Cornmeal Mush and Milk
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no cooking times; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.
Make the mush
Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a pot.
Slowly add 1 cup of cornmeal while stirring to prevent lumps.
Add ¼ teaspoon of coarse sea salt and continue to stir.
Reduce heat and cook for about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally until thickened.
Serve
Serve hot with milk poured over the top.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Cornmeal
- Its starch thickens with the hot water, forming the body of the mush.
- Water
- Hydrates the cornmeal so its starch can swell and gelatinize into a soft porridge.
The step that matters
Adding the cornmeal slowly while stirring. Cornmeal dropped in quickly clumps as its outer layer hydrates before the inside, leaving dry lumps. Adding it gradually while stirring disperses the grains so the starch thickens evenly.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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