Cornmeal mush.

[Mo-Dave]

Anyone make their own. I don't have it very often but recently had a taste for it but could not find any around here at the markets. So I made some for the first time and it was about the most simple thing I have ever made. Made it a few days ago and forgot about it until awhile ago, fired it up in some bacon grease and had bacon and eggs with it, a little butter and syrup and it was the best I ever had. It was very creamy and smooth and a nice change up from pancakes. If you have not tried it you need to, its so simple this cave man did it. Anyone have any recipes they use it in?
Dave

[NickTheGreat]

Are you talking about 'polenta' or 'grits' ? We eat 'polenta' all the time.

[landarc]

Cornmeal mush is not quite polenta, it is not grits. Grits is made with hominy, chemically altered corn and polenta has a different texture. I like mush from time to time, but, not one of my favorites. I prefer grits, with cheese, or shrimp

[Mo-Dave]

Originally Posted by NickTheGreat

Are you talking about 'polenta' or 'grits' ? We eat 'polenta' all the time.

I like grits but I am talking polenta, just calling it cornmeal mush as it is known around hear.
Dave

[SchatzSea]

My grandma used to make mush. I barely remember it, but she'd make it, slice, and fry. Pretty good stuff. Thanks for the brief trip down memory lane!

Sent from my Incredible (2) Droid

[Mo-Dave]

Originally Posted by landarc

Cornmeal mush is not quite polenta, it is not grits. Grits is made with hominy, chemically altered corn and polenta has a different texture. I like mush from time to time, but, not one of my favorites. I prefer grits, with cheese, or shrimp

Guess I have always thought polenta was just another name for corn, like maze.
Yes don't have it much but it was a nice change of pace and much better than what I used to get in the store. While eating it I thought about adding cheese in some way or other.
Dave

[chicagokp]

My mother in law makes her mush with beef broth. Then slices thin and fries up a bit. Good stuff.

[Mo-Dave]

Originally Posted by SchatzSea

My grandma used to make mush. I barely remember it, but she'd make it, slice, and fry. Pretty good stuff. Thanks for the brief trip down memory lane!

Sent from my Incredible (2) Droid

Yep I like it best with a crispy fried skin, was thinking of cubing it and deep frying for an extra crispiness.
Dave

[Hoss]

Not sure what you mean,must be regional.Grits down here.We do crumble up leftover cornbread and soak it in buttermilk,which makes it mushy.Good eats.

[Mo-Dave]

Originally Posted by Hoss

Not sure what you mean,must be regional.Grits down here.We do crumble up leftover cornbread and soak it in buttermilk,which makes it mushy.Good eats.

This is not exactly what I am talking about. As kids we would crumble it up for breakfast and put milk and sugar on it, if we heated it up we also put butter on it.

this is just 1 cup yellow cornmeal, 1 teaspoon salt mixed into 1 cup cold water, then added to 3 cups boiling water boiled, cover and simmer on very low heat about 15 minutes. I coated a loaf pan with pam and poured it in then let set in fridge to firm up. Removed from pan and sliced it, fried it and put butter and syrup on it this time. I guess you could eat hot while still in the more fluid state and just put salt,pepper and butter on it as a side.

I guess you could compare it to a firm tofu with its own mild flavor. Me not being a fan of tofu I don't like to compare the two but that is the closest thing to it.
Dave

[NickTheGreat]

Originally Posted by Mo-Dave

I like grits but I am talking polenta, just calling it cornmeal mush as it is known around hear.
Dave

Gotcha. We do polenta in chicken broth and add cheese and red pepper flakes

[Mo-Dave]

Originally Posted by NickTheGreat

Gotcha. We do polenta in chicken broth and add cheese and red pepper flakes

Not really understanding the differences between polenta and mush, I found this. It seems they are very close and the only differences is the grind and that polenta is more often eaten just after it is made while mush is normally let to cool.
Dave

Cornmeal can be ground fine, medium or coarse. Regular cornmeal, used for cornbread and other baked goods, usually is ground very fine, almost like flour. Cornmeal used for polenta, a cornmeal mush, is medium or coarsely ground.

Polenta, a northern Italian dish, can also be made of white cornmeal, buckwheat or chestnut meal. Polenta refers to the dish as well as the grain from which it is made. We know polenta best as golden-yellow cornmeal mush, usually eaten hot, flavored with butter and cheese or topped with a sauce. Often, polenta is prepared, cooled until firm, then sliced and pan-fried to a golden brown.

To make polenta, water, broth or other stock is brought to a boil, then cornmeal (1 part to each 3 parts liquid) is added in a steady stream while you whisk constantly to prevent lumps from forming. Then lower the heat as the mixture sputters and splatters; continue to stir until the mixture is creamy and thick.

As the cornmeal cooks, it softens and swells, absorbing the liquid. The longer you cook, the softer and thicker the mixture becomes. Finely ground cornmeal cooks quickly and has a smooth texture; coarsely ground cornmeal retains more texture even with longer cooking.

Butter, cheese and seasonings are added just before serving.

Purists will cook polenta on the stovetop, stirring constantly for 30 to 45 minutes to achieve the desired consistency. Starting polenta in cold water avoids lumps and splatters, say some cooks. I like to make polenta in a covered pot: After adding cornmeal to the boiling liquid, lower the heat, cover the pot and let it simmer over low heat for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring well every 10 minutes. Don't worry if the polenta sticks to the bottom of your pot, you can soak the pot in cold water afterward.

When you turn polenta out onto a platter or serving dish, it thickens even more, becoming firm as it cools. You can pour polenta into a loaf pan and let it cool, then slice and pan fry. You can even cut polenta into shapes with cookie cutters. Instant polenta is available in specialty shops; to make this product, cooked polenta is dried and pulverized to make an instant mix. Rehydrate it in boiling water for a few minutes. Ready-to-eat polenta is available in supermarkets, packed in plastic and ready to slice and heat.

What's the difference between polenta and grits? Grits are made from ground, dried white or yellow corn kernels from which the hull of the corn is removed by an alkali, such as slaked lime or lye.

Grits, or hominy grits, a specialty of the South, are prepared much like polenta, seasoned with butter, salt and pepper or cooled to a firm consistency, sliced and fried. Whole, dried hominy is known as posole in Mexico; when it is ground into flour, it is masa harina.

[bigabyte]

I recall getting cornmeal mush at the store in tubes. Great stuff. I've never really considered a difference between it and Polenta though at a fundamental level. I just figured I was too damn redneck when I was younger to know what the fark "polenta" was, so we rednecks jsut called it "mush".

Good discussion though. Looking forward to any distinctions.

[Mo-Dave]

Originally Posted by bigabyte

I recall getting cornmeal mush at the store in tubes. Great stuff. I've never really considered a difference between it and Polenta though at a fundamental level. I just figured I was too damn redneck when I was younger to know what the fark "polenta" was, so we rednecks jsut called it "mush".

Good discussion though. Looking forward to any distinctions.

Yes we used to get it in the tubes but I have not been able to find it lately. After looking for the differences, I am finding all kinds of recipes and uses for both. Now I am thinking I may try grilling it like tofu, what the heck I grill corn, and its so cheap and easy to make even if it does not work out what the heck, worst case you made a mess.
Dave

[bigabyte]

I have never tried grilling the stuff in the tubes, but I have made polenta and felt it was basically identical to mush. I have grilled polenta as well as fried it up in a pan the same as I used to do mush. Excellent stuff! Now I'm hungry for some. I hope I have some cornmeal left...