Yummy pareve cornbread

[wrenb]

While I do not keep kosher as strictly as your average Orthodox Jew, I do keep some aspects. I do not mix milk & meat and I don't eat treif. This can be a bit of a problem when you're married to a Texan who loves chili. Meat chili, when made to the proper spiciness, needs something to cut the heat. It needs cornbread.

I have often used a vegan cornbread recipe developed by an 11-year old 4-H girl from Iowa (available from Cooks Illustrated if you have a login there). But tonight I didn't have any soy milk, nor did I have any baking powder. So I started making substitutions. I was amazed that it came out tasty!

2 Tbsp. ground flax seed
6 Tbsp. water
1 C all-purpose flour
1 C cornmeal
1/4 C coarse ground cornmeal
1/4 C sugar
4 tsp. baking powder or 1 tsp baking soda (bicarb) and 2 tsp cream of tartar
3/4 tsp. table salt
1/2 C vegetable shortening
1 C water
1 large dessert spoon honey (~ 2 Tbsp)

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 425 degrees. Spray 8-inch cast iron frying pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the ground flax seed, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer the ground flax seed in the water for 3 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeals, sugar, baking powder, and salt until well-combined.
4. Rub in the shortening.
5. Add the ground flax seed mixture, honey, and water to the flour mixture. Beat just until smooth (do not overbeat.)
6. Turn into prepared baking pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
7. Cool for a few minutes, then serve underneath chili.
   

Comments

[zathrus.livejournal.com]

For those of us not steeped in Jewish-isms but curious about them, can you define "treif?" I'm guessing "pork and shellfish and suchlike," but not sure.

Also, I'm imagining that your 8" frying pan probably has sides to it? Which, sadly, would make it not like anything we own. Maybe a glass 9"x9" pan would make an acceptable substitute? (Yes, I know the area will be considerably larger, but it's the closest thing I can think of that I own.)

I've often had cornbread beside chili; I've never thought of putting it underneath. I shall have to try this. It sounds yummy.

Newt

[wrenb.livejournal.com]

The original recipe calls for an 8"x8" pan. I couldn't find mine, so I grabbed the cast iron frying pan. A 9"x9" would give you shallower cornbread, but with little mouths to feed, that could be a good thing.

By "treif" I mean pork, shellfish, and other creatures that don't qualify as kosher (carnivorous birds, rabbits etc).

[webhill.livejournal.com]

Oh, you'll love THIS story... my SIL (husband's oldest sib) was raised secular Conservative, "we keep kosher at home but eat chinese food at home on paper plates" kind of deal. She married a Jewish spiritual humanist (he observes Yom Kippur by fasting in the woods to commune with the tree spirits or something?) who rejects organized religion but clings to Jewish traditions, and she decided to send her children to a Jewish Day School for some reason I fail to understand.

So, of course, she has to make sure to pack completely kosher lunches, and the recipes from school that get sent home are all completely kosher. At thanksgiving, my niece wanted her mommy to make the classroom pumpkin pie recipe b/c it was soooo yummy. So, SIL looked at the ingredients - item three on the list was "1/2 cup Coffee Rich, Pareve." So what did she do? She brewed extra strong coffee, so it would be "rich," and used THAT in the pie. I mean, COME ON! First of all, there was no comma between coffee and rich, second of all, the words were capitalized (and things like sugar and pumpkin were NOT, I saw the list) and third of all, I grew up in the same area as she did, but Reform and more secular with no hint of Kashrut, and I totally knew what Coffee Rich was!!!!

Hint: http://tinyurl.com/2kkqup

:)

[wrenb.livejournal.com]

OMG. She thought Coffee Rich was coffee? Yikes! My friend the ex-Hillel chef complains about that stuff all the time.
I managed to find a fabulous pareve pumpkin pie recipe that doesn't use any kind of fake foods -- just lots of eggs and pumpkin. I love the internet (in part because it brings me stories like yours!)

[webhill.livejournal.com]

She had never heard of "Coffee Rich," and it didn ot even REMOTELY occur to her that "Coffee Rich" could be anything other than what she presumed it was - coffee, brewed "richly" or extra-strong in her imagination :)

Pareve pumpkin pie

[(Anonymous)]

Would it be possible for you to link us to your fabulous find? With so many of my guests with food sensivities, I would love to find a real pumpkin pie recipe with no frankenfoods! Thanks. Aviva

Re: Pareve pumpkin pie

[wrenb.livejournal.com]

My recipe (http://www.bernat.net/wiki/index.php/Pumpkin_Pie) is on my recipe wiki. That site's designed primarily for my family, not ready for primetime.
The original recipe, from the Jewish Times, courtesy of RFCJ is here (http://www.cyber-kitchen.com/rfcj/CAKESandPIES/KC_Pumpkin_Pie_-_pareve.html)

[nemene.livejournal.com]

Every once in a while I realize anew how restrictive the new dairy with meat rule can be. No cheesnburgersand the like I remember. Chili without sour cream or cheese, wow that is a mind bender for me. I guss this is one of the times when I am glad I do not have to practice such restrictions, and gain yet more respeect for those who choose to.