Recipe Cornbread with Zucchini & Tomato Salad
Gluten-free option
Soy-free option
Nut-free option
Freshly Picked
Easy peasy
Baking
Comfort food
Lazy dinners
Salads
Snacks
There’s a reason cornbread is generally seen as a side dish — because this sweet, crumbly bread is meant to be enjoyed alongside something super wet, so it can soak up all those juices from its delicious plate-mate!
You will need
Serves 6
- 2 1/2 cups cornmeal or polenta
- 1 3/4 cup oat milk (or plant-milk of choice)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon bi-carb soda
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 tablespoons flaxseed mixed with 4 tablespoons water
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 4 tablespoons cultured oat butter, softened (or vegan gluten-free butter)
- Pinch salt
Zucchini Tomato Salad
- 1 yellow zucchini (green will be fine too)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- Pinch salt & pepper
- 1 punnet ripe cherry tomatoes (multicoloured if possible)
- 2 teaspoons fennel seeds
- 1 bunch basil
- 1 bunch parsley
- 1 bunch dill
Dressing
- 2 tablespoons golden syrup
- 4 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt & pepper
- 8 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Recipe: Simon Toohey
Directions
-
Step 1
Preheat your oven to 220°C / 425°F.
-
Step 2
Place a 10 or 12-inch pan into your pre-heated oven. It is important that this is searing hot as it will create an amazing crunch on your cornbread’s edges. If you don’t have a cast-iron then a heavy-based frypan will work well enough.
-
Step 3
Place all the cornbread ingredients into a bowl and mix just until combined. Don’t work it too hard as you want the mixture to be slightly crumbly. This is a dryer style bread, so it really craves liquids as a topping (which is what we want!).
-
Step 4
Pull the pan out of the oven and onto your stove with an element on high to maintain the temperature of the pan. Add the reserved tablespoons of oil in the pan and let it start smoking.
-
Step 5
Pour in the mixture (being careful not to splash yourself here) and spread it evenly with the back of a spoon or spatula. Let it cook for 1 minute on the pan then place it in the oven for 12 minutes. Poke it with a skewer — if it comes out clean, it’s done.
-
Step 6
Take the cornbread out of the oven and let it cool in the pan. This allows the bread to set and become solid, such that the bread won’t break or crack when transferred to a chopping board. Place the oat butter on top of the cornbread and spread it around so it soaks up all the flavour.
-
Step 7
Roughly chop the zucchini, and toss in a large bowl with some olive oil and salt, then pour into a hot pan. Cook for a minute or so, or until the zucchinis have coloured a bit, but haven’t cooked through, then pop back into the bowl. Cut the tomatoes into different shapes and add to the zucchini with fennel seeds and another pinch of salt. Pick the leaves from the basil, parsley and dill and run a knife through them to break up lightly but keep them chunky. Throw them in the bowl as well.
-
Step 8
In a jar use a stick blender to combine the golden syrup, lemon juice and salt. Slowly add the olive oil in the jar, continuing to blitz until the dressing has combined.
-
Step 9
Pour the dressing over the salad and mix it all together.
-
Step 10
Slice and plate a piece of cornbread and place a scoop of the salad next to it, finishing with a sprinkle of salt. Use a spoon to drizzle any excess dressing over the cornbread, and enjoy!
Recipe: Simon Toohey
