Three Sisters Hush Puppies

Did y'all know Indiana is famous for its corn? No? Well, it's true. We get amazing sweet corn at the farmer's markets every summer. Maybe it's so good because it's so fresh. Maybe it's the soil and climate. Or maybe it's the people who grow it. I don't know. I do know I buy fresh corn practically every week and I will add fresh corn to any dish that I want to add a bit of texture and sweetness. These hush puppies originally call for the corn to be cooked prior to adding to the batter, but Indiana sweet corn is so good fresh that I just cut the kernels right off the cob and into the batter. (If your fresh corn isn't delicious raw, consider moving to Indiana and be my neighbor!)  

Three Sisters Hush Puppies

by Woo

Adapted from The New Southwest: Classic Flavors with a Modern Twist

1 1/2 cups of cornmeal

1/2 cup of all-purpose flour

2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoons ground black pepper

2 eggs

1 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup diced yellow onion

1/2 cup cooked black beans

1/2 cup fresh whole corn kernels cut from the cob

1/2 cup grated zucchini

1 fresh jalapeno, finely diced (optional)

6 cups peanut oil for frying.

Preheat deep fryer to 360°F. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients. In a small bowl, beat the two eggs and add the buttermilk, mixing well. Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until well blended. Stir in the onion, beans, corn, zucchini, and jalapeno until well distributed throughout the batter.

Using a small cookie scoop, gently slide a scoop of batter into the hot oil. The hush puppy will puff and begin floating within one minute. Flip the hush puppy so it cooks and browns evenly. Allow to cook for about 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Serve immediately.

The cookbook author recommends serving these with her recipe for Roasted Crema on page 54. I think that would be an excellent sauce for these hush puppies.