Making Corn Meal Fritters on a Cold Sunny Day in the woods

[santaman2000]

It's basically an alkalining process; it can be done with ashes at it's most basic. But, and it's a huge but, it not only changes the chemistry of the corn and makes it become a dough instead of a porridge type ....

When I looked it up the article said the nixtamalization process in and of itself just turns the corn (maize) into hominy. The homily then has to be dried and milled into flour. None of those stages is really what I'd think of as a porridge. Hominy is just a fluffy, naked corn kernel.

 

[sausage100uk]

talking of powdered egg, where does one buy it in the uk? all i can find is the eggwhites for bodybuilders.

 

[Toddy]

When I looked it up the article said the nixtamalization process in and of itself just turns the corn (maize) into hominy. The homily then has to be dried and milled into flour. None of those stages is really what I'd think of as a porridge. Hominy is just a fluffy, naked corn kernel.

But plain cornmeal boiled up makes mush, like porridge or mealy from millet, and unless it's 'baked' with egg, it doesn't work well as cornbread. it's beyond cheugh; I tried it, and it doesn't make dough that can be made into flatbread, it just falls apart.
I tried that too

M

 

[santaman2000]

But plain cornmeal boiled up makes mush, like porridge or mealy from millet, and unless it's 'baked' with egg, it doesn't work well as cornbread. it's beyond cheugh; I tried it, and it doesn't make dough that can be made into flatbread, it just falls apart.
I tried that too

M

Oh yeah, cornmeal can make a porridge, but cornmeal and hominy aren't the same thing. Hominy is the whole kernel without the outer case, unlike cornmeal which is ground.

Here's a pic of hominy

 

[Toddy]

Groats

M

 

[santaman2000]

Groats

M

LOL. Not over here. I strongly expect also not in the process (in the articles) regarding making masa. As the process is a new world (as is the item itself) I imagine when they refer to hominy it's the same thing we mean when we buy hominy. Indeed the hominy photo I posted is the same as comes in cans in both the US and Mexico. It's popular (at least in the south) eaten as is or processed further into two different products:
1) dried and coarsely ground it becomes "grits" as eaten in the American south and large parts of Mexico, or Polenta" as eaten in Italy. Both are indeed a porridge
2) dried and finely ground it becomes masa harina

Like corn (maize) itself, all three products come either as white or yellow varieties. I'd love to get some of the older, blue varieties.

As Mac said, I've learned a good bit today. Now I know what groats are!

 

[Toddy]

Groats are just the grain with the hulls taken off. Oats are a pain since they have seven layers of bran to remove, to do it the grain needs to be heated so that it puffs up a little and sheds it's scales. Other grains have different processes. Your hominy is just an alkaline prepped corn groats

M

 

[Goatboy]

talking of powdered egg, where does one buy it in the uk? all i can find is the eggwhites for bodybuilders.

You can get it in some health food shops. Though in a pinch you can use a spoonful of mayonnaise to replace each egg. It works in most situations. (Well not if making boiled eggs obviously!)

 

[santaman2000]

Groats are just the grain with the hulls taken off. Oats are a pain since they have seven layers of bran to remove, to do it the grain needs to be heated so that it puffs up a little and sheds it's scales. Other grains have different processes. Your hominy is just an alkaline prepped corn groats

M

So hominy is groats but groats aren't necessarily hominy. LOL

 

[Toddy]

Pretty much

I like corn, but I bought a tin of 'creamed corn' and it was absolutely horrible. I threw it out to the pigeons, and it took those guzzling gannets three days to eat it.
It was like mushed up popcorn. I could imagine that those 'hominy' things might be an awful lot better though.

M

 

[santaman2000]

"Creamed corn" is an attempt to recreate the way true southerners cook corn. The correct way to do it isn't even called "creamed" in family cooking, nor does it contain any cream. The proper way to cook it is to harvest the young tender sweet corn and prepare within an hour. Preparation is simple: after shucking and silking the corn, slice the kernels off the ear in a manner that allows the corn milk to run into the same collection vessel with the kernels. Add seasoning (simple salt and pepper and in a pinch, add a little butter) to taste and heat until done. The result is a tender, creamy dish that's awesome.

The canned thing is edible at best; not as bad if adding as an ingredient to a soup.

Hominy (when eaten as such) is an odd dish. You either love it or hate it; like oysters or tripe.