Hushpuppies

As I mentioned the other day, Saturday night was Unfried Fried Foods Night. I made the Hot Wingz de Katie. And I also decided to whip up these hushpuppies on the side.

It's been a long time since I've had a hushpuppy.

My grandma used to be a fan of Long John Silver's when I was a little one, and she used to take us there for dinner once in a while. The only thing I ever really adored eating there was hushpuppies. Nice round greasy hushpuppies.

Well, I'm a grease-wuss now apparently, and when I read directions to a recipe that entail heating a deep layer of oil for 15 minutes so you can fry the shit out of said recipe, my stomach turns.

So I baked these instead.

And granted, they're probably not TRUE hushpuppies if they're baked.

And they probably didn't taste as DELICIOUSLY Long-John-Silvery as they would've had I fried them.

BUT THAT'S MY PREROGATIVE!



I still thought they were tasty (I mixed up some ketchup and nayonnaise and dipped them in that). They were extremely dry however, but I think that is The Nature of the Hushpuppy, truth be told. (Really, the only thing that lends a bit of moisture to a hushpuppy is the thick thick greasy outside sheen anyways.) So if you want hushpuppies that are a bit more moist, fry them. If you don't mind some drier, but healthier, hushpuppies, then oven-toss them. Or maybe just tinker with your moisture-ratios in the initial recipe. Whatever floats your boat.

That's YOUR prerogative.



INGREDIENTS:

• Egg Replacer equivalent of 1 egg


• 2/3 c. plain soy milk


• 1 1/4 c. yellow corn meal


• 1/2 c. unbleached flour


• 3 t. baking powder


• 1 t. sugar


• 1 t. black pepper


• 1/2 c. minced yellow onion


• 1/2 c. whole kernel sweet corn


• 1/4 c. chopped green onion


• 1 jalapeño, seeded and diced (optional)


• 1/2 cup soy cheddar cheese (optional)


• Vegetable oil, for frying

DIRECTIONS

If baking, preheat oven to 400F.

Mix the egg replacer with the soy milk in a large bowl.

Add the yellow corn meal, flour, baking powder, sugar, and pepper to the egg replacer-soy milk mixture. Stir in the onion, corn, green onion, jalapeño, and soy cheese until combined. Form into balls.

If frying:

In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat for about 15 minutes, or until it is 375°F.

Add 4 to 6 hushpuppies to the hot oil (you will need to cook them in several small batches). Cook until golden brown and firm.

Cool on a paper towel. Serve warm.

If baking:

Line a baking sheet with foil and grease it with some olive oil. Toss your hushpuppies onto it and roll them around a little bit so they have some oil all over.

Bake for 10 minutes. Flip. Bake for another 5-10 minutes, until cooked through.
Makes 6-8 servings

(Recipe from VegCooking)