Skillet Cornbread

Slathered with butter and eaten with barbecue, fried fish, or any style of slow-simmered vegetable; crumbled into bowls of pot likker left over from boiled peas or greens; used to make all types of stuffings— skillet cornbread is one of the backbones of Southern cookery, from the mountains of West Virginia to the bayous of Louisiana.

Makes 8 servings

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups yellow cornmeal (preferably waterground)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1 cup regular buttermilk
• 1⁄4 cup bacon grease

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cornmeal, baking soda, and salt. Stir until well blended.
3. Add the eggs and buttermilk to the mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until well blended and smooth.
4. In a 9- to 10-inch cast-iron skillet, heat the bacon grease. Add it to the cornmeal mixture and stir until well blended.
5. Scrape the batter into the hot skillet, place the skillet in the oven, and bake until the cornbread is golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.
6. Turn the cornbread out onto a serving plate or serve directly from the skillet, cutting it into small wedges.