We continue today with two more side dishes, cornbread and shredded Brussels sprouts with bacon. They both go very well with all types of barbecue and can also accompany any kind of roast meat. In the next column I will share with you my recipe for tender, juicy pulled pork and my very own Kansas City-style barbecue sauce!
Cornbread
Start by preheating the oven to 200˚C. Place a 25-30cm cast-iron pan or heavy baking dish in the oven while you prepare the batter. Mix together all the dry ingredients (the polenta, flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda) in a large bowl.
Whisk well to distribute the ingredients evenly. Then mix all the wet ingredients in a separate bowl, beating the eggs before adding the yoghurt (or buttermilk), milk and honey. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ones and stir the mixture to make sure both sets of ingredients combine well, but do not overstir.
Remove the pan from the oven and add the butter. Swirl the pan around so that the butter melts quickly and so that it covers the bottom and sides of the pan. Working quickly, pour all the batter into the hot pan and place it in the oven.
Bake for 25-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. The bread should be golden brown at that point. Take it out of the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes (or completely) before slicing and serving.
Shredded Brussels sprouts with bacon
This is my favourite way of preparing Brussels sprouts and it works really well as a side dish to a barbecue. It’s very quick to cook, so the only time investment is in preparing the ingredients. Start by slicing the sprouts thinly (or any kind of green cabbage, since sprouts are not always in season). They’ll cook very quickly, so slicing them as thinly as possible is important.
Place a large frying pan over a medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the bacon. Cook the bacon until it starts to turn crispy and then increase the heat to high. Throw in all the sprouts and toss them so that they become coated with oil.
Continue cooking the mixture over a high heat for a couple of minutes until the sprouts wilt and a few turn brown. You can add a quick splash of water or white wine if it looks like some moisture is needed. Add the chestnuts, if you are using them, and toss to combine them with the rest of the dish.
Season with the paprika, salt and plenty of black pepper, and serve warm.
photo: Jeroen van Kooten
Interested? Then print the text version of this recipe!