Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day, and if you’ve just woken up from sleeping in a tent, there are few better things in this world than preparing a hot meal that’s easy to make. Enter the Johnny Cake. Often claimed to have originated in Rhode Island, Johnny Cakes, which are cornmeal flatbreads, were being made long before Europeans showed up by the Native Americans of the Atlantic coast.

All you need is a bag of yellow or white cornmeal (I prefer yellow), salt, water and a little bit of oil. All of the toppings and fillings like jalapenos, cheese, maple syrup, etc. are up to you. I enjoy ‘em plain with a dab of hot sauce, but if you need a little bit of sweet in the morning, do what you gotta do. It’ll all taste good.

Mix in cornmeal, a pinch of salt, and equal parts boiling water, stir and let the batter sit for a minute or two. (A 1/2 cup – 1 cup of cornmeal per person will probably suffice.) If you want that cheese, jalapenos, sweet corn, bacon etc. in your johnny cakes, now would be a good time to add those things. If you don’t have those things, fine. They’re just as good plain, trust me. Turn on your stove, put some oil in the pan, let it get hot and spoon on the batter the same way you would a pancake. Cook for about 5 or 6 minutes, until they’re a little crispy, then flip. Top with hot sauce, maple syrup, honey, salsa verde, fried eggs or the fish you caught before anyone else woke up. OR nothing at all. They should come out looking a little something like this.

Story by Jeff Thrope/Cold Splinters. If you like AJ, you’ll love CS. Check it out.

Tagged as: food