My oldest daughter mentioned she would like to have some old-fashioned green beans, potatoes and ham for supper. I thought this might be a good time to make some Crispy Corn Muffins to sop up the “pot likker.”
I used one pound of green beans with stems removed and broken, one medium onion cut into quarters, 6 small red new potatoes, halved, and a cup of cooked ham. Put everything in a big pot, covered with water and cooked on medium heat about an hour until the vegetables were tender.
Added some salt and pepper to taste and the entree was finished.
The corn muffins were an invention of mine back in the early 1980s when my teenage daughter kept pestering me to make corn muffins crispier. This technique satisfied her and she makes them this way now for her own family.
CRISPY CORN MUFFINS
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup yellow corn meal
- 1 cup flour
- 1 Tblsp. plus 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 2 Tblsp. additional cornmeal for muffin tins
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Oil cups of a 12-cup muffin tin. In each cup place 1/2 tsp. of cornmeal, then pick up the tin and rotate to cover the bottom and up the sides of the cups.
In a large mixing bowl whisk the egg, then add the sugar, oil and milk, whisking until smooth.
In a small bowl, mix together 1 cup of cornmeal, the flour, baking powder and salt. Add to the egg mixture and stir just until all of the dry ingredients have been absorbed. Divide among the 12 prepared cups in the muffin tins.
Bake @ 400 degrees F for 15 minutes until tops are just starting to brown.
Remove muffin tin from oven and immediately with a knife loosen around the edges of each muffin, then use a tablespoon to move the hot muffins to a baking sheet. Return the muffins to the oven to bake for an additional 5 minutes until the tops are golden brown.
Remove muffins to wire rack to cool slightly. Best when eaten while still warm.
This wasn’t my southern husband’s favorite version of cornbread, but the rest of us loved it.
LILLIAN'S CUPBOARD 