Tex Mex Cornbread, or my Tribute to Steve

     Today is one of happy coincidences.  I ran into my old friend Steve in the hallway at work today.  He and I go (egads) back to the late 1980's when we used to eat dinner together and talk politics.  Because of him, I obsessively read Harper's magazine cover to cover each month, in order to stay coherent and not seem like an imbecile.  I don't know if it worked, but while we don't see each other as often as I like, he is a fond friend.  He definitely has raised my consciousness and I feel like I am a better person because of him.  I was mortified, after we spoke today, to discover that it was his birthday as well.  Mea culpa.
     This, particularly after he so very kindly complimented me on my prose here on this blog.  He reads my blog!  All this time, I assumed that I had a couple readers, but no one consistently.  I am perhaps mistaken.
     Well that's 2 coincidences.  Another seems thematically similar.  I pulled cornmeal out the other day with vague plans for cornbread with chili.  The chili got made, but I didn't budget enough time for the cornbread, so it got deleted.  But I have been obsessing about an idea.  This is for not just cornbread, but souped up cornbread.  Cornbread with Additions, we could call it.  I found a starting point in a recipe from Crescent Dragonwagon online.  She populates my cookbook shelf in the form of a valued tome called Soup and Bread, but this is a variant.   I can say that she has never failed me yet.   Her recipe calls for corn, cheese and chilies to be added to her cornbread.  That didn't quite cut it for me.  I wanted it to be more robust.
     I added sautéed onion, red peppers, a finely chopped tomato (last one from the garden no less).  The corn was frozen, and I substituted cayenne for the jalapeño that I didn't have.  After that, it was more or less the same.  Ahem.  And here is another lucky coincidence.  The onions caramelized.  The cayenne caused a very gentle heat.  The cheese melted and created a certain something.  There was this lovely crust on the bottom.  This is a cornbread that transcends the ordinary.  Paired with beans, I had a delightful and thoroughly pleasant meal.  I would say something to tie this back to Steve but I would embarrass both myself and him.   So I won't.  But I will offer this recipe as a tribute of happy coincidences to him, and hope to see him again soon.

Tex Mex Cornbread with Additions

serves 4-8, depending

adapted from recipe from Crescent Dragonwagon, evidently published in Fine Cooking

1 1/2 T butter

1/2 medium onion, finely chopped

1/4-1/2 red pepper (about 1/4-1/3c) finely chopped

3T jalapeno, finely chopped (or 1/4 t cayenne if you don't have any)

1 small tomato, finely chopped (2T chopped)

1 c stone ground yellow cornmeal

1c flour

3/4t salt

1 T baking powder

1/4 t baking soda

1 egg

2 T sugar

1/4c vegetable oil

1 1/4c buttermilk

1 c grated cheddar cheese

1 c corn

Oven at 375F.  

Saute onions and peppers in butter until translucent, over medium heat.  Add tomato, and corn, if it's frozen.  I would suggest a 10" cast iron pan for this.

Mix cornmeal, flour, salt, powder and soda together. 

Mix egg, sugar, oil and butter milk together.  

When the oven is hot, add the dry and wet ingredients, mix until just combined.  Stir in corn and cheese.  Quickly and very lightly stir into veggies in the pan (it doesn't matter if it's not well mixed) and bake for 25 minutes, or until golden brown.  

Prepare for your own happy coincidence.