Peruvians don't eat much cornbread—we've got breads made of potato, sweet potato, and yucca, but corn is mostly reserved for the preparation of tasty tamales of all kinds, and pastel de choclo (corn pie).
Despite this, my mother and I decided to include a corn bread recipe in our third cookbook, "The Peruvian Kitchen." Most of the recipes in this book are traditional, but we also wanted to include a few new and fun dishes that were reinvented using Peruvian ingredients. This cornbread, for example, is made with quinoa, Peru's most famous superfood. I've always liked the texture cooked quinoa brings to baked goods—softness and fluffiness—and this bread is no exception.
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The recipe I'm sharing here is based on the one published in the book, which was given to us by our friend Manuel Villacorta, author of the book "Peruvian Power Foods." As I often do, I've tweaked a few things here and there to make the recipe even healthier. The result is a gluten-free and dairy-free cornbread, and I also replaced the sugar used in the original recipe with raw honey. This cornbread is great by itself, or as an accompaniment a dish such as vegetarian chili or a hearty squash soup.
RECIPE: Gluten-Free Quinoa Cornbread
Yields 8 portions
Prep time: 25 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Total time: 50 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 cup water + 2 tablespoons, divided
- 1/4 cup quinoa (any color, but red or black looks prettier)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 cup quinoa flour
- 3/4 cup cornmeal (medium-ground)
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons raw honey
- 1 egg
Directions:
- Bring 1/2 cup water to a boil in a small pan over medium heat. Add the quinoa, lower the heat to a simmer, and cover the pan.
- Cook until all the water is absorbed (about 15 minutes) and remove from heat. Fluff with a fork, and set aside to cool.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place the olive oil in a loaf pan (about 5×9 inches), and put in the oven. While the oil is getting warm, mix the quinoa flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
- Dissolve the honey in 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons of water. Add the egg and mix well.
- Incorporate this mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients, together with the cooked quinoa. Mix until all the ingredients are well incorporated.
- Take the baking pan out of the oven carefully, using oven mitts. Pour the batter into the pan, flattening it out with a spatula, and bake for 25 minutes or until set and golden.
- Let it cool slightly before cutting and serving.
