Recipe: Corn-FryCakes aka Hoe-Cakes

Several weeks ago, an online-friend sent us a link to a recipe for hoe-cakes. Tried them, and yum! We don't particularly like the term hoe-cake, because, seriously, we don't plan on baking them on a hoe like when they were first "invented". So, we're calling them "corn-FryCakes". And we like that these are very simple to make, with very few ingredients. So economical, especially in these hard times. And gluten-free.

Ingredients:

2 cups cornmeal, finely-sifted/ground
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1/2 tsp salt (or a bit more to taste or less for heart-healthy)
2-3 tablespoons of olive oil

Directions:

1. Mix cornmeal with salt, then add boiling water.
2. Let stand for a few minutes.
3. Heat non-stick pan on low heat.
4. Add olive oil. Turn up heat to medium.
5. Spoon into the pan the now-thick mixture into 2 or 3 small "pancakes". Smooth out the batter with the back of a greased spoon.
6. Slowly cook. May take 7-10 minutes.
7. After a few minutes, carefully flip them over.
8. Ready when lightly browned.

Additions: chopped onions, bell pepper, jalepenos, or other spices or herbs. We slather thick honey on plain corn-cakes. Good with a variety of meals: Tex-Mex, American, etc. Very filling.

GLUTEN-FREE, HEART-HEALTHY, LACTOSE-FREE

Questions: Will this work just as well with Masa (instant corn masa flour) or colored corn? For instance, next year, we plan to grow Black Aztec Corn, which is a good sweet corn, but the kernels turn black as it dries, and is good then for cornmeal. Good crop to grow. We can't find any in a health food store to buy, so we're wondering if there's any difference.

Update 12/17/08: We tried these tonight with corn masa flour, and needed a bit more water than with corn meal. In addition, we added about 1 teaspoon of cinnamon to the batter. BE SURE to fry until completely cooked through. It's not the tastiest when the middle is mushy, and is best when it's crunchy and browned.

Next summer, we plan on making these in a solar oven. Anybody done this yet? We will post an update when we have more answers.

Copyright (c) 2008 New View Group, LLC