Hush Puppies

Folks-

My southern food kick is continuing today with hush puppies. I have no family links to these, we just all agreed that they're good with fried chicken or southern fried fish. This recipe is a variation of one I found at Small Town Woman, but of course, I modified it.

Enjoy!

ingredients:

1 cup cornmeal

1 cup all purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar or honey

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon Creole or Cajun seasoning

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup buttermilk

1 large egg, beaten

2 tablespoons cooking oil

3 tablespoons chopped green onions or onion flowers

Whisk together dry ingredients. Beat together buttermilk, egg, and oil, then add the onions. Add wet ingredients to the dry and mix until combined. Heat 1 1/2 inches (3-4 cm) cooking oil in a cast iron Dutch oven or pan to about 350 degrees Fahrenheit and fry tablespoons of the dough in the oil just until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Place on a cooling rack over paper towels or parchment paper to drain. Eat while hot.

Deep Fried Artichoke Batter

Folks-

This is a work in progress, but it shows promise. My go-to deep-fried artichoke batter has been McCormick beer batter with added Italian seasoning, but I figured it was time to move on and make space in the pantry. So here's what I have so far.

Ingredients:

1 cup all purpose flour

1 tbsp Italian Seasoning or Herbs de Province

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp white pepper

1/2 Tsp chili powder

1/2 Tsp black pepper

1 cup milk

1 large egg

Combine dry ingredients. Stir in milk and egg until combined and no dry flour is seen. Batter will be lumpy. Dip fresh/frozen artichoke hearts into batter and deep fry at 350 degrees, flipping once, until golden brown on both sides.

Creole Remoulade

 Folks-

I've been experimenting a lot with Southern cooking lately, and decided to make Fried Catfish and Hushpuppies with Creole Remoulade tonight. So I don't forget the Remoulade recipe, here's my version made using one from Food52.com.

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons minced celery leaves
  
• 4 tablespoons minced parsley
  
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
  
• 6 scallions, white and light green parts, finely minced
  
• 4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  
• 1 teaspoon prepared horseradish 
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 3 to 10 drops Tabasco sauce (to taste)
  
• 1/4 cup Creole mustard (i.e., Zatarain's, or you can use any coarse-grained mustard)
  
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 3-5 drops liquid smoke
• 1 tablespoon packed Brown sugar
• Combine ingredients in a blender and pulse just until combined.
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
  
• 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper to taste