Cornbread Dressing

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Cornbread dressing is a quintessential element of Southern cuisine, especially at the holidays.

Historical Roots and Cultural Significance

Although it’s most often associated with Thanksgiving and Christmas you definitely don’t need a holiday to enjoy this Southern staple.

The story of cornbread dressing begins with corn itself, a crop that was central to Native American agriculture.

European settlers quickly adopted corn as a staple.

These same settlers introduced corn to West Africa where it was embraced and gave rise to a dish called kush.

Enslaved Africans then introduced kush to the states where it was widely embraced in the American south.

The traditional preparation of kush used leftover cornmeal or stale cornbread which was fried with seasonings like onion, garlic, and sometimes pork to create a savory hearty dish.

It’s a brilliant, delicious, and inventive use of leftovers.

The Art of Making Cornbread Dressing

Kush evolved into cornbread, a quick bread staple in Southern households due to its affordability and the ease of growing corn in the Southern climate

And it was just a small leap from there to cornbread dressing which starts with crafting buttermilk cornbread, a recipe that in itself is a piece of Southern culinary heritage.

Buttermilk imparts a rich and tangy flavor to the cornbread.

Once the baked cornbread is cooled and crumbled, it’s combined with fresh herbs like sage, thyme, and parsley, along with onion and celery.

The cornbread mixture is then moistened with broth and popped into the oven where it’s baked until the dressing forms a golden-brown crust on top.

Cornbread dressing is a super simple preparation and adds a burst of herby flavor that is the perfect companion to any meal.

A Dish of Comfort and Heritage

It’s considered dressing not stuffing because it’s baked outside of the turkey. And it’s placed on the same platter as the turkey or next to it on the table to “dress” it.

Cornbread dressing is a dish steeped in history and tradition, a culinary emblem of the American South.

It’s also a reminder that it doesn’t take fancy ingredients to create something deeply satisfying and flavorful.

Today, as Southern cuisine continues to gain wider recognition, cornbread dressing remains a proud symbol of the region’s culinary identity.

It’s a dish that tells a story of resilience, resourcefulness, and the unifying power of good food.

If you’re new to the south or just looking for a new way to update the dishes on your table for any celebration, give this Southern gem of a recipe a try.

Cornbread Dressing

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Transform cornbread into a fresh-tasting herby dressing that is the perfect accompaniment to roasted, smoked, or BBQ’d meats.

• Author: Life At The Table
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 80 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
• Yield: 10 - 12 Servings 1x

Ingredients

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Cornbread

• 2 eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 stick of unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup sugar

Dressing

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups onion, small dice
• 1/2 cup celery, small dice
• 1/2 cup chopped green onion
• 1 large bunch of Italian parsley, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh thyme, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh sage, chopped
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• kosher salt to taste

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Instructions

Cornbread

1. Heat oven to 375˚ F.
2. Beat eggs and stir in buttermilk. Set aside
3. Mix together the dry ingredients except the sugar in medium bowl. Set aside.
4. Melt the butter in a cast iron skillet on low heat.
5. When the butter is melted stir in the sugar, then stir in the buttermilk mixture followed by the dry ingredients.
6. Bake for 30 minutes.
7. Cool and crumble into a large bowl.

 

Dressing

1. Melt the butter over medium heat,
2. Sauté onion, celery, and green onion.
3. When the onion mixture is translucent and soft, remove from the heat.
4. Stir in the herbs.
5. Add the onion and herb mixture to the crumbled cornbread.
6. Stir in the stock.
7. Taste and season with kosher salt.
8. Bake at 375˚ F for 40 minutes or until it browns on top a bit.

Notes

• Serves 10-12