Because Thanksgiving is a uniquely American holiday, I like my menu to reflect our country’s culinary heritage. That means cornbread stuffing, thank you very much. For what is more American than cornbread?
But America is a big country. If you start with cornbread from the South, you also want to make sure you include up north and out west. Hence, this cornbread stuffing also relies on dried cranberries, a nod to New England, and chipotle peppers in adobo sauce.
Chipotle peppers in adobo are simply smoked and dried jalapeño peppers that are packed in a vinegary tomato sauce. They add that distinctive smoky flavor to your favorite Mexican and Tex-Mex dishes. I always keep a jar around for whenever I want to add smoke and spice to my cooking. Lastly, to keep with my American theme, I decided to add pecans — the one nut that my daughter can eat.
This recipe begins by asking you to make a chipotle cornbread. Now, don’t be concerned that making the cornbread from scratch is too much work. You can actually make the cornbread for the stuffing in advance. In fact, it’s better if you make it the day before and it has a chance to get a little stale. Bonus!
Of course, you can always buy cornbread and use that instead to save time. Just be careful that you don’t buy cornbread that is too sweet. I think that some grocery-store cornbread practically tastes like cake it’s so sweet!
The cornbread is then toasted in the oven while you sauté up some aromatic vegetables. The vegetables are combined with more chipotles, the pecans and the cranberries and the mixture is tossed together with the toasted cornbread. Add some eggs and chicken stock for moisture and bake. The result is a truly American stuffing recipe that is tart, nutty and flavorful with a welcome hint of heat.
Bland cornbread stuffing? Not at my Thanksgiving! So, incorporate a little of the great Southwest into your Thanksgiving this year with my chipotle, pecan and cranberry cornbread stuffing. What better way to celebrate our American holidays with some great American flavors?
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 2 TB sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 TB chopped chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 3 eggs
- 3 oz butter, melted
- 2 TB butter (plus more for top of stuffing)
- 2 onions, diced
- 4 ribs celery, chopped
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped
- 1 cup chopped pecans, lightly toasted
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 eggs
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 and grease an 8x8 baking pan.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, corn flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, beat together the buttermilk and eggs. Add the melted butter and whisk to combine.
- Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir to combine.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 20 minutes.
- Cool on a wire rack. (May be done ahead.)
- To prepare the stuffing, preheat the oven to 400 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cut the cornbread into 1-inch cubes and spread in a single layer on the baking sheet.
- Toast in the oven until browned, about fifteen minutes.
- Reduce oven temperature to 350 and butter a 3-quart baking dish.
- In a large, deep skillet, melt the 2 TB butter over medium heat.
- Add the diced onion and sauté until translucent, about three minutes.
- Add the celery and continue to sauté until the vegetable are soft, about five minutes. Add the chipotle peppers, pecans and cranberries and sauté a few additional minutes. Season well with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Place the browned cornbread pieces in a large bowl. Add the sautéed vegetables and toss gently to combine taking care not to break the cornbread pieces.
- Spread the mixture into the prepared baking dish and top with chopped parsley.
- In a small bowl, beat together the chicken broth and eggs. Pour the mixture over the cornbread in the baking dish.
- Dot with butter and cover with foil. (May be done ahead and refrigerated until time to bake.)
- Bake until heated through, 30-35 minutes.
- Turn oven temperature up to 450 and remove foil from baking dish. Return dish to oven and bake until top is browned and crisp, another 15-20 minutes.
- Allow to cool slightly before serving.