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Indian-Meal Gruel
1204. Sift some Indian-meal, then mix in a quart basir two spoonfuls of the meal with three of cold water; stir it till quite smooth ; 1204. Sift some Indian-meal, then mix in a quart basir two spoonthen pour in gradually a pint of boiling water, stirring it well, and add a pinch of salt; next put it on the fire, and let it boil half an hour, still stirring it to prevent its burning, and skimming it. It should be a pinch of salt; next put it on the fire, and let it boil half an hour, eaten warm, and sweetened with sugar, or a little nutmeg and white wine if approved. This is excellent for invalids.
HOMINY 1205. Is Indian-corn shelled from the cob, and divested of the yellow skin, so as to be perfectly white, and then dried. Having washed it well through two or three waters, put it in a pan, pour over yellow skin, so as to be perfectly white, and then dried. Having boiling water, and cover it; let it soak for several hours. Drain it, then put it in a clean saucepan, allowing two quarts of water (cold or boiling water, and cover it; let it soak for several hours. Drain it,
A thin cornmeal porridge of the sickroom sort: two spoonfuls of meal to a pint of water, cooked long and thin. It is easy to make and easy to make badly, and the whole thing turns on how you wet the meal.
- Indian-meal is cornmealGround maize. A fine or medium stone-ground cornmeal works; do not substitute cornflour (cornstarch) or masa harina, which behave quite differently.
- The hinge: slake the meal cold firstMixing the meal to a smooth slurry with cold water before the boiling water goes in is what prevents lumps. Add the boiling water in a thin stream while stirring, not all at once.
- A quart basinThe instruction calls for a two-pint mixing bowl. Cook it in a heavy saucepan afterwards; a thin pan will scorch the meal at the bottom.
- SpoonfulsAn unspecified "spoonful" here is most likely a tablespoon. Two tablespoons of meal to a pint of water gives a drinkable gruel; three or four gives a spoonable porridge.
- Half an hour is not paddingCoarse cornmeal genuinely needs 20-30 minutes over low heat to lose its raw, chalky taste and for the starch to swell fully. Stir often and keep the heat gentle rather than shortening the time.
- SkimmingThe scum the original tells you to remove is probably loose bran and starch froth. Lifting it off may give a cleaner flavour, but little is lost by leaving it.
- SeasoningSalt goes in early, sugar and nutmeg at the end. The optional white wine was common in invalid cookery of the period and can simply be left out.
- YieldThe pint of water makes rather less than a pint after half an hour's boiling: one or two servings. Thin it with hot water or milk if it stiffens on standing, which it will.