If you were served the following dishes - hush puppies, hoppin' John, an Eton mess and a fat rascal - what would you expect? Well, you could be in for a surprise as these novel names conjure up some interesting images.
Hush puppies are not well-marinated, cooked shoes with lashings of tomato sauce.
They are small balls or sausage-shaped fritters made from cornmeal, milk, water and chopped onion frequently served as a side dish with seafood and barbecued food.
This deep-fried favourite originated in the southern US and the name is attributed to hunters who fed these fritters to their dogs to keep them quiet during cookouts.
As for hoppin' John, this dish was not named after the peg-legged pirate, Long John Silver.
It is another southern US favourite and is made of black-eyed beans (also called black-eyed peas), chopped onion and sliced bacon and served on rice.
Hoppin' John - the origin of the name is uncertain with none of the popular theories being plausible - originated with the African slaves who worked on the plantations. In the southern US, eating this dish on New Year's Day is thought to herald a year filled with luck.
Despite the image the name conjures up, an Eton mess is not the aftermath of a party at the elite English boys' school. In its simplest form it is a dessert made by mashing strawberries and cream together. Recipes now usually include crumbled meringues, and the strawberries are sometimes flavoured with a liqueur such as Cointreau or Grand Marnier. Eton mess is traditionally served at Eton College's annual cricket match against Harrow School.
And lastly, a fat rascal is not named after Kim Dotcom, although I'm sure he'd appreciate the joke.
This delight is similar to the scone but includes currants and peel and was first baked in Elizabethan times. A Yorkshire creation, the origin of the name is unknown, however, the taste lingers on.
RECIPES
FAT RASCALS
2 cups plain flour
1 & 1/2 tsp baking powder
100g butter, chopped
1/3 cup each: caster sugar, glace mixed peel
1/2 cup currants
1 cup cream
Garnish: 1 small egg, lightly beaten
24-28 blanched almonds
12-14 glace cherries
Preheat oven to 220C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
Sift flour and baking powder into a bowl. Rub in butter until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add remaining ingredients adding enough cream to make a stiff dough.
Take pieces of dough about the size of a small egg. Roll into balls then pat out into rounds about 1cm thick and place on baking tray.
Brush the tops with beaten egg then top with almonds and cherries.
Bake for about 20 minutes, until risen and golden. Cool on a wire rack. They can be stored in an airtight container for 3-4 days or they can be frozen. Great served warm, with or without butter.
- Makes 12-14
HOPPIN' JOHN
A popular New Year's dish in the American south, this is an excellent winter treat for Kiwis.
6 middle rashers bacon, diced
1 tbsp canola oil
1 each: onion, celery stalk, green pepper (capsicum), diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 cups dried back-eyed peas or dried green peas
4 cups water
1 bay leaf
2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp Cajun seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
Saute bacon in oil in a saucepan, until crisp. Add the onion, celery and green pepper. Saute for 4-5 minutes. Stir in garlic.
Add the peas, water and seasonings. Cover and simmer for about 40 minutes, until the peas are tender but not mushy. Drain off any extra water and serve the pea mixture over boiled rice.
- Serves 4-6 as a side dish
HUSH PUPPIES
1 cup fine cornmeal or finely ground polenta
1/2 cup plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp each: salt, baking soda
3-4 finely chopped spring onions
1 egg, beaten
3/4-1 cup buttermilk
canola oil for frying
Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. Add springs onions and egg. Slowly add buttermilk to make a dropping-consistency batter. Mix well.
Heat enough oil for deep frying in a saucepan. Drop dessert spoonfuls in batches into the hot oil and cook until golden. Drain on paper towels.
Great served with fried fish, lemon wedges and tomato chutney.
Serves 6
ETON MESS
This is my take on the traditional recipe and is best made with fresh berries. However, frozen ones are a good substitute at this time of the year.
3/4 cup cream
1/2 cup Greek yoghurt
1 tsp vanilla essence
3 tbsp icing sugar
2 cups mixed berries, eg, strawberries, raspberries
8-10 ready-made meringues, roughly crushed
Whip cream, yoghurt, vanilla essence and 1 tablespoon of the icing sugar.
Mash half the berries, adding the remaining icing sugar.
Layer cream mixture, crushed meringues, crushed berries and whole berries in glasses, topping with crushed and whole berries.
- Serves 4-6