It feels like full-on winter in Boston all of a sudden, and I’m even more interested in cozy soups than I was a few weeks ago. I think a bowl of soup with a side of home-baked bread or muffin is just about the perfect lunch. This carrot-pecan cornbread recipe is adapted from one of my absolute favorite cookbooks, Cold-Weather Cooking. The original recipe calls for butter, not bacon fat, but I think the bacon-y flavor really adds something here, and I’m always looking for ways to use the bacon fat I save from our weekend breakfasts. This cornbread would be excellent served alongside my Smoky Beef and Black Bean Chili, but it’s also delicious served on its own, toasted and buttered, as a snack.
Carrot-Pecan Cornbread
(loosely) adapted from Cold-Weather Cooking
- 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 3 Tbsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup bacon fat or butter, melted and cooled
- 1 medium carrot, shredded (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1 cup chopped toasted pecans
- Preheat the oven to 400°. Grease a 9-inch square baking dish and set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the buttermilk, eggs, and bacon fat or butter until just combined. Gently fold in the carrot and pecans.
- Transfer the batter to the baking dish and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the cornbread is golden brown on top and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center. This bread will keep for about a week in the refrigerator. If not eating it fresh, heat in the toaster oven and serve with butter.
