Country Cornbread ♥

Today's recipe: Homemade cornbread made supper-substantial with ham, sun-dried tomatoes and cheese. A 'concept' recipe.

Who's looking for good ways to use up leftover ham? Me too, it seems, always. Add a bowl of soup and this homemade cornbread makes for a filling supper. [Note to Vegetarians]

NEXT TIME I'll use bigger chunks of cheese so there are pockets of cheesiness.

LEFTOVER REPORT Don't forget to refrigerate any leftovers, there's meat in this cornbread! This cornbread remained fresh and moist for the second day.

NEW PRODUCT ALERT I love-love-love what I call 'fresh' sun-dried tomatoes. They're not the dried and dusty sun-dried tomatoes that require reconstituting in boiling water, neither are they the sun-dried tomatoes soaked in oil and calories. 'Fresh' sun-dried tomatoes are fat and plump, more like dried plums/prunes. They last in the fridge for several weeks - except that they're easy to snack on, too. Good news, they've shown up recently at Trader Joe's (St. Louisans, check Dierbergs and Global Foods first, in the produce departments) so are more widely available. Like all dried fruits, sun-dried tomatoes are calorie-dense foods and it's easy to toss back a handful without thinking. See nutrition analysis for sun-dried tomatoes.

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MORE RECIPES for LEFTOVER HAM from the ARCHIVES
~ Baked Pasta with Ham, Tomatoes & Peas, with pasta ~
~ 15-Bean Soup, with beans ~
~ Bubble & Squeak, with potatoes ~
~ Scandinavian Pea Soup from Kitchen Parade, with split peas ~

~ one year ago this week, Green Chutney, a great last-minute appetizer recipe ~
~ two years ago today, Beet & Walnut Salad, the single highlight from a Rachael Ray 30-Minute Meal ~

COUNTRY CORNBREAD

Hands-on time: 25 minutes
Time to table: 1 hour
Serves 8

Preheat oven to 350F.

WHISK:
3 eggs
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup buttermilk

ADD:
1/4 pound chopped ham (I used leftover smoked ham)
1/4 pound cubed cheese (I used gorgonzola)
1 ounce (six halves) sun-dried tomatoes (not the ones in oil, the 'fresh' ones), slivered

STIR TOGETHER:
1 cup flour, sifted to aerate before measuring
3 tablespoons cornmeal (I used yellow, stone-ground would be great)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda

Lightly stir flour mixture into batter, stirring just until incorporated. Turn into greased 1" round cake pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool 5 minutes, cut into slices and dig in!

NUTRITION ESTIMATE
Per Slice: 266 Cal (55% from Fat, 18% from Protein, 26% from Carb); 12 g Protein; 16 g Tot Fat; 5 g Sat Fat; 9 g Mono Fat; 17 g Carb; 1 g Fiber; NetCarb16; 2 g Sugar; 190 mg Calcium; 2 mg Iron; 547 mg Sodium; 114 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 6 points

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