You say Polenta, I say Mush

I made Fried Polenta for supper tonight. I haven't had any for at least 15 years, but for some reason I have been thinking about it lately.

When I was growing up in Southern Indiana my father would make it for breakfast occassionally, but back then it was called plain ol' Fried Cornmeal Mush.

Back in the 80's when I was going to college, I once lived on Fried Mush for several days when I didn't have many groceries in the kitchen. That was the last time I had mush until tonight.

Maybe calling it Polenta made it more palatable.

This picture and recipe are from an author, Elisa Carbone, who considered fried mush a real treat when it was made by her grandfather when she was a child.


Corn Meal Mush/Polenta

2 cups coarsely ground corn meal
2 cups cold water
6 cups boiling water
1 teaspoon salt

Stir the cornmeal into the 2 cups cold water. Bring the 6 cups of water to a boil, add the salt, then add the corn meal/water mixture, stirring constantly. Cook uncovered for 30 minutes over low-medium heat, stirring frequently.

For fried corn meal mush, pour the cooked mush into a bread pan and cool in refridgerator overnight. Cut into 3/4 inch thick slices. Fry in well buttered skillet until golden brown. Serve hot, either plain or with maple syrup.