Hush Puppies 2
Print This Recipe
The are so many tales associated with the way in which Hush Puppies got their name. The most common one is that the hillbillies of Kentucky used to throw them to their hounds to keep them from howling when they smelled the aroma of fresh food cooking. Craig Claiborne writes in his book Southern Cooking that they were tossed to the dogs by the Confederate soldiers to keep the Yankees from knowing their precise whereabouts. And then, it is said that old black Southern cooks who used to pick out the bits of fried cornmeal batter which floated to the top of the pot of frying lard, so that the lard would be clean for the next batch. They threw these bits out the back door of the kitchens, yelling at the yapping dogs, 'Hush Puppies!'.
Two things are for sure - somebody was definitely talking to a dog; and two, everyone agrees that Hush Puppies should be served with fried fish, especially catfish.
INGREDIENTS
2 cups cornmeal, preferably white
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
Dash of cayenne pepper, optional
1/4 cup finely chopped onions
1 small clove garlic, minced, optional
1 large egg
1 cup milk
About 2 cups lard or vegetable shorteningMix together all the dry ingredients, onion included, and any other optional ingredient. Make a well in the center, drop in the egg, stir in the milk and blend well to make a nice smooth batter. Let sit for about 2 minutes and then form into teaspoon-sized balls.
Heat the lard, using a cooking thermometer, in a deep-fryer or a deep, heavy skillet. Drop the batter into the hot fat and fry until the Hush Puppies are golden brown. Drain them on paper towels and serve at once.
NOTE - If you have any old hounds around, you can always try them out on them first if you like!
;-)