HOMINY is whole corn from which the outside covering has been removed, and for this reason it is high in food value. Corn in this form may be procured as a commercial product, but it may be prepared in the home at less expense. As a commercial product, it is sold dry by the pound or cooked as a canned food. Dry hominy requires long cooking to make it palatable, and this, of course, increases its cost; but even with this additional cost it is cheaper than canned hominy. Sometimes corn from which the covering has been removed is ground or crushed to form what is called samp, or grits, and when it is ground still more finely CORN MEAL is produced. Corn meal is made from both white and yellow corn, and is ground more finely in some localities than in others. It is sold loose by the pound, but it can also be bought in bags or packages of various sizes from 1 pound up. Corn meal should be included in the diet of every economical family, for it yields a large quantity of food at a moderately low cost. If it is prepared well, it is very palatable, and when eaten with milk or cream it is a food that is particularly desirable for children, especially for the evening meal, because of its food value and the fact that it is easily digested.
So that the importance of these corn products may be understood and the products then used to the best advantage in the diet, recipes are here given for preparing hominy in the home, for dishes in which hominy forms the principal part, and for dishes in which corn meal is used.
Hominy serves as a foundation from which many satisfactory dishes can be made, as it is high in food value and reasonable in cost. This cereal can be used in so many ways that it is advisable to prepare enough at one time to meet the demands of several meals.
HOMINY
(3 Quarts)
2 qt. water
1 Tb. lye
1 qt. shelled corn
3 tsp. salt
Put the water into a large kettle or saucepan, and into the water put the lye. Allow the water to come to the boiling point, and then add the corn and let it boil until the skins will slip off the grains when they are pressed between the thumb and the finger. Take from the stove, stir sufficiently to loosen the skins, and then remove them by washing the grains of corn in a coarse colander. Cover the grains with cold water and return to the fire. When the water boils, pour it off. Repeat this process at least three times, to make sure that there is no trace of the lye, and then allow the grains to cook in more water until they burst. Season them with the salt, and while the hominy is still hot put it into a jar or a crock and cover it tight until it is to be used. The water in which the hominy is cooked should remain on it.
BUTTERED HOMINY.--Perhaps the simplest method of preparing cooked hominy is to butter it. In this form it may be served with cream as a breakfast or a luncheon dish, or it may be used in the place of a vegetable.
BUTTERED HOMINY
(Serve Six)
1 pt. cooked hominy
3 Tb. butter
1 tsp. salt
Allow a few spoonfuls of water to remain on the cooked hominy. Add the butter and the salt, and then heat all thoroughly, stirring the hominy gently so as to incorporate, or mix in, the butter and the salt. Serve while hot.
CREAMED HOMINY.--The addition of a cream sauce to cooked hominy not only adds to the palatableness of this cereal, but increases its food value. When hominy is served with a sauce, it may be used as a dinner vegetable or as the main dish in a light meal.
CREAMED HOMINY
(Serve Six)
1 c. milk
2 Tb. butter
1 tsp. salt
1 Tb. flour
1 pt. cooked hominy
Heat the milk, and to it add the butter and the salt. Then thicken it with the flour. To this sauce add the hominy and allow all to cook slowly for 10 or 15 minutes. Serve the creamed hominy hot.
HOMINY GRITS.--The cereal sold under the name of hominy grits is prepared commercially by crushing dried hominy grains. It has practically the same food value as hominy, and in appearance resembles cream of wheat. The following recipe shows the simplest way in which to prepare this food, usually served as a breakfast cereal in this form:
HOMINY GRITS
(Serve Six)
1 tsp. salt
4 c. water
1 c. hominy grits
Add the salt to the water and bring it to the boiling point. Stir the hominy grits into the water and continue to boil for 10 minutes. Then place in a double boiler and cook for 3 to 4 hours. Serve hot with cream or milk and sugar.
LEFT-OVER HOMINY.--No waste need result from hominy that is not used for the meal, it may be utilized in many ways. For example, it may be served cold with fruit and cream, made into croquettes with chopped meat or cheese and either sautéd or baked, or used in soups to increase materially their food value. A dish prepared by combining cooked or left-over hominy with other ingredients to form hominy and cheese soufflé, will prove to be very appetizing.
HOMINY AND CHEESE SOUFFLÉ
(Serve Six)
1-1/2 c. cooked hominy
1/2 c. hot milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. paprika
1 c. grated cheese
2 eggs
Work the hominy smooth by mashing it with a fork, and then add the hot milk, salt, paprika, and grated cheese. Separate the eggs, beat the yolks thoroughly, and stir them well into the mixture. Next, fold in the whites, which should be stiffly beaten, pour the mass into a buttered baking dish, and bake until it is firm in the center. Serve hot.
