Hushpuppies or Cornballs?

COMING FEBRUARY 25th

Where does the name Hushpuppies come from?

The name "hushpuppies" is often attributed to southern cooks who were frying some basic cornmeal mixture. They possibly had been bread-coating or battering their own food with and feeding it to their dogs to "hush the puppies" during cook-outs or fish fries.

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Depending on where you are in the world, some hushpuppies or cornballs are cooked in every culture. Either savory or sweet - such as the falafel, sorullitos, and festivals. Typically you may think of hush puppies as a BBQ or seafood side dish. Originating in the southern region of the USA - tasty comfort food. Yes, I included my own version of it in my cookbooks and TV series. Enjoy cooking some up for yourself.

Hush Puppies  

chefgeorgehirsch.com | George Hirsch Lifestyle

1 cup cornmeal

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 cup milk

1 egg, lightly beaten

2 Tablespoons melted butter

1 Tablespoon fine chopped parsley

Peanut or Vegetable oil for frying

* optional suggestions: onions, hot pepper, crisp-cooked bacon, finely chopped ham or crab meat

Combine cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Add the milk, add egg and beat with a whisk or fork until the batter is smooth and no lumps remain. Stir in the butter, parsley and set the batter aside for 15 to 20 minutes.

Fill a deep saucepan or deep-fat fryer with 2 to 3 inches of vegetable oil and heat to 360 degrees F.

Scoop up a scant tablespoon of batter off the spoon into the hot fat. When the hush puppies rise to the top in about 1 minute, turn them over and cook until evenly brown, about 2 minutes total. Remove and drain on paper towels. Hush Puppies should always be served piping hot.