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  

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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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Summer is for Steamers

Steamers aka soft shell clams are a tradition in the northeast for serving at a clambake. Although, rare to find and pricey today, by all means, substitute quahogs or hardshell littlenecks or cherrystones in place of steamers.

There are many ingredient options to add a flavoring infusion for the steamers. The basic New England version is pretty simple, allowing the briny taste of the clam to shine. But by all means, jazz up according to your personal taste. Such as red pepper flakes, or shallots, or lemongrass, and or chorizo.

Steamers White Wine

Makes two servings

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2 pounds steamers or littleneck clams, scrub well and soak in cold water for 2 hours change water as needed to remove sand  

1 Tablespoon olive oil

6 cloves fresh garlic, split in half, peel can be left on 

1/2 cup white wine

1 sprig fresh oregano or thyme

2 Tablespoons fresh parsley washed & roughly chopped 

juice of half lemon + 1 lemon, cut into small wedges for serving

Optional: hot pepper flakes and 1/4 cup melted butter

Crostini with Summertime Condiment

Preheat a large saucepot, large enough to hold steamers. Add olive oil, garlic, and optional hot pepper flakes or other ingredients. Cook for 1 minute. Add steamers, oregano, and white wine. Cover pot and cook until open, about 3-5 minutes, stirring once or twice. Shake the pot to mix up steamers. Caution to not overcook the steamers because they will become dry and rubbery. 

Remove steamers with a slotted skimmer, leaving all the juice in the pot. Add parsley, bring juice to a boil and reduce the juice by half. Serve with juice, lemon wedges and melted butter in a separate bowl for dunking. And, you can always rev the steam up for a full boil or lobster bake to celebrate summer! 

Serve with crostini on the side.

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Cedar Planked

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Can late summer get boring with another burger on the grill. You bet! So, it's time to change it up. 

You are going to need cedar planks for today's fish recipe. I am encouraging you to step outside + grill with this recipe. Soak planks for 30 minutes before you fire-up the grill. Make sure the grill is good and hot, this is key! Grilled cedar planked fish takes on a wonderful smokey flavor with more flair and a lot less hassle as you grill. The plank will be charred, but the fish will be perfectly cooked. This technique of cooking on planks is not new. The Indians in the Pacific Northwest cooked on cedar and alder, a tradition done for many centuries.

This weekend when you are running errands, head to the hardware store and pick up some cedar planks. Oh- be sure they are untreated non-resined wood, no thicker than 1 inch. Cedar and alder are popular choices, but mesquite, cherry, peach, apple, and oak also add their own unique flavors. Just give it a try and have a good time. Enjoy.

Cedar Plank Fish

makes two servings

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1 cedar plank

Two 10-ounce salmon, trout or halibut fillets

juice of one fresh lemon

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

2 tablespoons maple syrup

3 tablespoons olive oil

Fresh ground black pepper

2 Tablespoons butter

Soak plank in water to cover 1 hour; drain.

Pre heat Grill to high.

Rub plank with one tablespoon olive oil. Place fillets on plank; season with pepper, parsley, syrup and lemon juice. Top with remaining olive oil.

Grill 10-14 minutes or until fish is cooked. The thickness of the fillets will determine final cooking time.

Prior to serving top with fresh butter and serve with extra fresh lemon slices.

13 EPISODES on 4 HD-DVD Disk Set, season one
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13 EPISODES on 4 HD-DVD Disk Set, season one
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