I love Southern food. So tasty, so simple, so America. Ground corn is a staple in the American diet and has been since long before the European explorers arrived. Corn and corn products were used for everything from food to liquor and household items.

Hush Puppies are classic corn menu item and are a sort of savoury, fluffy corn doughnut, very popular during the Civil War because it was cheap and still today because they are delicious.

Thrill of the Grill
Makes 1 to 2 dozen pups

3/4 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup plain flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
To 1 egg add enough buttermilk to make 3/4 cup total
1 tbsp oil
2 tbsp pickled jalapeno peppers, finely diced
3/4 cup corn kernels
Oil for frying

Sift together all the dry ingredients into a bowl.

In a small bowl whisk the egg, buttermilk and oil until well mixed. Add corn and jalapenos.

Gently stir the egg-milk mix into the sifted dry ingredients until completely blended, but do not over mix.

To cook, heat the vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. The amount of oil you use will depend on the size of your skillet. You want the oil to come halfway up your hush puppies.

Drop heaped teaspoons of batter into the hot oil and cook until golden brown on both sides. The interior mixture should be dense but not damp. Be careful not to overcook them or they will become dry and slightly bitter.

Serve hot with butter, remoulade, sour cream or a fresh salsa.