Spoonbread is a very old-fashioned dish, somewhere between soufflé and polenta, and there are as many versions of it as there are kinds of spoons. There are spoonbreads that are plain & simple, and there are some that are way over the top (in a good way!). If you’ve never had it before, it’s kind of like a very rich, underdone cornbread. Here’s yet another version, this one paying homage to the country ham, or Virginia ham, a very salty cured pork ham. A real country ham requires a good bit of preparation & processing at home, but I usually buy a ready-to-eat petite boned version from Edwards of Surry, Virginia. (It’s great with turkey, too!)
Ham & Cheese Spoonbread
(serves 8 as a side)
6 eggs
1/4 pound country ham, diced small
1/4 pound aged cheddar cheese, grated
4 cups water
2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), plus more for buttering baking dish
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded, pithed, & minced
1 clove garlic, peeled & minced
2 cups stone-ground cornmeal
black pepper
olive oil
Beat eggs, then combine in large bowl with ham & cheese. Preheat oven to 350º and grease 13×9 glass baking dish. Bring water, buttermilk, butter, pepper, & garlic to boil over high heat. Whisk in cornmeal a bit at a time, then simmer mixture until thick, stirring constantly, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk corn mixture into egg-meat-cheese mixture a cup at a time. Grind in black pepper if desired. When fully combined, pour into prepared baking dish and bake until set, about 35 minutes. Drizzle with olive oil and serve.