FancyTex-Mex Cornbread

by Bill Dwyer

Everyone I’ve served this to loves it. You might like it too.

Ingredients: 

• 4 thick slices of bacon, fried, drained, and cut into small pieces
• 1 medium-size onion, finely chopped
• ½ red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 3 oz  Cheddar cheese, cut into ¼-inch dice
• 1 chipotle pepper, minced
• 2 cups coarse-milled cornmeal (polenta)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp  salt
• 1 cup  buttermilk (leche agrÍa)
• 2 eggs
• bacon fat

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350⁰F (175⁰C). 
2. Fry the bacon until almost crisp. Drain between paper towels. Reserve the fat remaining in the pan at room temperature. 
3. Sauté the onion and bell pepper in 2 tbsp of bacon fat until onions become translucent. Reserve. 
4. Dice the cheese and reserve. 
5. In a medium size bowl, mix the dry ingredients until blended. Add the Buttermilk and eggs and minced chipotle pepper. Stir until you have a smooth pasty dough, adding more buttermilk if necessary. 
6. Mix in the onion, bell pepper and cheese until well distributed in the dough. 
7. Coat the inside surfaces of a loaf pan with bacon fat. Spoon the dough into the pan and press into shape with a rubber or silicone spatula, shaping the upper surface of the dough into a mound. Brush the top of the dough with bacon fat. 
8. Bake until golden brown on top or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean (50-60 minutes), rotating the pan 180⁰ halfway through the baking time.