Cornbread + harissa?

November 23, 2024 4:05 PM

I was thinking about making my Trader Joe's cornbread (from box mix) and adding harissa to it. Maybe feta as well? Intuitive cooks of Metafilter, please give me your thoughts about this, and amounts?
posted by BlahLaLa to Food & Drink (4 answers total)

Sounds wonderful! Seeing as jalapeno cheddar cornbread is a pretty standard variant, you might be able to use it as a template. I'd guess 2 jalapenos would be equivalent to about 2 T harissa (flat or heaping, depending on your preference), and 3/4 c cheddar could easily become 3/4 c feta. I would advise reducing the salt in the recipe, as feta is very salty -- maybe taking it from 1 tsp to 1/4 tsp.
posted by ourobouros at 4:56 PM on November 23 [4 favorites]

That sounds delicious. I'd consider topping the cornbread with the feta so it gets that delicious browned feta toastiness.
posted by annaramma at 5:31 PM on November 23 [3 favorites]

I immediately thought about a harissa marbling situation and found this recipe that could work as a template — just separate a little batter and mix in the harissa to get the color contrast.
posted by felix grundy at 10:45 AM on November 24 [1 favorite]

Whenever I'm adding something experimental to food I just chuck some in and taste it until it tastes right.

If it's going to be baked, like the cornbread, I'd mix in a little at a time until the batter had the right flavor. Then I'd add a little more, just enough where I think oh heck I ruined it. Baking will mellow the flavors out.

I personally wouldn't put feta into cornbread. It's not something I've tried, but I just can't reconcile the texture in my head to be something I'd enjoy. I could be wrong. But my gut says nah, for the texture.
posted by phunniemee at 5:03 PM on November 24