Cornmeal is good food. It is a staple for many persons in many countries around the world. It used to be a stable for many more of us in Jamaica until it seemed suddenly to loose its status and came to be thought of as an inelegant food “suitable only for dogs”. And while some of us stuck up our noses, the dogs have been enjoying themselves. That is not to say that very many of us humans have not been enjoying cornmeal also. In fact, some of us have been busy devising special cornmeal recipes.
An astute shopper will find that there are different grades of grinds of cornmeal on the market – the finer grind which some prefer for porridge and others like for cornmeal pudding (pone) packaged usually in 2 pound bags, and also pre-packaged brand-name products that offer a variety of textures. The dedicated cook will know that each produces a different type of product whether you make dumplings, turned corn meal, corn bread or biscuits. And there is much more that can be done with cornmeal – pancakes, muffins, pastry – cornmeal can be used to substitute for some, though not all, of the flour in many recipes.
As main dishes go, cornmeal and fish is a tasty combination. Browned stewed fish (brown stew fish) used to be almost everybody’s choice but more of us now are enjoying fried fish and festival. Some may, who have come directly under the influence of our “small island” brethren and sistren, have developed a taste for coo-coo which is really a version of fungi (what we now called “turned cornmeal”) and which had its roots in Africa. But let us not forget the Italians. Polenta is what they call their turned cornmeal which is simply cornmeal simmered or steamed (but not turned in the fiendish way that fungi or coo-coo must be turned) until it is a thick mass. Just like the English hasty pudding, it is served hot with cheese, and perhaps with a spicy, saucy chicken. And like our “turned meal” (t’un meal) it may be cooled in a mould then sliced and perhaps refried.
Then, there is “blue drawers” or dukunoo (or dokono), a sweet which is wrapped in banana leaves that are first made pliable with hot water, then steamed. “Blue drawers” too comes straight out of Africa and there is a version called paimi or conokies made in some other West Indian islands with pumpkin and coconut and raisins added. There is too a savoury version made with meat and seasonings.
Here now is Turned Cornmeal with the gourmet’s touch: Turned Cornmeal with Mushrooms. You need 5 tablespoons butter, 4 ounces fresh sliced mushrooms (dried, reconstituted mushrooms will substitute), 2 gloves garlic (finely minced), 2-3 sprigs of parsley (finely chopped), 2-3 sprigs fresh dill, salt and pepper to taste, and about ½ pound cheddar cheese, shredded.
Melt the butter in a skillet and add the minced garlic. Add the sliced mushrooms and sauté over a low heat for about 1 minute. Add the parsley and the dill and cook for about 4 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm.
Start making turned cornmeal using about 4 cups of chicken stock (or stock cubes and water) to turn 1 cup of cornmeal. Cook for about 40 minutes or until done.
Mould the cornmeal in a shallow rectangular baking pan which has been thoroughly buttered. To serve, cut the cornmeal into square, top with grated cheese and a good spoonful of the herbed mushrooms.
© Elizabeth North 01/03/1995
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