We found this recipe online and have made this cornbread stuffing for Thanksgiving a couple of times. The cornbread, which is savory rather than the northern-style cornbread we're used to, is baked in a cast iron skillet in the oven.
Note for future years: Baking the cornbread (which is actually a double batch) in the 9-inch cast iron pan made a HUGE mess in the oven, when the butter bubbled over and pooled in the bottom of the oven. Later, when baking pie shells blind, the butter caught on fire, causing quite a bit of excitement in the kitchen! Plus there seemed to be way too much cornbread for the amount of stuffing...made way more than one 2-quart baking dish of stuffing; a single batch would have been better). Maybe next year we'll try a different stuffing recipe!
CORNBREAD FOR STUFFING RECIPE
2 c yellow cornmeal, preferably stone
ground
1 c flour (can use whole wheat)
1½ tsp salt
2 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
4 eggs
2 c plain low-fat yogurt or buttermilk
1 c milk
2 Tbsp mild honey
4 to 6 Tbsp unsalted butter
STUFFING
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, or
1 Tbsp each olive oil and butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
Salt to taste
4 stalks celery, cut in small dice
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp rubbed sage, or 2 T chopped
fresh sage
1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves or 1½ tsp
dried thyme
½ c finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
Freshly ground pepper
Cornbread, crumbled
(you can use food processor)
½ c milk, or as needed, for
moistening
4 Tbsp unsalted butter if baking
separately
For the cornbread:
Preheat oven to 400°. Place a 9-inch cast iron skillet (or heavy 2-quart baking dish or heavy 9-inch square baking pan) in the oven while you prepare the batter.
Place cornmeal in a bowl, and sift in the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Stir the mixture with a spoon or whisk.
In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, yogurt/buttermilk, milk, and honey.
Whisk the cornmeal mixture into the liquid mixture. Do not overwork the batter.
Remove the pan from the oven, and add the butter to the pan. Swirl so it melts quickly before getting too brown, then quickly whisk the better into the batter.
Brush the sides of the pan with any butter remaining in the pan.
Quickly scrape all of the batter into the hot pan, and place in the oven.
Bake 35 to 40 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. It will be quite brown on the edges. Allow the bread to cool in the pan.
For the stuffing:
Heat the olive oil (or oil and butter) over medium heat in a large, heavy, nonstick skillet, and add the onion.
Cook, stirring often, until it begins to soften, about three minutes.
Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and the celery. Cook together for another few minutes, until the onion is tender.
Add the garlic, and stir together for 30 seconds to a minute, until fragrant.
Transfer to a large bowl, and add the sage, thyme, parsley, pepper, and crumbled cornbread. Combine well. Taste and adjust salt.
Moisten as desired with milk.
Transfer to buttered or oiled 2 quart baking dish. Dot with the butter. Cover with aluminum foil.
Heat through in a 325° oven for 30 minutes.