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Cast-Iron Hush Puppies

Source of Recipe

From "Real Cajun" by Donald Link


Recipe Introduction

"When I was attending Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge there was (and still is) a restaurant on campus called The Chimes, where you could get a bowl of shrimp and corn soup with a side of hush puppies for about five dollars, which left us enough money o get a pitcher of beer. For a poor college student, that's a pretty good deal. They were the best I'd tasted - until these. The addition of puréed 'green' flavors like jalapeños, scallions, and parsley adds a fresh, bright taste and gives them a cool color, too."

List of Ingredients

• ½ small onion, chopped
• 1 small jalapeño pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
• 1 bunch scallions (green and white parts), thinly sliced
• 2 Tbsp minced parsley
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 2½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
• ¾ cup whole milk
• 1 egg
• Vegetable oil, for frying


Recipe

Combine the onion, jalapeño, scallions, and parsley in a food processor or blender and pulse to a rough purée.

Whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, thyme, and cayenne in a small bowl.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk and egg. Add the vegetable purée and stir to combine. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until combined. For the best results, refrigerate the batter for at least 30 minutes before frying.

Heat 3 inches of oil in a 4- to 5-quart heavy pot (preferably cast-iron) over high heat until it reaches 350°F.

Working in batches of six, carefully add the batter to the hot oil 1 heaping tablespoon at a time; use another spoon to scrape it off, keeping it in a ball shape. Fry, turning, until golden, 2 to 3 minutes, then transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain briefly. Transfer the hush puppies to a shallow baking pan and keep hot in a 200°F oven while frying remaining batter (bring the oil back to 350°F in between batches).

Serves 4 as a side dish