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.

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.

AIOLI is a perfect dip for Hushpuppies, click for recipe

Hush Puppies  

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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.

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Rock Shrimp

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Rock shrimp, which tastes like lobster, is actually a member of the shrimp family, a deepwater cousin of the pink, brown, and white Gulf shrimp species. The crustacean gets its name from its rock-hard shell; almost all the harvest is sold peeled. And, it can easily be mistaken for a miniature lobster tail with the same sweetness. The shrimp are generally small; the largest size is about 21 to 25 shrimp per pound. Rock shrimp are found in waters from Virginia to the Gulf of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula and the coasts of California to the Caribbean. Available frozen year-round, it is available fresh from July through November, peaking in September.

Crispy Rock Shrimp Salad w/Microgreens, Mini Heirloom Tomatoes, Pesto, and Garlic Aioli

Makes four appetizers

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1 cup mixed vine ripen mini heirloom tomatoes 

1 cup microgreens or mini beet tops

2 cups Rock Shrimp or mini Shrimp

For the marinade:

In a medium-size bowl or dish, add 1 cup buttermilk or make your own: 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice with regular milk.

A pinch of freshly grated nutmeg, powder garlic, red pepper flakes, dried basil, thyme fresh ground black pepper

Place shrimp in the marinade for 15 - 20 minutes.

Drain shrimp well but do not dry. Add to corn flour mixture (1 cup of all-purpose flour mixed with 1 cup extra-fine cornmeal.)

Bread each piece of shrimp coating well in the cornflour mixture.

Preheat a high-sided pan with a small of olive oil to pan-fry. Add shrimp, and turn each shrimp when brown. Shrimp is cooked as soon as shrimp browns. Shrimp will cook quickly.

Remove shrimp with a wire strainer to drain. Do not place on paper towels or crowd as shrimp will become soggy.   Plate shrimp with assorted cut tomatoes and microgreens. Finish salad with a small amount of pesto and garlic aioli for dipping. Top greens and tomatoes with olive oil.  

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Fondue as seen on George Hirsch Lifestyle

Love fondue, but not a fan of double dippers? The solution, my individual mini-fondue servings, will satisfy the creaminess of the cheese and wine sauce.

Serving a variety of crisp, colorful veggies makes for a healthier spin on the traditional fondue. The vegetables and bread can be prepared ahead, while the fondue sauce is a quick sauce prepared and served immediately. Topped with a zesty pesto cuts the heaviness of just serving an all cheese sauce.

Fondue with Sweet English Spring Peas & Garlic Scape Pesto

Sauce serves 6-8

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4 Tablespoons Garlic Scape Pesto, or my Perfect Pesto or Winter Pesto when scapes are out of season

1 cup dry white wine

½ pound Swiss Emmenthaler or Emmental cheese, shredded

½ pound Gruyere, cheese, shredded

2 Tablespoons flour  

Pinch fresh grated nutmeg and sea salt

Fresh grated black pepper 

Serve with assorted crisp vegetables such as string beans, spring peas, tomatoes & slices of crusty bread. 

Prepare ahead an assortment of vegetables and sliced bread and arrange in small ramekins. 

Mix flour with shredded cheese.  

Immediately before serving, gently simmer wine in a small saucepan. Add Swiss cheese, Gruyere cheese a little bit at a time until blended into the wine. Keep gently stirring after each addition of cheese until completely melted. When all the cheese has melted, add nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Ladle a small amount into each ramekin. Top with a small spoon of pesto. Serve immediately. 

Garlic Scape Pesto

Tips: 

- Use well-aged or moist grating cheeses for optimum flavor and texture of the sauce 

- Caution: Cook at low heat with a gentle simmer, do not boil the cheese sauce 

- To avoid over stringiness of cheese, do not over stir

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Gazpacho as seen on George Hirsch Lifestyle

This time of year is perfect to dream about those farm-fresh veggies. But don’t just dream, enjoy one of my favorite refreshing soups anytime!  

I also call Gazpacho "liquid salad" — for obvious reasons. Its origin and roots go back to ancient times in Andalusia Spain; with a version of the recipe believed to be concocted as a re-energizing dish for Roman workers building roads in early 2nd century Spain. Traditionally, gazpacho recipes include stale bread, tomato, cucumber, bell pepper, garlic, olive oil, and a touch of vinegar. 

Gazpacho aka Liquid Salad

Makes four servings

chefgeorgehirsch.com | from George Hirsch Lifestyle TV  

1/4 cup sweet onion, chopped very fine

4 cups low sodium tomato juice + Juice of 1 lemon

1/4 cup each sweet red + yellow pepper, chopped very fine

1/4 fresh plum tomatoes, seeded, chopped fine

4 cloves garlic, fine chop

1/4 cup scallion, fine chop

1/2 cup cucumber; peeled and seeded, chopped very fine

1 Tablespoon cilantro + 1/4 each teaspoon hot sauce, cumin, sea salt + fresh ground black pepper 

1/2 cup stale bread, toasted and chopped fine

1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar 

Optional: 1 fresh gherkin cut into four wedges and a spring on dill to garnish. Or, marinate very fresh scallops or shrimp in tequila & hot sauce--top mugs ceviche style. 

*In a large bowl mix all the ingredients and chill for two hours before serving. 

My recipe will give your knife skills a work out. Feel free to use a blender. Keep in mind the manual chopping of the vegetables will preserve the flavor. 

*Tip: Be aware, using a food processor or blender actually cooks the veggies with the friction, in turn, changing the natural uncooked flavor, which is the true essence of this dish. There are many versions of gazpacho, but I prefer this one without any meat broth, keeping it true to its veggie roots, and finishing it off with a drizzle of a good olive oil.  

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George's Smackin' Wings

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A classic Buffalo wing, which you know heralds from the city of the same name.. is tossed into a deep fryer, then tossed into melted butter and hot sauce or finished off in an infinite number of other side sauces and condiments. 

Now friends, my Smackin' Wings are a better wing for a couple reasons... First, it's grilled with benefits from the outdoor flavor of fire-n-smoke; and the sauce is sweet, allowing you to enjoy the chicken and the side sauce. 

George's Smackin' Wings

Makes 32 pieces | from Grilling with Chef George Hirsch cookbook

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16 chicken wings

1/2 cup olive 

1/4 balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup honey

2 teaspoon brown sugar

2 teaspoons cane syrup or dark corn syrup

1 teaspoon hot sauce

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

2 teaspoons soy sauce

1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Cut off and discard wings tips. Cut remaining wings in half. Combine remaining ingredients in large bowl until well blended, add wings. Cover and marinade in refrigerator 1 hour.

Preheat grill to medium temperature.  

Place wings on grill. Grill 15 to 20 minutes over medium coals, turning frequently. As wings begin to brown continue slowly cooking on indirect heat, until completely cooked.

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