Hush Puppies

The story of the hush puppy comes from back in the antebellum days in the south. When the planters had a fish fry, the food was cooked outdoors. The dogs would gather around and hope for a scrap of food (some things never change!). The hush puppy was originally just a piece of fried dough that was thrown to the dogs to keep them happy. The secret of a good hush puppy is the temperature of the oil. It has to be hot enough to cook, but not so hot that the outside is hard and inside is mush. If your oil is smoking, it is way too hot! Peanut oil works great, but isn't required. These are fabulous with fried fish or shrimp. **Cooking is time is for 2 batches

• Ready In: 35 mins
• Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 2  cups cornmeal
• 2  tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1  teaspoon baking soda
• 1  teaspoon baking powder
• 1  teaspoon kosher salt
• 1⁄2 cup onion, grated
• 1⁄4 cup green onion, sliced
• 1  egg yolk
• 1  cup buttermilk
• 1 1⁄2-2  cups  egg whites (about 8 eggs)

Directions

1. Mix together the cornmeal, flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add the grated onion and sliced green onions.
2. Take the egg yolk and buttermilk and blend into the batter. Whip the egg whites into stiff peaks. Fold the egg whites into the batter until it reaches a good consistency. (The amount of egg white depends on the size of your eggs).
3. Drop by teaspoonful into hot oil (in a deep fryer or in a dutch oven -- the oil needs to be deep enough to cover the hush puppies). Cook until golden brown.