ChezCindy: Skillet Chili with Cornmeal Biscuits

 

This hearty comfort meal was inspired by a recent New York Times article written by Melissa Clark.  Ms. Clark is a staff writer for the newspaper's Food section and is also a successful cookbook author.  Her write-up provides a recipe for homemade chili, and a recipe for cornmeal biscuits baked in the same pan with the prepared chili.  I used my own recipe for turkey and black bean chili that I have here on the blog.  And then followed the directions for making the cornmeal biscuit recipe.  By the way, the cornmeal biscuits taste like the best cornbread I have ever eaten.  I highly recommend making the biscuits for any occasion.  

Skillet Chili with Cornmeal Biscuits

Homemade chili - your favorite recipe or my link shown above

1 cup all-purpose flour

2/3 cup cornmeal

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

8 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

3/4 cup buttermilk or cream

2 tablespoons green onion thinly sliced

1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan

Prepare the chili using a large ovenproof skillet.  Set aside, keeping warm.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

For the biscuits:  In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar, salt and baking soda.  Add the cubes of butter to the flour mixture.  Using your figures in a snapping motion, rub in the butter to combine it with the flour until the butter is incorporated into the flour.  You should see small pieces of butter among the flour.  Add in the buttermilk, sliced green onion, and cheddar cheese, stirring with wooden spoon until the mixture just comes together.  It will be wet and sticky.  

Working on your kitchen counter, lightly sprinkle the work surface with flour before transferring the biscuit dough from the bowl onto the work surface.  Sprinkle the top of the dough with a light dusting of flour.  Gather the dough into a disk gently pressing the dough into an 8-inch circle, roughly 1 1/2-inches thick.  Using a lightly floured knife, cut the biscuit dough into 8 wedges.

Arrange the biscuit wedges on top of the warm chili allowing space in between each biscuit. Brush the tops of the biscuits with a bit of buttermilk or cream, top each biscuit with a small amount of the grated Parmesan cheese.  Transfer the skillet into the hot oven, baking for 25 minutes until the biscuits are golden brown.  Remove the skillet from the oven, allow the chili and biscuits to cool for about 10 minutes before serving.  

To make the biscuits for any occasion, follow the recipe above up to the point of adding them to the top of the chili.  Instead, line a sheet pan with parchment paper.  Transfer the biscuit wedges onto the parchment paper leaving a bit a space between each wedge, lightly brushing the tops with a bit of buttermilk or cream, topping each biscuit with a small amount of the grated Parmesan cheese.  Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes until golden brown.  Remove from the oven, cooling for 10 minutes, serve with salted butter.