Recipe: Spoon Bread with Spinach and Cheese (Dorinda Hafner)

SPOON BREAD

"This is comfort food at its gourmet best, and the only thing I can say about it is to warn unwary newcomers. Spoon bread is addictive. It is so easy to make and yet so difficult to get out of your mind. It is simply divine. Some people call it batter bread, but the name spoon bread I suspect refers to how it is served. You spoon it out of the baking dish onto your plate rather like one would mashed potatoes or ice cream. There are many ways to make spoon bread, so you can devise your own using different vegetables with the basic binders of eggs, cornmeal, milk, baking powder, water, and seasoning."

2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups white or yellow cornmeal
1 cup low-fat milk
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
1 medium onion, peeled and very finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 egg yolks (optional)
8 ounces Cheddar cheese, grated
3 egg whites
1 tablespoon sugar
6 large spinach leaves, cleaned and dried, then rolled tightly and sliced into very fine strips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 3-quart casserole dish.

Bring the water and salt to a boil in a large saucepan. Gradually add the cornmeal, lower the heat, and cook for about 1-2 minutes, stirring all the time.

Remove from the heat and stir in the milk, butter, baking powder, cayenne, garlic, onion, black pepper, egg yolks (if using), and cheese. Cover and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until light peaks form, add the sugar, and continue beating until solid peaks form. First fold in the cornmeal mixture and then the spinach. Pour into the greased casserole.

Bake, uncovered, in the oven for about 45 minutes to 1 hour or until set.

Serve hot or cold - it's just as delicious either way.

Makes 4-6 servings
Source: United Tastes of America by Dorinda Hafner