Moist Mexican Cornbread

Yes - the photo is kind of funky - it was the best of the lot.
Just for the record, I am not a big cornbread fan. Most of the cornbread I've had or made has always been too dry, and I just haven't liked it.
Several years ago though, a friend made some cornbread which I couldn't get enough of. She told me it was made with creamed corn and it was OH SO MOIST! After that, I began a quest to find a recipe that I really liked, (well, maybe not a quest..)
I found the following recipe on the web at Rockin Robin's Cooking Mexican Recipes and as far as cornbread goes - this is by far the best I've ever had. While it appears a bit crumbly in the photo, I had to cut it while it was still hot right out of the oven.

 

Fabulous Mexican Cornbread Recipe:

3/4 cup cornmeal
1 1/4 cup flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. sea salt
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup cream style corn (corn pureed in a blender)
1/4 cup melted butter
1 egg, beaten
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
2 Tbs olive oil
1 clove garlic minced
1-3 jalapeño peppers,depending on your desire for heat, finely chopped
1 - 4 oz. can of green chilies minced and drained
1 1/4 cups grated, monterey jack or cheddar cheese, or a little of both
3/4 cup skim milk

In a large bowl add the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sea salt, and sugar and mix well.

Saute the onion in the olive oil for 25 - 30 minutes, starting out on medium high heat and then lowering to low after the onion starts cooking. Stir frequently. At the end of 30 minutes the onion should have cooked down to about 1/2 of what you started with and be a golden brown.

Add the minced garlic and saute an additional 5 minutes being careful not to burn the garlic. Stir constantly. Transfer the onions and garlic to a small bowl and set aside.

Add a little more oil to the pan and saute the jalapeño for 8 - 10 minutes on medium high heat. Add the jalapeño and green chiles to the onion/garlic mixture.

Add the creamed corn, butter, milk, and egg to the dry ingredients and mix until just moistened. Do not over mix. Stir in the onion, garlic, jalapeno, green chile mixture, and cheese until just mixed in.

Pour the batter into a greased 9 inch square glass oven-proof dish. Bake at *375 for 25 -30 minutes.

* Note - If you like a little more heat in your cornbread, don't hesitate to add more jalapeños to the recipe. If you don't like the heat, completely omit the jalapeños.