Howard Mitcham, a New Orleans authority on just about everything, is a wonderful and charming man. He explains that hushpuppies got their name in antebellum days ("before the war"). In the summertime the slaves cooked their meals over an outdoor fire. Overcome by ravenous hunger and by the delicious smells rising from the skillet, the family dog would walk around crying and whining. The cook would toss him one of these deep-fried tidbits and say, "Now. Hush, puppy!" Hushpuppies may be spoon-dropped, patted into small cakes, or rolled into balls. The spoon-dropped type are the easiest and seem to be the most crispy and tasty. You can fry them in the same fat in which you have cooked the catfish. This is Mitcham's recipe:

Mix the dry ingredients and the onions together. Blend the egg with the buttermilk and stir into the dry ingredients. You will have a very thick batter.

Allow the batter to sit for 1/2 hour and then drop by the tablespoonful into deep fat at 375°. Deep-fry until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and keep warm in a 200° oven until serving.

From <The Frugal Gourmet Cooks American>. Downloaded from Glen's Mm Recipe Archive, http://www. Erols. Com/hosey.