Recipe

Fried Mush

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by aargersi

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by aargersi

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by aargersi

This recipe was entered in the contest for The Best Recipe or Technique Your Mother Taught You
A&M's Testing Notes: The thought of eating this around a campfire had me yearning for my childhood camping days. I would have never eaten this as a child, but I've learned to eat hot cereal of all types. However...
The thought of eating this around a campfire had me yearning for my childhood camping days. I would have never eaten this as a child, but I've learned to eat hot cereal of all types. However, I've never fried it before! When I poured the whole grain Cream of Wheat into my buttered pie pan, I was skeptical that the next day I would be able to cut it into wedges. Lo and behold, it worked! Frying the wedge in butter created a slightly crispy golden crust on each side (I turned mine over and cooked the other side). I didn't have golden raisins, but I quartered some prunes (about a half cup) and I drizzled it with maple syrup. It was delicious! A fun twist on a boring breakfast cereal! - nannydeb

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Chef
aargersi's Notes: I realize that the name does not sound promising, however ... when we were kids my Mom and my Stepdad had a cool old VW camper van, you know the kind with the mini fridge and the fold down...
I realize that the name does not sound promising, however ... when we were kids my Mom and my Stepdad had a cool old VW camper van, you know the kind with the mini fridge and the fold down table, and a bunk area in the back? They would pack the van and we would go camping, first in Baja and around California, then later in New Mexico and Colorado ... Mom always packed her iron skillet and everything needed for fried mush, which is somehow better eaten outdoors by a morning campfire but still delicious in my kitchen just now ... Mom also instructed me not to go messing with the recipe as I am wont to do, but rather to cook it as it is meant to be cooked. My Mom is an artist ... I didn't inherit her talent for creating visual art but I do think that my inherited creativity comes out in the kitchen. For more on Mom's art check out : www.marysegal.com - aargersi

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Serves 4

3/4 cups whole grain cream of wheat (my Grandma used cornmeal sometimes and Mom also uses grits - any will work) Ask a question about this ingredient

4 cups water Ask a question about this ingredient

1 pinch salt Ask a question about this ingredient

a handful of golden raisins Ask a question about this ingredient

butter Ask a question about this ingredient

honey Ask a question about this ingredient

Do this the night before, or first thing in the morning if you are prone to eating later. Butter an 8x8 square baking dish (or a pie plate if you want wedges).
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Bring the salt and water to a boil, then stir in the Cream O Wheat and raisins, and cook until it is a thick porridge (I did mine according to directions - 2 1/2 minutes). Pour the porridge into the baking dish and cool over night or until it is solid and sliceable.
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Heat a decent sized pat of butter in a skillet and cut the mush into 8 pieces. Fry them on both sides until they are nice and crisp, then serve with a drizzle of honey. That is all there is to it! Oh - well then someone gets to scrape the crispy bits out of the pan and eat them.
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15 Comments on Fried Mush

RMScott added about 1 year ago

I make what amounts to a traditional mush, like your mother, with cornmeal and the same amounts of water, salt and the same prep/overnight procedures. I slice this and fry on a cast iron griddle but we always use molasses on our. Something is wonderful about the crispy fried corn patty with a drizzle of molasses and once you try it, you may start to crave it. Maple syrup is a fine substitute but trust me, something happens when you use straight molasses. Great post and a lovely picture.

sticksnscones added over 2 years ago

This is a great make-ahead breakfast. Stays good for several days. It took about 4 minutes to get it to thicken to the consistency I desired. I loved the whole grain flavor and the raisins gave it just the right amount of interest and texture. Instead of honey I used a drizzle of maple syrup on mine. Yummm. Will make this one again.