Southwestern Cornbread Stuffing

 I change up our Thanksgiving menu quite a bit every year. Sometimes old favorites aren't included to make way for something new. Generally this is okay, although I think Thanksgiving just wouldn't be right in our house without cornbread stuffing.

Usually, I make a version adapted from my mom's recipe, a fairly traditional mix of cornbread, onion, sausage, sage and dried cranberries. This year, I wanted to switch it up a bit and turned to Southwestern flavors to put a new spin on the stuffing. This recipe nicely melds those flavors into a traditional Thanksgiving dish.

I used a special cornbread for this, made with agave nectar and shredded jack cheese. Oregano, coriander, red pepper, pumpkin seeds, chorizo and chipotle peppers are other unexpected but not unwelcome ingredients. This stuffing is a bit spicy, which is refreshing I think, given that Thanksgiving fare rarely has any heat. If that's a turnoff to your guests though, adjust the use of chipotle accordingly.

Southwestern Cornbread Stuffing

2 tbsp. olive oil
Salt, to taste
1 sweet onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, cored and diced
3 garlic cloves, smashed
1 tbsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander
8 oz. precooked chorizo sausage, cut into pieces no larger than 1/2 inch (may substitute crumbled uncooked sausage--sauté in frying pan first until browned then set aside on paper towels and proceed with the recipe)
3-4 tbsp. chopped fresh sage
2 chipotles in adobo chili peppers, minced
1 loaf of cornbread from the recipe below, cut into bread cubes about 1/2-inch across
1/4 cup toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.

2. Heat olive oil in a large frying pan or sauté pan over medium heat. Add onion, season with salt and sauté until softened, about 5-7 minutes. Add bell pepper and garlic and season with oregano, cumin and coriander. Continue sautéing until vegetables are fragrant and softened. Set aside to cool a bit.

3. In a large bowl, combine the cooked vegetables with the cooked sausage, sage, chipotles, corn bread, pepitas and chicken broth. Stir until well combined then transfer to a 9 X 13 baking dish. Bake for about 40-45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes until the mixture is cooked through (internal temperature of 165 F) and lightly browned on top.

Southwestern Cornbread

Note: If making this to serve as sliced corn bread rather than as a stuffing ingredient, I'd add a little heat with some chopped green chilis. A couple tablespoons of sautéed minced onion would be good in the batter too.

1 cup fine cornmeal
1 cup unbleached all-purposed flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 1/4 cups milk (I used nonfat)
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup agave nectar
4 oz. monterey jack cheese, shredded
2 tbsp. unsalted butter

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt.

3. In a smaller bowl, whisk together milk, egg and agave nectar. Pour wet ingredients into mixed dry ingredients, add cheese and stir until ingredients are just moistened.

4. When oven is hot, put an 8 x 8 inch baking dish in the oven. Remove after a couple minutes when it's hot and add the butter, put back in the oven and let it melt (be careful not to let it burn, as butter will scorch at this temperature).

5. Remove hot pan with melted butter from oven and pour batter into pan. Bake for about 30 minutes until top is lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool a bit and serve warm or allow it to cool completely if using for stuffing above.