Cracklin' Corn Cakes

Okay, so I'm on a cornbread kick, I love cornbread. This is from one of my top 5 favorite cookbooks, The New York Times Cook Book by Craig Claiborne, copyright 1961. I found this at a yard sale for.50 cents. this book is filled with real food recipes, not 30 minute meals made from every processed food imaginable.


These are fabulous with your favorite winter soups.



Cracklin' Corn Cakes

about 12 corn cakes



2 ounces salt pork, chopped

2 cups white cornmeal, preferably stone ground

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs beaten

1 cup buttermilk, approximately





1. Cook the salt pork slowly, stirring frequently, until lightly browned.

2. Sift together the cornmeal, baking powder, soda and salt.

3. Mix the eggs, buttermilk and two tablespoons fat from the pork. Drain off the remaining fat and reserve.

4. Add the liquid ingredients to the cornmeal. Add the salt pork crackling and stir until the cornmeal is dampened. The batter should be stiff enough almost to hold its shape when dropped from a spoon.

5. In a skillet heat the reserved fat, discarding the sediments. Or, if desired, use another shortening. Drop the cornmeal mixture from a spoon into the fat to form cakes and brown slowly on both sides.