Too Much Cornbread On Chilli

Our answer

Nigella's Cornbread Topped Chilli Con Carne (from FEAST) has a crust made of cornbread and 650g of cornmeal is the correct amount as this dish serves up to 20 people. You should try to reheat the chilli in a large ovenproof dish as this will spread the cornbread batter over a larger surface area and give a thinner crust.

It is of course possible to make a thinner crust using half of the cornbread mixture but bear in mind that it will cook more quickly and we suggest checking the crust after 20 minutes of baking. It may also be necessary to heat the chilli a little first, otherwise the shorter cooking time may mean that the chilli is not fully reheated. You could also heat the chilli on the stove top (until piping hot) and bake the cornbread separately in a 23cm (9-inch) square pan or a 30cm (10-inch) pan, round skillet or ovenproof dish. The baking time is likely to be 30-35 minutes, but bake the cornbread until it is firm to the touch and a skewer inserted into the centre of the cornbread comes out with just a few damp crumbs clinging to it, but not uncooked batter.