When I was a kid, my mom used the Fannie Farmer Cookbook as her cooking bible. And as I was learning to cook, I found it was an inclusive reference for basic techniques from hors d'oeuvres to pastries to canning. I still have the 1965 cookbook in my collection, and have no plans to replace it with a newer version. To this day when I need to remember things like how long to cook a bone-in ham or turkey or a roast, I refer to the Fannie Farmer ‘bible’, since my mom isn’t here to ask. It’s full of basics, including several versions of cornbread that I thought would go well with soup—especially the Italian Potato soup in this blog. Here is my own version of Basil Skillet Cornbread.
Basil Skillet Cornbread
BASIL SKILLET CORNBREAD
Serves 6-8
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup flour
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp dried basil
3 tsp baking powder
1 cup whole milk
1 egg
2 Tbsp melted butter
1. Preheat oven to 425. Whisk together dry ingredients. Add milk, beaten egg and butter. Stir just until mixture comes together, don’t over-stir.
2. Pour batter into well-seasoned 9-inch cast-iron skillet. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.