And Then We All Had Tea

On these warm summer days Todd and I love to go walking with Jess through the Orchards that surround where we live. In the springtime it is all awash with the beautiful and fragrant blossoms of a sea of fruit trees, but now in these later days of summer you can clearly see the apples growing large and red, causing the branches to bow down in all their bounty. The hedgerows are alive with the humming of insects and beautiful blackberries that I know will be ripe for the picking in just a few weeks now. What glorious crumbles and jellies we have to look forward to.



In the meantime, I have been busy where I work as the cook, sorting out the larder. Yesterday I discovered an infestation of weevils and it seems that all the cereals, rice and grains were loaded with them, and so I had to pitch the whole lot out and disinfect all the shelves and containers. It was alot of work, and was quite disheartening, as it means I will now have to go out and replace the lot. Never mind though, the larder is looking quite nice, clean and organized. Tidy.

I was quite tired when I got home and so made us a simple dish for our tea. Todd always loves it when I make this. Not quite as modest as Beans on Toast, but just as tasty. This is comfort food, plain and simple. With a delicious salad on the side, this was anything but ordinary ...



*Beans and Wieners Under Cornbread*
Serves 4

This makes a delicious and simple supper. Hearty and family pleasing. Todd really enjoys this when I make it and I can say with a certainty that the leftovers taste even better the next day, so it’s worth making the whole recipe, however you can quite successfully cut the recipe in two if you wish.

1 package of smoked frankfurters
2 (415g) tins of baked beans
1 heaping dessertspoon of tomato sauce
1 TBS Dijon mustard
1 TBS dark soft brown sugar
1 tsp hot pepper sauce (Tabasco)
(You can cut this down if you don’t like your food too spicy)
1 TBS dark molasses (in the UK you can use a combination of dark treacle and golden syrup)
Cornbread:
1 cup flour
¼ cup caster sugar
2 ½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
2/3 cup yellow cornmeal (polenta in the UK)
1 cup buttermilk
2 TBS olive oil
1 egg, lightly beaten
4 ounces roasted diced green chilies
¾ cup grated strong cheddar cheese
1/3 cup diced red onion

Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/375*F. Cut the frankfurters into 1 inch pieces and brown them in a large hot skillet. (There is no need to add any fat to the skillet). Once they are browned add the beans, tomato sauce, mustard, sugar, molasses and pepper sauce. Stir it all together really well and bring to a simmer. Let cook for about five minutes, on low heat, while you make the cornbread mixture.

Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a large mixing bowl. Whisk in the cornmeal and ½ cup of the grated cheese. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, oil and egg. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry just enough to combine, without over mixing. Fold in the roasted chilies and red onion.

Place the hot bean mixture in a lightly buttered casserole dish*. Pour the cornbread mixture over top. Sprinkle with the remaining ¼ cup of grated cheese. Bake in the heated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the cornbread is well risen and nicely browned. Remove from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes before serving.

*Note- You can also bake this in individual casserole dishes as I have done above.