We absolutely love this corn bread recipe…makes me slobber just thinking about it!

Ingredients

• Cornmeal 3/4 Cup coarsely ground and roasted (our own roast of course)
• Flour – 1/4 Cup – it can be white, or whole wheat or graham flour (our choice as long as I’m not in a rush!)
• Baking Powder – 1 teaspoon
• Salt – 1/2 teaspoon
• Sugar (Raw if available) – 1 1/2 tablespoons
• Baking Soda – 1/4 teaspoon
• Ground Red pepper – 1/4 teaspoon
• Butter – 1 tablespoon unsalted
• Onion – smallish (but more is tasty), finely diced
• Lard – 2 1/2 teaspoons
• Buttermilk – 3/4 Cup (Cultured, if using ‘real’ buttermilk, use slightly less than 3/4 cup)
• Egg – one small – or whatever size you have
• Optional: Green chilies, chipotle chilies or peppers

Instructions

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. Melt butter in 6″ cast iron skillet, add finely chopped onion and saute until soft, about 5 minutes.

Add 1 1/2 teaspoons lard to the dry ingredients and blend until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add the onion mixture.

Heat oven to 450º. Put 1 teaspoon lard in cast iron skillet and insert into oven while it is heating. Wipe out any onion “crumbs” beforehand.

When oven is almost to temperature, add egg to ingredients and mix, and last the buttermilk. Do not over mix. Remove hot skillet from oven and pour batter into skillet. Insert in oven – strategically placing under a broiler element – and bake for 12 minutes. Turn oven off and broiler on. Broil until top is nicely browned – about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Watch carefully! Remove from oven and dump onto cooling rack. Enjoy the best corn bread you’ve ever tasted.

Chilies/peppers are optional. (Add with onion!)