Sometimes the perfect escape can be found right in your kitchen! Use the recipes below to make some almost heaven comfort food.
First Lady Justice’s Cornbread
This family recipe has won a blue ribbon at the West Virginia State Fair, and it’s one your family will love too! For added fun, bake your cornbread in a cast-iron skillet.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/16 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 egg, slightly beaten
- 1/4 cup canola oil
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 425°.
- Oil an 8×8 pan.
- Mix all dry ingredients. Add liquids. Stir just to mix.
- Bake 30 minutes until golden brown.
Footnote: Adjust amounts of sugar & oil to your liking.
Pepperoni Rolls
The pepperoni roll is a West Virginia staple! When Italian immigrants came to West Virginia to work in the coal mines, they needed a filling snack for the long hours. Make your own using this recipe:
Ingredients:
- 12 frozen dinner roll dough balls, defrosted according to package directions
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 12 slices deli pepperoni
- 3 slices mozzarella cheese, cut into four squares each
- oregano, to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Press or roll dough balls into circles at least 1/4-inch bigger than the diameter of your pepperoni. (Try to avoid using flour on your surface, which will make the dough harder to pinch closed.)
- Mix beaten egg with Parmesan and spread a heaping teaspoon of the mixture over each circle, leaving at least 1/4-inch around all sides.
- Top with pepperoni and two squares of mozzarella. Sprinkle with oregano.
- Roll tightly, tuck in ends, and press all edges tightly with your fingertips until well-sealed.
- Place rolls on the baking sheet, brush with olive oil, and bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a cooling rack. Serve warm or cold with pizza sauce on the side for dipping.
Buttermilk Biscuits
There’s no better comfort food than homemade buttermilk biscuits!
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons (85 grams) cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 3/4 cup (180 ml) cold buttermilk, plus more for the tops of the biscuits
Directions:
-
Preheat oven to 450°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
-
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt until well combined. Add the in the cubed cold butter and cut into the dry ingredients using a pastry cutter (you may also use a food processor for this step) until you have small pea sized pieces of butter. Pour the cold buttermilk into the mixture and gently work it together until the dough starts to come together.
-
Scoop the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently work it together with your hands. Pat the dough into a rectangle and fold it in thirds. Turn the dough, gather any crumbs, and flatten back into a rectangle. Repeat this process two more times.
-
Place the dough onto a lightly floured surface and pat it down into a 1/2-inch thick rectangle. Using a floured 2.5-inch biscuit cutter, cut out the biscuits. Continue to gather any scrap pieces of dough, patting it back down to 1/2-inch thickness, and cutting it until you have 12 biscuits.
-
Arrange the biscuits on the baking sheet touching each other. Brush the top of each biscuit with a little bit of buttermilk.
-
Bake at 450°F for about 15-17 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Remove from the oven and brush with melted butter if desired. Allow to cool for a few minutes, serve, and enjoy!