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Hominy - Although prepared hominy may be purchased, some people prefer to prepare it themselves. Hominy serves as a foundation from which many satisfactory dishes can be made, as it is high in food value and reasonable in cost. This cereal can be used in so many ways that it is advisable to prepare enough at one time to meet the demands of several meals. The following recipe for making hominy should provide 3 quarts of this cereal; however, as is true of other recipes--a point that should be remembered throughout the various lessons--the quantities given may be increased or decreased to meet with the requirements of the household. Please read the chemical-burn warning below before making hominy. A safer recipe, substitutes baking soda (1 tablespoon per quart of water in the first boil).
Ingredients
Procedure
Put the water into a large kettle or saucepan, and into the water put the lye. Allow the water to come to the boiling point, and then add the corn and let it boil until the skins will slip off the grains when they are pressed between the thumb and the finger. Take from the stove, stir sufficiently to loosen the skins, and then remove them by washing the grains of corn in a coarse colander. Cover the grains with cold water and return to the fire. When the water boils, pour it off. Repeat this process at least three times, so as to make sure that there is no trace of the lye, and then allow the grains to cook in more water until they burst. Season them with the salt, and while the hominy thus prepared is still hot put it into a jar or a crock and cover it tight until it is to be used. The water in which the hominy is cooked should remain on it.
Notes, tips, and variations
Use hominy in other recipes such as Hominy Grits
Adapted from Hominy recipe at Project Gutenberg
Warnings
Lye is caustic and must be handled with care! Lye may cause serious burns. Before using lye, please read the article on Sodium Hydroxide. If you decide to use lye, add it gradually to the bulk of the water while stirring to dissipate the heat of solution. See also Hominy without Lye.