Seasonal Recipe of the Week
You know, in this tight economic times we still have to have fun, and how are we going to do that? Entertain more at home and make simple delicious foods. So with that in mind, this week I had to try the hush puppy recipe in this month’s Gourmet magazine and see what I could do with it. It just took a little manipulation to make it work at this altitude and the results really are delicious. So here is the recipe:
Ingredients
2 cups cornmeal
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup well-shaken buttermilk (to break up the lumps)
1/2 minced onion
1 large egg
Optional southwestern ingredients
1 diced Jalapeno
1/2 teaspoon smoked Paprika
2 tablespoons diced cilantro
Procedure
In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, sugar, flour, soda and powder, and salt. In another bowl, combine the minced onion, buttermilk, and egg. If you are going to add the optional stuff, now is the time to add it to the egg mixture. Next just simply combine wet and dry and stir to break up any lumps. Put up about 1 1/2 inches of frying oil in a deep pot. I used canola oil, though I know some folks love peanut oil. Bring oil to 250 degrees and carefully scoop batter with a small scoop or a tablespoon into the hot oil. Cook about 5 to 6 at one time. Fry till golden brown and then flip over so both sides brown evenly, about 2 to 3 minutes per batch. You can hold them in a 200 degree oven till you are ready to serve. I recommend serving them with some sort of dip, you could go southern and make a maple butter or go southwestern and make an Ancho aioli. Either way, get them while they are hot!
