Inkwatu

TOTEM BY MISSISSIPPI ARTIST, JOHNNY KNIGHT

Roots

A while back there was a post about my Mississippi Cuzn Donna and another post about my Mississippi Cuzn Don’s Mississippi Greens recipe. There’s other Gulf Coast cousins, too, and in due time we’ll hear more about them including their blue grass and photography, but today, we’re going to hear from Cuzn Don again, with his recipes for Hoe Cakes and Hush Puppies. The recipes are related, but not exactly the same. Cuzn Don’s words will be in red italics. My comments and explanations will be in normal type.

There are many cultural roots in every region of the United States. Traditionally, the three biggest in the South, have been the Native Americans, the European settlers, and the African-American slaves. The European culinary influences, especially in New Orleans, are French and Spanish. The African culinary traditions the slaves brought with them from their home countries became the backbone of what, today, we call “Southern Cooking.” I don’t think it exists any more, but at one time there was a restaurant in Atlanta that had entrees based on actual antebellum (before the war) slave recipes. One I remember well was a pork chop with a peanut butter and cayenne pepper sauce—an unexpected combination and delicious. As important as the European and African influences on Southern cuisine are, however, it’s important to not forget the culinary influences of the Native American cultures.

Far too many people are not aware of how thoroughly the Native Americans populated the South prior to the genocidal policies that drove them from their lands. Today, there is only one federally recognized Native-American nation in Mississippi; see Choctaw.org and Native American Nations. But there were once many more; see Native languages, Indian Tribes in MS and Native Mississippi.

With that background, let’s turn to Cuzn Don as he begins his discussion of Hoe Cakes.

DRY INGREDIENTS ASSEMBLED

Hoe Cakes

Originally, Native Americans cooked these on hot rocks in an open fire. They were first called “Ash cakes.” Later settlers from Europe adopted the recipe but it was from the slaves returning from the fields that the “Hoe Cakes” got its name. They would sometimes take the handles out of their hoes, clean and use the flat top as a griddle or stand over the hot coals with their hoes straight up..Their hoes were larger than the ones we use today. This is one of oldest recipes handed down that I know of, also the cheapest to make.

Early Recipes

• stone ground corn (Cornmeal)
• dash of salt
• add boiling water, stir into mush and make a patty
• small amount of fat for frying

The following recipe, “Southern Mississippi Hoe Cakes,” is the one I made for photos for this post. I followed Cuzn Don’s directions closely, but substituted some, perhaps non-traditional, ingredients. Hopefully, though, my substitutions aren’t as great a heresy as when northerners make their rice with sugar.

For the milk, I used buttermilk; for the cheese, I used gorgonzola; for the crumbled meat, I used Tennessee Pride HOT sausage–reserving the grease in the pan for cooking the hoe cakes; for the cajun seasoning, I used plain ol’ Crystal hot sauce; for both types of flour, I used self rising flours; I left out the egg since I am a Mississippi Gulf Coast Jones (although I live a bit farther south).

The smell was overwhelmingly good. My pan is only large enough to cook three at a time. So, it took every bit of self-discipline (not my long suit anyway) to not eat “just one” before taking a picture of the total results on a plate. I’ve bought the peanut oil to make the deep fried kind, but I’ll wait a couple months before I attempt those.

COOKING UP SOME HOT SAUSAGE

Southern Mississippi Hoe Cakes

I believe this is an early recipe for today’s Southern “Hush Puppies”. Still cheaper to make and just as good or better. There may be others who may disagree but it has the same ingredients as today’s Southern “Hush Puppies”. I was told in my younger days that “Hush Puppies” got it name by giving the leftovers to the hunting dogs to keep them from barking. I am sure that they didn’t have a bag of “Ole Roy” or “Gravy Train” dog food from the store in the 1800’s.

My Jones kinfolks on the Mississippi Gulf Coast still use the term of “Hoe Cakes” with the recipe below but without an egg (family tradition).

(small portion my way)

• 1 cup of yellow cornmeal
• 1 egg beaten
• dash of Cajun seasoning
• milk
• small amount of grated cheese (your favorite)
• 1/3 cup of flour(optional)
• small amount of oil for griddle or pan

Mix all the dry ingredients and beaten egg then add milk a little at a time while stirring to get to a stage similar to a pancake batter. I make them about 4″ diameter or smaller. Cook on medium heat without mashing them down. If you would like, add meat such as left over hamburger meat. Break up a small portion of the meat and make your batter a little thicker so that it will hold around the meat.

The taste is great and my grandchildren love them .

If Native American cuisine interests you, there are a large number of Native American Food blogs on the Internet. Here is one with an Algonquian recipe for hoe cakes.

EVERYTHING TOGETHER MIXED IN A BOWL

Johnny Knight

Before we return to Cuzn Don’s recipes, just a quick break to talk a bit about Cuzn Don’s own background and one of his influences, Johnny Knight. Johnny Knight was an adult mentor to Don and Don’s late brother, Larry, when they were growing up. Johnny Knight was an artist of Native-American descent who was loved by his community of Mendenhall, Mississippi. The totem pictured at the top of this post is his creation. Another project, preserved to this day by members of the community is his Tree House. A quick look at that link will convince you that he was a real talent and very original. Imagine being youngsters brought up in the water-hole-swimming, river-fishing, back-country-hunting, skin-and-cook-your-own-food Mississippi culture of the 50s.

This was back when the brands of coke (the generic term used in the South for what we northerners called “soda”) were Red Rock, Mr. Cola and Grappette, RC Cola (that one can still be found), creme and strawberry sodas and Orange Crush. It was back when bottle caps had cork on the inside and you would poke holes in the cap with an ice pick and shake the bottle to make a fizzy drink that lasted longer. (For a nifty page about fruit sodas, check out The Soda Gallery.)

Anyway…back in those days, Johnny Knight would take Cuzn Don and Cuzn Larry out hunting with nothing but their shotguns and he’d only take a bow and arrows. He taught them not only survival skills, but also respect for the land and its wildlife, not letting them hunt anything they couldn’t prepare and eat themselves. Small wonder Cuzn Don has become so active in Mississippi conservation efforts…and in cooking his own food.

COOKING IN A PAN

Southern Mississippi Hush Puppies

(Deep Fried)

Deep fried hush puppies are usually made when frying fish and potatoes and cooked outdoors. Most good cooks will use peanut oil. This has a higher smoke point and like olive oil, a lot healthier for you.

Hush puppies are cooked first and you want plenty because they will disappear quickly while you are cooking the fish . You also may have to slap a few hands. If cooked right, they will simply melt in your mouth. I use a paper bag lined with paper towels to absorb the oil.

• 3 cups of yellow cornmeal
• 2 eggs beaten
• 1/4 cup of finely chopped onions
• 1/4 cup of finely chopped bell pepper or hot pepper
• salt
• cajun seasoning (I use 4or 5 dashes here or more)
• milk

Mix all dry ingredients and beaten eggs and add milk and stir. You want the the batter to be just thick enough to stick to a tablespoon holding it upside down. I always taste to make sure I have what I want at this point.

If you don’t have a deep fryer, you need a least one inch of oil in your pan so the hush puppies won’t hit the bottom and you can flip them over. They will float to the top.

When the oil is hot take the table spoon and dip about 1/2 of a spoonful of batter and gently push it until it drops into the hot oil. Keep spoon very close to oil so you don’t spatter. Cook until golden brown and flip over. Takes no more than a minute to cook. Over cook these and you will have to give it to your dog.”Hush Puppy” Enjoy!

READY TO EAT

Cuzn Don’s “puppy”

Cuzn Don’s “puppy” that every so often he needs to “hush” is a purebred bloodhound named Major T. Beauregard (or “Major” for short) after the Confederate military man, Major P. G. T. Beauregard. One of Major’s grandfathers is out of the line of Beauregard Jr. on Hee Haw; Major’s father was the tracking bloodhound of the Mississippi Simpson county Sheriff…so he’s definitely from good stock. Cuzn Don proclaims that “Major is a damn mess!” At first, the only thing he’d been able to track was himself: he sniffed all around the woods and came back to where he started. Don says he’d like to train him to be quiet on posted land and bark at the deer instead of the reverse which is the case now. But, the grandkids like to run around and hide and Major can track them, so that’s good.

One last thing: Cuzn Don stresses that when you cook fried hushpuppies, first cook the hushpuppies, then cook your fish in the same oil. Don’t cook any more hushpuppies in that same oil after you cook the fish unless you cook some french fries in it first. Cooking the french fries in the oil will clean the grease of burnt specks of cornmeal in the oil. What you don’t dip out, will stick to the french fries. After cooking the french fries, you can cook more hushpuppies in the same grease and/or save it for use later in a coffee can, although Cuzn Don allows he wouldn’t reuse it for frying chicken.

Try ‘em. They’re really not at all difficult to make. But you’ll have to be quick if you want to taste some yourself; the grandkids and the dog are assured to gobble them all up. One more warning: I’d told myself I’d only eat a couple and then freeze the rest for another time. Didn’t happen…yet. I’m now past a “couple” and still eating. I do hope I have some left to freeze.

THE RIVER STRONG, D’LO MISSISSIPPI

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