Let’s see, what is simple enough that it’s okay if a baby constantly interrupts but a little more questionable than the last few things I made? Because it’s been awhile since I’ve made Daniel wince. . .Keep on reading and don’t forget to check out the accompanying Instagram reel.
Baked Mush
The Harvey House Cookbook
Exact date unknown – but likely late 19th century
Step One: First, add cold water to yellow cornmeal – it gave exact measurements, thankfully, but I cut the recipe in half since I had no interest in using an entire quart of cornmeal…
Step Two: Bring additional water, salt, and butter to a boil, then add the cornmeal mixture and stir until smooth. Simple enough…except for how…thick…it…instantly…was.
Step Three: Boil for 45 minutes. Wait. What? This thing was thick enough to paint with. How was it supposed to boil? Maybe 19th century cornmeal was a different composition? After much debate, I finally added another cup or two of water because I honestly envisioned nothing but black smoke coming out of it trying to boil. As it was, I was still pretty skeptical about it boiling for so long.
Step Four: Pour into a buttered pan. I was utterly shocked, I’ll be honest, that there wasn’t so much as a burned spot at the bottom of the pan. Clearly there is much I don’t know about how cornmeal works.
Step Five: Bake for two hours in a moderately hot oven. Thankfully, for once, this reprint had an interpretation for me – 375! But two hours?? I may have checked on it frequently enough to let out some of the heat.
Step Five and a half: This was the point at which I realized I forgot a step…apparently I was supposed to brush the top of the baked mush with butter before baking it. . . with half an hour still to go, I decided to just go for it anyway.
Step Six: “Serve hot with cream, sweetening, etc., or a tasty cheese.” Can you guess which I chose? Cheese of course! It seemed so random that I had to see what it was like. And, yes, it was delightful to see my husband’s face when I served him baked mush with sharp cheese.
Verdict:
The baked mush actually wasn’t half bad! With the cheese…well, it was a bit of a strange combination. Daniel made lots of fun faces, but then he kept going back for more…and then requested even more. And I ended up dishing up some for myself. So clearly it grows on you.
Have you made baked mush? What would you serve it with?
Forest Idylls 
Mush served hot with maple syrup — can you tell I’m from way up north!
Susan
Ohh, I bet that could be good!
I think it is something like polenta, and it is a national dish in Romania (mămăligă, polenta is the italian version, most known internationally). We eat it with butter or sour cream and various kinds of cheese, or with milk, or as a side dish to stews and other dishes.
Oh, yum! I love all that detail! So many good ideas…I may have to try this again.