Spicy Cornbread

Ingredients:

• 2 cups stone-ground cornmeal
• 2 teaspoons of sugar
• 1.5 tsp baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 0.5 tsp of soda
• 10 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 poblano pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 cup of sour milk or kefir
• 2 large eggs

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 190°C.
2. In a large bowl, combine cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, cayenne pepper, coriander, salt, pepper, and baking soda.
3. In a 10-inch cast-iron skillet, melt 8 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat, then transfer to a small bowl and set aside. Return the skillet to medium-high heat, add another 1 tablespoon of butter, and once melted, add the poblano pepper and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until softened and golden, about 1 minute. Remove the skillet from the heat and transfer the pepper-garlic mixture to another small bowl.
4. Mix the sour milk with the eggs and the reserved melted butter. Pour it into the cornmeal mixture and knead until smooth. Set aside a few pieces of poblano from the bowl, then mix the remaining pepper and garlic mixture into the dough.
5. Add the remaining butter to the skillet and melt, swirling it to coat the bottom (if your skillet is slightly cool, reheat it over low heat). Turn off the heat and pour the batter into the skillet. Top with poblano slices and bake until the bread springs back when lightly pressed with a finger, about 20 minutes. Serve the cornbread warm or let it cool to room temperature.