Memorial Day: A Meal to Remember

Will it be a back yard BBQ, a low-country boil, or a fish fry with the season's latest catch? Whatever you serve, Memorial Day is an especially important holiday and a day of remembrance. Families and friends come together to honor the great sacrifices men and women in the United States Armed Forces have made. Whether your spending your day at the lake, the beach or in your own back yard were certain your meal will be special. Looking for a great hush-puppy recipe to complement your Memorial Day meal, here is one we love:

Hush-puppy Ingredients:

• 1 cup Hall's white stoneground cornmeal
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon course salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 4 tablespoons finely chopped onion
• Vegetable or peanut oil, for frying (about 2 quarts) 

Directions:

• Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk egg, buttermilk, and onion. Stir egg mixture into cornmeal mixture. The batter should be similar in consistency to a thick pancake batter.
• Heat about 4 inches of oil in a dutch oven or pot. Bring temperature of oil to 360 degrees and adjust as needed to keep temperature constant.
• Use a tablespoon to drop batter in pot. Cook, turning occasionally, until they are cooked throughout and a deep golden brown in color.
• Transfer your perfectly cooked hush-puppies onto a plate or pan lined with paper towels to cool. Serve warm & enjoy!

Want to add a little kick to your hush-puppies, mix in these additional ingredients:

• Add in 1/2 cup of chopped link or andouille sausage, or
• Add in 1/4 cup of chopped jalapenos (pickled worked great, adjust amount to taste)

Test Kitchen Notes:

• We loved all three recipes, but because we like spicy foods, jalapeno was our favorite.
• We also tested a jalapeno/ sausage combo. It rocked!
• The photo includes hush-puppies with all three recipes. Yummy!
• We used Hall's extra-fine stone ground meal, but any of the three products will work well. 
• The batter made around 12 good sized hush-puppies, double the ingredients for a larger crowd. 
• We sprayed our spoon with non-stick cooking spray (like Pam) before we spooned the batter into the oil. That helped make the hush-puppies a little more round.
• We suggest simplifying your day by mixing your dry ingredients in advance. Once those are ready, it's pretty simple from there. 

In closing... Hall's Milling Company & the Hall family salute our Nation's soldiers. Thank you for protecting us and keeping our country safe from those who seek to harm us.

Source: Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart's Arkansas Hushpuppies