My daughter Storey is ready to fry up some hush puppies!

The food of my childhood represents comfort, security and love, and translated onto the plate in the form of mashed potatoes, fried green beans, skillet-made cornbread, pecan pie and peach cobbler. On a recent trip to see family in South Carolina, I was reminded of the southern dishes I had loved so much while growing up below the Mason-Dixon Line, but was equally stricken with regret – why don’t I reproduce these beloved dishes for my own child?

With Nani Ethel’s recipe safely in hand, we hit the grocery store on our return trip home and settled in to make one of my favorite southern staples – hush puppies.

Watch our slideshow on how to make hush puppies!

http://mercerspace.smugmug.com/Food/How-to-Make-Hush-Puppies/9584101_V3H...

Hush Puppies

Ingredients
Dry:
1 ½ cups medium-grind cornmeal
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon dried sage

Wet:
1 cup milk
3 scallions (well-cleaned, trimmed and finely chopped)
1 egg (beaten)

Oil for deep frying

Procedure
1. Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl.

2. Mix the wet ingredients in a bowl.

3. Add the wet mixture into the dry mixture, stirring well to moisten.

4. Prepare your deep fryer according to the appliance’s instructions or heat an inch or two of oil in a large, deep saucepan. When the oil is hot, around 375 degrees, drop the batter into the oil by the tablespoon. Do not crowd!

5. Fry until the hush puppy is dark and crisp; just a minute or so per side. Drain on paper towels.

These are best eaten immediately as they tend to get soggy rather quickly. You can keep them warm in a low oven, say no more than 200 degrees, for a half hour or so. I also highly recommend trying these pups with honey butter – if your grocery store, like mine, doesn’t sell this butter variety, whip it up at home by whisking a pound of butter with a quarter cup of honey, a half teaspoon of ground cinnamon and a teaspoon of vanilla. You will need to let the mixture settle in the fridge for at least two hours before enjoying.