You CAN have stuffing for Thanksgiving that’s gluten-free. This one with spicy chorizo and sweet apple is a keeper. You are going to want to keep this cornbread for other recipes, like a side dish for chili because it is outstanding. No one believes it’s gluten-free and it’s incredibly moist. There’s just no tastier recipe for cornbread, bar none.
Ingredients – cornbread
2 TB bacon fat or organic cooking oil
1 cup organic cornmeal
1 cup gluten-free flour (Namaste)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 TB baking powder
2 large eggs
1 cup cream
1/2 cup milk
4 oz cheddar cheese, grated
Method – cornbread
Preheat oven to 425 F. Add bacon fat to a 9 inch cast iron pan and place the pan in the oven when you turn it on. In a large bowl combine all dry ingredients. In another bowl, mix the wet ingredients. Add the wet to the dry, then fold in the cheese. Pour into the hot pan (be careful) and bake until the top is golden and a knife stuck in the center comes out clean.
Ingredients – stuffing/dressing for turkey
1 12-inch link chorizo, casing removed, finely diced
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp rolled, dried sage
1 small onion, finely diced
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and diced
1 batch of my cheddar cornbread
organic cooking spray
Method – stuffing/dressing
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9×13 glass baking dish with cooking spray.
In a hot skillet, saute chorizo and onion until lightly browned and crispy, but not burned. Add 3-4 TB of water to the hot pan to scrape up the tasty bits on the bottom with a wooden spoon. Remove the mixture to a large bowl. Allow to cool for a few minutes. Add beaten salt, pepper, thyme, sage and apples. Crumble cornbread into the bowl and toss the mixture (with clean hands). Pour into the glass baking dish and even out with a spatula. Bake for 45 minutes, covering with foil until the last 15 minutes, then remove the foil and let the top crisp a little. Cool slightly and serve.
Elizabeth Dougherty has been a food writer for over 10 years, attended culinary school and holds a Bachelor’s degree, Magna Cum Laude in Hospitality, Business and Labor Relations from NYIT. She has been a talk show host of nearly 150 episodes of Food Nation Radio which airs each Saturday afternoon at 4 on WWBA AM820 News and other stations. You can read her articles and hear previous shows on her podcast page on the Food Nation Radio Network website and on Facebook.
