It's been a while (again) since I posted here. Something about that "real job" keeps me from doing things I really like to do, such as trying out new recipes and sharing them with friends.
At the request of a couple of said friends, I found this recipe from our restaurant days (and before) that I think you will enjoy. You can find variations of it all over the internet. This is the one I use.
My first encounter with this cornbread was, sadly, when my maternal grandmother passed away, and one of my mother's friends from church baked it and brought it to her house. The cornbread was cut in tiny squares, almost appetizer-like. I don't remember the other food we received at that time, but this one stood out in my mind, and I located the recipe soon thereafter.
To me, "broccoli cornbread" (or, as my family has always referred to it, "broccoli bread") is a bit of a misnomer. I almost want to call it "broccoli cake". It has a sweetness to it, so much so that I consider it to be almost a dessert. This recipe calls for 2 boxes of corn bread mix, which makes the texture very light and cake-like. I have also baked it using 1 box of mix (with all other ingredients remaining the same), which yields a thinner, somewhat denser, bread. It also uses cottage cheese, small chunks of which will still be visible after baking.
Before tonight, I hadn't baked this in quite some time. While this is one of my favorite side dishes, the drawback to baking it is the smell that it leaves behind in the kitchen. Sometimes that broccoli can hang in the air for a while, and not in a good way. Having said that, if you've never tried it before, don't let that last statement cloud your opinion of this recipe. Take a deep breath, turn on your kitchen exhaust fan or open a window, and start baking! I promise you won't regret it.
Ingredients:
2 (8-1/2 oz.) packages sweet cornbread mix (I like to use Jiffy corn muffin mix)
4 eggs
1-1/2 cups (12 oz.) cottage cheese (I have, at times, substituted sour cream with no adverse effects)
3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) butter or margarine, melted
3 cups frozen chopped broccoli, thawed
1 large onion, chopped
1 tsp. salt
2 cups cheese, shredded
In a large bowl (I used an 8-cup Pyrex measuring cup), beat eggs, cottage cheese and butter. (Note: I bought a 16-oz container of cottage cheese, which yielded exactly 1-1/2 cups.)
Add the corn bread mixes to the bowl. I omitted the salt, but you can add it here.
Stir the corn bread mixes in, just until moistened. Batter will appear lumpy.
At this point, I had to transfer the batter to a larger bowl.
Gently fold in the broccoli and onions. (Use any onion that you prefer, or omit if you don't like them.)
Note: I used 4 cups of frozen cut broccoli, unthawed. The chunks are large, but you can always chop them smaller to get better distribution throughout the batter. I also used 1 cup of frozen chopped Vidalia onions, unthawed.
Stir the (frozen) vegetables and corn bread mixes together. It should look like this.
I always add cheese, although it is optional. I prefer using extra sharp Cheddar. I shredded half of an 8-ounce block, yielding 2 cups shredded cheese.
(Note: To give this a Mexican twist, fold in diced jalapenos to taste.)
Pour the batter into a large lightly greased casserole dish or pan. I used a foil casserole pan (11 3/4 " x 9 1/4"), but a regular 9" x 13" pan or casserole dish will do just fine.
Bake at 350 F. for 40-50 minutes, or until bread has browned on top and tests done.
And there you have it! Doesn't it look delicious?
Oh, wait....here's one more picture.
Awesome!
This recipe yields 8 cups of batter. If you prefer, you can divide the batter. Bake 4 cups in an 8x8 baking dish (you may need to reduce the total cook time) and freeze the remaining batter in a 4-cup freezer-safe container. Simply thaw in the refrigerator and bake as directed.
Enjoy!
