffee.
This cornbread is so substantial that you could get away with sixteen servings if it was one of many sides. A sixteenth of this corn bread would make a tiny – even paltry – serving, I admit, but if you were cramming a dozen things onto a Thanksgiving plate, it’d be perfect. Or if it were a dish on a substantial buffet: again, perfect.
Cooking
Thirty minutes seems like a lot of time for prep, but not if you’re slicing corn off cobs.
It could be that the bread will seem to test clean, but it can still wind up under-baked in the center. If that happens, cut as many good slices and you can, and fry the wet stuff in butter. Indeed, this is so good, that it might be a great idea to forget the oven and just cook the batter as small pancakes, but serve it as savory cakes.
Reheats perfectly in the microwave.
Friend-Worthy
I have a hard time imagining being served this kind of thing in a restaurant. It seems more like the kind of thing you’d have at home. It’s not that the quality isn’t restaurant-worthy, it’s more that I can’t imagine something quite like this coming out of a commercial kitchen. It has a more homemade vibe than that. It’s guest-worthy if what you’re serving is casual … and it doesn’t have to be chili. You could serve this with a Thanksgiving meal. It’s unlike what most people think of as cornbread, mainly due to the insane amount of corn, which makes it stand out in a good way. That’s the sort of food that I call “friend-worthy.” The difference – and this is just a personal way that I look at things – is that when I way “guests,” I’m usually trying to create something special. Like Larry and Louise and one of Darren’s major clients are coming for dinner, and although I’ve been forbidden to use witchcraft, I’m going to do it anyway. But “friends” are literally friends, whom I’m not trying to flat-out “impress,” but I do want to make something they’ll want the recipe for.
Muffalata Cornbread
Credit for images on this page: Make It Like a Man! References: Lakshmi, Padma. “Mexican Corn Bread with Jalapeño and Chorizo.” In Tangy Tart Hot & Sweet, 186. New York: Weinstein Books, 2007. This content was not solicited by anyone, nor was it written in exchange for anything. Thank you, Kesor. Thank you, ⌘+C. Make It Like a Man! is ranked by Feedspot as #5 in the Top 30 Men’s Cooking Blogs. Did I read that right? Number five? Yes, number five!
Keep up with us on Bloglovin’
What a brilliant idea!
Thanks, Mimi!
Oh this looks so good.. would go so well with a steaming hot bowl of chili.
I’m sure it would. I’m going to make some more of it, and I think I’ll make some chili to go with it!
this really does sound tasty Jeff. I’ve not heard of muffalata before, other than with a different spelling as a sandwich. The things you can learn :=) …
sherry
Yes! Same thing, different spelling. The word refers to the sandwich, and also to this condiment, which is used in that sandwich.
Oh I want the recipe for this one – wait, you gave it to us. Awesome! Seriously, though, you caught me attention immediately with this one. I love a good olive salad, and it’s pure genius to mix that into cornbread. Comfort food central right here.
Thanks, David!
That’s certainly one of the most creative cornbread recipes I’ve seen in a long time. It looks wonderful!
Thank you, Ben!
This is a wonderful idea for a flavorful and spicy cornbread! I need to step out of my comfort zone and make this. (Sorry, I had to glom onto Ben’s comment. I wasn’t able to comment.)
Thanks, David! (I’m sure Ben doesn’t mind!)
Grazie, non conoscevo questo pane!!!
You’re welcome!
So creative and delicious, Chef!
Thank you!
This looks so good, and now I am going to look up muffalata 🙂
Thanks, Tandy. It’s delicious!
I had no idea what mufflata was but now that I know the ingredients , it really sounds delicious.
It’s kind of new to me, too. A sandwich shop that I like began serving a muffalata sandwich (which is not a sandwich with a muffalata filling, but is the name of a specific sandwich that uses muffalata as a condiment), and that got me curious. I searched out some muffalata and made my own version of the sandwich. Since then, I’ve sort of been stocking it in my pantry.
Non conoscevo questo pane. Deve essere buono!
I kind of invented it, so far as I know, so that’s probably why it’s unfamiliar to you. Thanks!
We make chili often in the colder months and always have cornbread as a side. I have never made one like this before but know it would be a huge hit with my family. Going to save to try asap!
Hope you enjoy it!
This is just the thing to add a lovely, customized touch to Thanksgiving dinner! I especially love how you describe this cornbread as having a homemade vibe and being guest-worthy. With so much flavor packed into such a small package, I think you are absolutely correct.
Thank you, Heidi!
This looks really delicious Jeff, although I try to avoid whole pieces of corn, sometimes they are ground up which is great. Surprisingly I saw cornbread for sale in the counter of one of our coffee shops when I was there the other day, so of course I bought a slice. Delicious. Pauline (Happy Retirees Kitchen)
Jeff, I love how your recipes always have very generous amount of the best ingredients, including your seasonings. “Chock full” of corn is perfect!
P.S. Love the look of your site!!!
Yes, I think I’m a “more is more” person in the kitchen.