To Cook a Mockingbird

This week on our Facebook page, we asked our viewers who their favorite, commonly overlooked fiction character is. My favorite response comes from Cara Cooley who simply said "Scout Finch". I wouldn't exactly call Scout an overlooked character... after all she is the narrator for Harper Lee's hit novel To Kill a Mockingbird, but I will admit that I never thought about basing a recipe off of her. Here goes nothing!

With Cara's comment swirling around in my head, I reflected on some of my favorite passages from the book. One of them is this little ditty from chapter 3, pages 31-32:

Perhaps Calpurnia sensed that my day had been a grim one: she let me watch her fix supper. “Shut your eyes and open your mouth and I’ll give you a surprise,” she said. It was not often that she made crackling bread, she said she never had time, but with both of us at school today had been an easy one for her. She knew I loved crackling bread. “I missed you today,” she said. 

What the heck is crackling bread? Think of the most delicious, thick piece of cornbread you've ever had and then add pork rinds to it! I think the idea is the rinds crackle as you're cooking and eating them. It's a traditional Southern dish that was cheap to make, and more importantly, Scout's favorite snack. Let's get to cooking!

What you'll need:
9 ounces (2 cups) cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
12 ounces buttermilk
1 large egg
1 cup pork rinds (or crispy bacon pieces)
1 tablespoon lard, butter or bacon drippings

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 450°F.
2. Put the tablespoon of fat into the skillet and put the skillet in the oven to heat.
3. Whisk the dry ingredients together in a medium bow.
4. Whisk the buttermilk and egg together in another bowl, then combine the wet and dry ingredients, whisking just until combined.

5. Whisk in the pork rinds.
6. Remove the pan from the oven and pour in the batter, it will sizzle appealingly.
7. Turn the heat down to 350 and return the pan to the oven. Bake until golden, about 25 minutes.
8. When baked, flip the bread out of the pan so the crispy crust faces up.
9. Slice into wedges and serve, with a drizzle of honey if desired.

This recipe is not only delicious, but also just in time for the news that Harper Lee is going to write a second novel! One can only hope that it will include mentions of food that are just as yummy as this!