Hush Puppies

The second Southern dish I recreated was hush puppies.  There can be so much variety in seasoning and filling in these delicious deep-fried bites, but I kept mine fairly simple.  These went great with the shrimp etouffee...also inspired from Louisiana.

1 C cornmeal
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 C flour
1 egg
3/4 C milk
dash of red pepper flakes
chopped green onion tops

Bring a saucepan 1/2 full of oil (I used canola oil) to 375 F.  (If you don't have a thermometer, you can test the temperature by dropping in small drops of dough...when it starts to sizzle and cook small pieces, you are ready!)
Mix together dry ingredients.
Add egg and milk.
Stir in red pepper flakes and onion.
Drop by the spoonful (about 1 1/2-2 TBSP worth of dough per spoonful...don't make them too big or they will be doughy) into the heated oil.
Deep fry each hush puppy until it is brown.
(This recipe will make about 2 dozen hush puppies)

I found this recipe in a cookbook I bought in Louisiana...it is written and compiled by the Junior League of Baton Rouge and includes recipe that feed 300 people...that is one large recipe!  It is fun to find really authentic recipes...some are too authentic even!
Enjoy a taste of the South!