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Cornbread-topped Bean and Kielbasa Bake

March 2, 2008, 4:30 am

Posted by cookie in General
Rating: Votes : 0

Cornbread-topped Bean and Kielbasa Bake

This is an adaptation of a recipe found in a cookbook, Caramel Knowledge, by Al Sicherman. JS and I both thought it sounded interesting, so we gave it a try.

1 Lb Kielbasa (or cooked bratwurst) sliced into 1/4" to 1/2" pieces
2 (1 Lb each) Cans of Baked Beans -- needs MORE
1/2 C Ketchup
1/2 C Water
1 Tbsp Prepared Mustard (we used Dijon)

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Soy Sauce to taste (optional)
Remainder of onion left over from topping

Topping:
3/4 C Sifted Flour
1 Tbsp Sugar
1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Salt
2/3 C Cornmeal (we used stone ground)
1 Egg, lightly beaten
2/3 C Milk
1/4 C Cooking Oil
1/2 C Onion, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Brown the Kielbasa, then saute the onion until limp/translucent. Mix together with ketchup, water, and mustard and soy sauce. Place mixture in 9 x 13 inch baking pan.

Sift or mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together. Stir in the cornmeal. Add the egg, milk, oil, and onion, stirring only after all are added and only enough to fully combine. Spoon this mixture over the beans. It won't cover fully -- you want to put in dollops for each serving rather than trying to put on a smooth layer. (If you want enough topping so that you can get an even layer of cornbread to cover the whole dish, double the topping recipe.)

Bake for 40 minutes or until cornbread is golden brown.

Our thoughts:
There wasn't enough of the bean mixture. We used one large can of Bush's Baked Beans with honey and ham, and just didn't have nearly enough beans and sausage mixture. We plan to double the ingredients in the bean and sausage mixture next time.

The Kielbasa was a bit tough after the browning. Also, the pieces seemed a bit large. We're considering browning the sausage *before* cutting up next time (or not browning at all, sacrificing some of the caramelization that we like so much) and cutting into smaller pieces that feel more "bite-sized." I'll update the recipe as we make improvements, but the result was really tasty -- so it's well worth fine tuning.