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Cornmeal Mush

Water, yellow cornmeal, and some jam are all the ingredients you need for a hearty breakfast. Don't be put off by the length of the write-up; it's easy to make but the little tricks that make it easy require some explanation. This recipe requires you to make the mush the night before you want to use it. This recipe differs from polenta in that it's made without fat (except for frying) and cheese.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups water (for cooking, more required to wet the bowl you will use to set the mush)

• 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
  

• Fruit jam when serving

Directions:

• Place some water into a soup bowl and set aside.

• Place the two cups of water into a pan (I use a heavy pan to even out the heat).

• Measure the cornmeal and then spoon some of the water from the pan into the measuring cup. Use the spoon to allow the water to seep down into the cornmeal fully wetting it.
  

• Once fully wet, put heat under the pan and start spooning the wet cornmeal into the pan, stirring constantly to avoid clumping (for some reason attempting to simply put the dry cornmeal into the water directly tends to cause clumping). Use water from the pan to rinse out the measuring cup and set aside. Stir the water and cornmeal mix constantly while heating (this is important to avoid both clumping and burning). Stir and simmer the mixture until it thickens to the point where it requires a bit of help from the spoon to pour out of the pan.
  

• Immediately remove from heat, quickly empty the water from the soup bowl into the measuring cup and then pour/spoon the cornmeal mixture into the soup bowl (the water in the soup bowl will help in removing the set mush later).

• Dip a small spoon into the water in the measuring cup and use the bowl of the spoon to smooth and even the surface of the cornmeal mixture; use the tip of the spoon to go around the edge of the mixture and make it smooth.
  

• Set the bowl aside overnight to allow the mixture to set (I don't cover it, but if leaving it set more than overnight you might want to consider covering with cheesecloth).
  

• To use the mush, overturn the soup bowl onto a cutting board (shake a little if needed to release the mush). Cut into 1/4-inch slices (more or less to taste). Depending on consistency you may have to use a big knife to make the basic cut and a small knife dragged along the side of the big knife to release the mush from the big knife without breaking it.
  

• Fry these slices at 350-degrees on both sides in butter/margarine until a slight golden crust forms. If you use a griddle, while cooking you can place the plate under the griddle to warm it.
   

• Place on a plate and cover the mush with your favorite fruit jam (fig jam works well if you can get it and I also like my homemade strawberry jam; but most any fruit jam will work just fine).

Lower Fat:

• Most of the fat in this recipe is used in cooking. So, to reduce the fat use a non-stick cooking surface and either no fat or a very light spray of canola oil.

Notes:

• You may have to experiment a bit on consistency to find the point that suits you. If you let the mush get too dry before pouring it may crumble a bit when you cut/fry it. If you leave it too wet then the water will interact with the butter/margarine when cooking and it will spit at you.

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Copyright © 2002 Tom Simondi, All Rights Reserved