Anadama Bread

A classic recipe of Anadama bread made from cornmeal mush that comes out brown, crusty and chewy.

Ingredients:
2 cups cold milk
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup molasses
3 tablespoons shortening
1 package dry yeast
4 and 1/2 to 5 and 1/2 cups flour

Put 1 cup of the milk and gradually tire in the cornmeal. Place over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly for about 5 minutes or until the mush has thickened. Set aside to cool.
Put the other cup of milk in a separate pan and add salt, molasses and shorteneing. Heat until  warm to you finger, and then pour mixture into a mixing bowl.  sprinkle the yeast over stir, and let dissolve.  after a minute or so, add the cornmeal mush and 2 cups of the flour.
 Beat until throughly mixed then add more flour to make a manageable dough. turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead for a minute or two. Let rest 10 minutes.  Continue kneading the dough until smoth and elastic, sprinkling on flour to keep it from getting sticky.
Place in a large greased  bowl and let rise until doubled in size. Punch down dough and shape into two loaves.   Place in greased loaf pans. Let rise until dough reaches top of pans or until doubled. Bake in apreheated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. remove from pans and let cool on rackss

Western Snapper

Oven sauteed fish in a spicy cornmeal coating.

Ingredients for 4 servings:

1 and 1/2 pounds of red snapper filets ( firm flesh white fish can be substituted)
1 tsp oregano
2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp lemon juice

Cut fish into serving size pieces.
Combine oregano, chili powder, cayenne, flour, cornmeal, and salt in one dish, wide enough to dip the fish into.
Combine melted butter and lemon juice into a second dish.
Dip fish in butter mixture first. then coat with cornmeal mixture.
place coated fish on shallow buttered pan. after all fish are on Pan, pour remaining Butter mixture over the fish.
Bake at 450 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes.



Recipe from Great American Recipes, Group 4, Card 23

Spoon Bread

Spoon Bread is good wherever you would use Potatoes or Rice

1 cup ground corn meal
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder

2 cups milk, scalded
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup milk

3 egg yolks
3 egg whites beaten stiff

Mix Dry ingredients. Melt butter in hot milk, remove from heat. Slowly pour the hot butter and milk into the cornmeal, beating vigorously to avoid lumps. Return to heat and cook, stirring for a few seconds until quite thick.  Beat in the milk and when slightly cooled, beat in the yolks.  Fold in the egg whites. Bakeat 350 degrees  uncovered in a buttered casserole until firm. This is approximately 50-60 minutes.

Serves 4-6

Hasty Pudding

4 ¼  cups water

1 cup oatmeal ( or rye flour or cornmeal)

½ teaspoon salt

Milk or cream to taste

Sugar, molasses, maple syrup or honey for sweetening.

 Bring a quart of water to boil in a pot. Remove from the fire. In a separate container, mix ¼ cup of water and 3 tablespoons of the oatmeal together.  Add the oatmeal mixture and salt to the pot of water. Place back on fire. Slowly add the remaining oatmeal ¼ cup at a time, stir to blend, and bring pot back to boil before adding the next bit of oatmeal. This should take about a half-hour. Serve hot with milk or cream, butter and sweetner to taste.

Take leftover mush and chill. Slice and dust with flour to fry in butter. Serve with your choice of syrup or honey.

This recipe is from the 18th century, adapted with modern measurements.

Lemon Thyme Cornmeal Crusted Chicken

If you use fresh herbs, the presentation here is elegant enough for company. I usually serve this with basmati rice and hollandaise sauce.

Ingredients

1/2 cup milk

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 pound thinly sliced chicken breast cutlets

1/4 cup cornmeal

1/4 cup flour

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/4 cup olive oil

Lemon wedges and fresh thyme sprigs, for garnish

Instructions
In a shallow dish, combine milk and lemon juice. Add chicken, turning to coat completely. In another shallow dish, combine cornmeal, flour, thyme, salt, and pepper. (for more citrus flavor add a little orange peel)

Dredge chicken in cornmeal, patting coating onto chicken with your hands until fully coated..

In a large frying pan/heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add half of chicken and cook, turning once, until golden brown and cooked through, about 6 minutes. Remove chicken from pan and repeat with remaining oil and chicken.

Serve chicken garnished with lemon wedges and thyme sprigs. For a vegetable, try steamed broccoli or aspargus, both which are lovely with hollandaise sauce.

Missus Fanny Farmer’s French style Bread receipt

2 + 2/3 tsp yeast (1 pkg)

2  ½ cups warm water

1 Tblsp salt

6 ½ - 7 ½ flour

2 Tblsp cornmeal ( for tins)

Dissolve yeast in warm water . add salt & 5 cups of flour. Add flour as needed, then knead for 5 minutes til elastic. Let rise. Punch down once doubled. Divide & shape into tins which have been greased & sprinkled with Cornmeal. Let rise. Bake  at 450 degrees for 15 minutes, then bake at 375 for 30 minutes. Mist with water every 15 minutes for crusty bread (makes steam)