As you all may know by now, our trip to Morocco is fast approaching and are goal to cook Moroccan has somehow gotten lost in our busy lives. We still have so many of the flavours to sample. Our nephew, Brian is staying with us for one more week, and I’m sad to say that I will miss him. But we have decided to enjoy Sunday dinners together in the future (or until he finds something better to do)! This past Sunday, we made one of my favourites but we put a Moroccan twist on it: Beer Butt Chicken, Moroccan Inspired Cornbread and Quinoa Tabbouleh Moroccan Style. Today, I will share the cornbread recipe.
Moroccan Inspired Cornbread (original recipe from Fred’s Not Here, a southern-style restaurant in Toronto). We haven’t been in quite some time, it was getting a little run-down about 10 years ago, but their corn bread recipe still rocks!
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup medium ground corn meal
- 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 egg
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1/8 cup vegetable oil
- 2-3 tbsp dried jalopeño flakes
- 1/4 cup finely chopped green onions
- 1/4 cup finely chopped dates
- 3/4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Directions:
- Pre heat oven to 400°F. Pre heat oiled cast iron frying pan (8″ in diametre).
- Sift cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and spices in a bowl.
- Blend eggs, milk and oil in another bowl.
- Stir wet ingredients into dry.
- Fold in the shredded cheese, jalopeño, dates and green onion.
- Pour into the hot cast iron pan and bake for 25 minutes or until firm and golden.
- Cut into wedges and serve warm with butter.
Wow. Being from the deep southern U.S., a region that prides itself on its cornbread, this is a new and totally enthralling idea for me. Dates, sweet and hot spice with cheese in cornbread, but why not? When you think about it, we combine lots of sweet and savory with couscous and other grains, why not corn meal? I LOVE this idea…inspired! I want to try it with my chili!
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Thanks Betsy, we just dolled up an old favourite Moroccan-style! It worked our really well. I loved the idea of baking it in a cast iron pan (southern, I think), I’m usually slaving over the oven doing little corn cob shapes — this was much quicker.
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Hi Eva, I cross-linked your gorgeous corn bread here:
http://www.inspirededibles.ca/2011/10/warming-west-african-peanut-chickpea.html
k.
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That’s wonderful, Kelly. Thanks so much.
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This looks like the perfect way to improve corn bread! Thanks for posting. I found you via Kelly’s site (Inspired Edibles) and will definitely be back.
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Thank you Jill. It was a very tasty flavour combination.
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Love the addition of the dates and cooking in the cast iron pan is always endorsed in our household. 😉
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Thanks Jed. I got rid of all of our non-stick cookware years ago (possible link to Alzheimer’s); we have mainly cast and enamel – it’s a workout to cook!
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Eva…., your photography is more captivating every time I visit your blog… really nice shots. I love this Moroccan/autumn inspired corn bread – complete with seasonings and dates (brilliant). Also really like the sharp cheese, jalapeno pepper combo – I’m definitely hanging on to this one! Really wonderful.
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Thank you Kelly, I’m flattered by your compliments. I hope you enjoy our twist on an old fav!
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Your corn bread looks amazing! What great flavors! Can’t wait to see what you cook after your trip!
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Thank you Erin! We’re taking one cooking course for sure in Marrakech and if time permits a second.
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That looks like a great cornbread recipe and like it would have a lot more flavours to it than a regular cornbread! 🙂
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Thank you Lorraine, we had some warmed up last night and the cinnamon and nutmeg really came through!
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I am new to cornbread..to date I have not found a recipe to fall in love with..this could be the one!
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Thanks Sawsan. It worked out very well with the chicken; we put Moroccan spices on the flesh (we remove the skin to help reduce the fat) and it was delicious.
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Wow – that sounds amazing! I can’t have the cinnamon in it, but I sure do wish I could. As always, Eva, your pictures are stunning!
I’m SO excited about your trip coming up. Have you started a count down calendar yet?
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Hi Ann, it’s gotten crazy busy at work, so I haven’t been able to start my planning yet, but the countdown calendar sounds great.
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I am usually not a big fan of corn bread (yeah, i know!) but just looking at what all is going into this one..i dont think i’ll mind having some 🙂
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Thanks Manju, it is a bit of an acquired taste!
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There are few things more tantalizing than a skillet full of cornbread, fresh out of the oven. Adding the cinnamon, nutmeg, and dates would definitely give this a Moroccan twist, one that I’d love to try. How fast time flies! You’ll be departing for Morocco before you know it.
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Yes, John, it’s true the time is just speeding by. And not soon enough, temperatures are plummeting here in the Big Smoke (as I am sure they are doing the same down in the Windy City!
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I didn’t know Moroccans ate cornbread. I love the sound of all the ingredients – the mixture of sweet and savoury. Cornbread isn’t something we normally eat in Australia so I’ll be interested to try this.
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Hi Charlie-Louie, I am not sure that they do eat cornbread, that’s why I called it Moroccan Inspired! I just wanted to give my nephew a taste for the flavours. But do give cornbread a try, there are several great recipes the blogs who comment on mind, if you are not fond of a little heat in yours!
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Look at that crackled top. I too never would’ve thought to add cinnamon. Very intriguing.
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I never would have thought to add cinnamon and nutmeg to a cornbread, but I surely will now! That sounds delicious. I’ve only had dates once before and I enjoyed them. They seem like another good addition to the bread. It looks delicious! What a fun meal. 🙂
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Thanks Kristy, the dates add a bit of moisture as it can be sometimes a little dry.
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The cornbread looks fabulous! I would love having this with a bowl of hot chili!
And the roses are beautiful! Have a lovely day!
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Thank you. It’s really getting wintery here, chilly would sound great with this cornbread.
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So beautiful – my wife made me cornbread for the first time earlier this year. It’s not a common thing in Europe. I was sold – so delicious when hot and buttery, and perfect to be used in a salad the next day or so. Love the additions of the dates, chilli and spices – I can only imagine the taste. I never tried making corn bread myself. I think that might have to be remedied soon 😀
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Thanks Charles, it’s not a difficult thing to make; the dates add the extra bit of moisture as sometimes it can be a bit dry. In North America we often use cornbread in stuffing; sadly I never have any left overs!
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