Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mammy's little baby / Shortnin' Bread
From:
Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 10 Jul 07 - 11:15 PM
Genie, I hesitate to comment on hush puppies. My wife is from Georgia, and I want to live. Actually, I like them. These two recipes should get you started.
The origin:
The hound dogs that went on hunting forays or just went along as companions were always hungry. When their masters fried fish for dinner, they started yelping and barking as soon as they caught the smell.
To shut them up, the owners dropped lumps of their corn meal batter into the fish pan, and then tossed the fried lumps to the dogs with the command, "Hush, puppies!"
This recipe is a civilized version in that it is not made with old fishy drippings and doesn't taste of dead fish.
HUSH PUPPIES
1 1/2 cups stone-ground white corn meal
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, well-beaten
3/4 cup milk
1 small onion, grated
Fat for iron skillet frying (or deep-fat fryer)
Sift together corn meal, baking powder, and salt. Mix egg, milk and onion in a bowl. Combine with dry ingredients and drop from a spoon into hot fat. When the Hush Puppies get crisp and golden (1-2 minutes), lift from fat with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Serve hot.
Usually served with fried fish in the South, but makes fine tid-bits (if kept bite-sized) to serve with drinks, pot-luck, as a snack, etc.
Be sure and use a screen to keep spatter down.
Recipe is from "The American Heritage Cookbook," vol. 2, ed. American Heritage, 1964, American Heritage Pub. Co. These volumes are a good history of American Cooking, with recipes in vol. 2.
COASTAL HUSH PUPPIES
These use only 1/2 inch of smoking hot grease in the iron skillet.
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup bell pepper, chopped
2 cups yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 very large spoon of flour
2 heaping teaspoons baking powder
Pinch salt
1 egg, beaten
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons melted Crisco
Mix well the dry stuff, onion and bell pepper. Add buttermilk and egg, whipped together.
Get 1/2 inch of grease smoking hot in a heavy fry pan and drop the mixture in by the spoonful. Brown one side, turn and brown the other.
"If you got a yappin' dog or a hungry man this ought to shut'um up."
E. M. Mickler, compiler, 1986, "White Trash Cooking," The Jargon Society.
A great regional cookbook, ever'thing from cracklin corn pone to oven-baked possum, cooter pie and gator tail.
|
sj
