Hushpuppy Heaven
Regina Murphy
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Why? Former Emporian Rex Traw called to ask if I could find anyone who might have an idea what Forren’s (a former food establishment) put in their hushpuppies back in the ’60’s and ’70’s. Well, no luck there, but it is still a topic worth exploring.
What is a hushpuppy? Basically, it’s deep fried cornbread, excellent with fried fish, but also turnip greens, chili or even as an appetizer dipped in sour cream or salsa. Hushpuppies and turnip greens — oh, yeah.
Hushpuppies are mostly cornmeal with a little flour added. Some people add sugar, or chopped bits of things like onion, bell peppers or even cooked ground sausage. Some people use beer instead of water, and almost everyone always uses buttermilk.
The secret to a good hushpuppy is the oil. Down South the favorite oil is peanut, but all-vegetable shortening will work, too. There are those who use lard, and they are not thrown in jail for doing so.
The oil needs to be hot or the puppies will soak up grease. However, if it is too hot they will quickly brown on the outside, and be raw on the inside. Cook them in small batches to help maintain the temperature. A deep pan like a deep fryer or Dutch oven is best, but a fairly deep iron skillet will work. My mom had a cast iron fish pot about 9 inches deep that was just perfect. The minute my Dad turns his back, it’s mine!
The cooking technique is universal. Drop the batter by the tablespoon (the one you eat your oatmeal with, not the measuring spoon) — the trick to get it to drop in a ball is to scrape it free with a second spoon. When they float to the top, turn them over once and they’ll be just about done. If they don’t float to the top your oil is too cool. Remove the nicely browned hushpuppy with a slotted spoon, and drain on paper towels. Keep warm.
According to whatscookingamerica.net, it all started in New Orleans, where in the late 18th century the sisters of the Ursuline Academy made croquettes with a new substance called “corn meal.” These “croquettes de maize” spread rapidly throughout the French possessions along the Gulf Coast. Later on, the story goes, in Atlanta a family cook was frying a batch of catfish and croquettes, when the household puppy began to howl. To keep the puppy quiet, she gave it a plateful of the croquettes and said, "Hush, puppy." It stuck! There are other stories as well, all involving feeding the hounds so dinner could be enjoyed in peace.
Paula Deen has a standard buttermilk hushpuppy recipe. The chopped onion gives it a little crunch and could be left out if you wanted.
BUTTERMILK
HUSHPUPPIES
6 cups peanut oil
1 1/2 cups self-rising white cornmeal
1/2 cup self-rising flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg, lightly beaten
Using a deep pot, preheat oil for frying to 350 degrees. Sift together the cornmeal, flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir in the onion. In a small bowl, stir together the buttermilk and egg. Pour the buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients and mix until blended. Drop the batter, one spoon at a time, into the oil. Fry until golden brown, turning the hushpuppies during the cooking process.
There are two key ingredients in this next recipe: pork fat and corn kernels. The kernels explode with juice while you chew the hushpuppy.
CUT CORN HUSHPUPPIES
2 cups yellow corn meal
1 cup plain flour
3/4 tsp. seasoned salt
1/2 tsp. ground pepper blend
1 tsp. baking powder
2/3 tsp. baking soda
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup cooked corn, drained
1/8 cup bacon grease
oil for frying
Mix all of the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add your eggs, buttermilk, corn and bacon grease. Mix well. Drop by the spoonful into hot oil, remove when done and drain.
Foods in southern Louisiana are know for their spiciness. This recipe has the heat of a jalapeno combined with the flavor (and heat) of Tabasco. Dipping them into tartar sauce will cool the tongue down.
JALAPENO HUSHPUPPIES
1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. hot sauce
1/4 cup minced onions
2 fresh jalapenos, minced
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
Preheat the fryer to 365 degrees. In a mixing bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, hot sauce, onions, and jalapenos. Whisk the eggs and milk together, and stir into the cornmeal mixture until fully incorporated.
Fry the hushpuppies for 2 to 3 minutes or until they are golden brown. Remove from the oil and drain on a paper-lined plate. Season with Emeril’s Essence while they’re still hot for an extra kick of flavor.
These little dollops of deliciousness can have lots of other things added to them--cooked meats, seafood, chopped veggies, cheese--you name it! As long as it’s cut small, it will fry.
CHEDDAR PUPPIES
1 egg
1/4 cup milk, plus
3 Tbsp. butter, softened
1/4 cup sour cream
1 pkg. Jiffy cornbread mix
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1 cup shredded cheddar
Beat the egg in a medium mixing bowl. Add the milk, butter, sour cream and cornbread mix and blend well, adding a little more milk if the batter is too dry. Stir in onion and the cheese. Drop, flip, scoop and drain. Dip in salsa or sour cream, or both!
This last one is my mother’s recipe. We would have this in the summer when the squash plants got out of control. She used yellow squash--I’ve tried it with acorn squash and zucchini and they all work. Makes a great snack or appetizer! It only makes about eight hushpuppies, so feel free to double it. I prefer white onion, but red would be good, too.
MOMMA’S SQUASH
PUPPIES
Shortening for frying
1/2 cup cooked squash, mashed
2 large eggs
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
Cayenne pepper and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 Tbsp. onion, chopped
Preheat shortening to 385 degrees in a deep skillet or Dutch oven. Sift the dry ingredients together, and then mix well with the wet ones. Drop by the tablespoon into the hot oil, turning them when they float to the top and removing when evenly browned.
Next week I’m going to compare a couple of MREs that Brad Harzman brought me from Afghanistan. Who will win the battle of portable food: France or the USA?
I’m putting out a call for ideas on recipes that work when times are hard. Maybe not “Depression Era” hard, but maybe “1970’s Energy Crisis” hard recipes? What do you do when you have to pinch a penny and still eat healthy? Send it in to murphysmenu@yahoo.com or The Emporia Gazette, P.O. Box C, Emporia, Kans. 66801.
Let’s get cooking!