The cornbread fritters were inspired by a Cuban cornbread recipe that was available at the National Cornbread Festival last month in South Pittsburg. They went very well with a smoked pork chop, yellow rice, black beans, a little squeeze of lime and some spicy salsa.KELLEY SAYS: A couple of weeks ago, Barry and I had the pleasure of judging a 4-H cornbread cooking contest at the National Cornbread Festival in South Pittsburg; we came away inspired. Ten fourth-graders, all girls as it turned out, came up with some creative dishes. They used everything from caramel and apples to chocolate, to jalapenos and pickles.
In fact, the Cuban cornbread with pork and pickles was the inspiration for this month’s Courters’ Kitchen.
BARRY SAYS: The event was a lot of fun, and the girls were very serious about their work. The winner made something she called the Best Cornbread Quiche Ever, and it was certainly the best I’ve ever had. The chocolate cornbread also was good.
KELLEY: The same day was also opening day of the Chattanooga Market, so we stopped there on the way home and bought some large pork chops, which we smoked for the dish.
The fritters were pretty simple to make, but getting the balance right took some planning. A dill pickle can overpower anything, so I chopped them up fairly small. I also had a pretty strong Swiss cheese which I needed to be careful with.
BARRY: You got it just right and the fresh dill was a nice touch. The fritters were really light and surprisingly delicate, I thought. If you wanted to go all out, you could make your own pickles like we did a few years ago.
KELLEY: The original recipe was made with slices of pork in the cornbread. I have some left over and might make some that way this week, as well.
And, of course, the fritters were cooked up in a cast iron skillet from Lodge Manufacturing in South Pittsburg.
Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6327.
Cuban Cornbread with Pickles
2 tablespoons butter 1/2 teaspoon cumin seed 1/2 small onion diced 2 green onions thinly sliced 1/2 cup Swiss cheese 1/2 cup cheddar 1 1/2 cups self-rising cornmeal 1/2 cup flour 1/2 cup buttermilk 2 eggs beaten 4 dill pickles chopped 2 tablespoons fresh dill chopped Oil for frying Melt butter in small pan. Add onions, cumin seeds and sauté. Mix cornmeal, flour, buttermilk and egg in bowl. Add all remaining ingredients, mixing well. Heat oil in a cast iron skillet and drop mixture in by spoonful. Cook until crispy.