Cornmeal Mush is a dish my mother always made as a treat for the dogs. She made it with chicken stock and added shredded chicken. The dogs gobbled it up! I recently made it for my dog and she loved it, too. It isn't the most appetizing dish to look at, but the dogs don't care! 😉
Mush is made by adding cornmeal to a boiling liquid. You can use water, but we always use chicken stock. As an added treat, we add shredded chicken meat to the mixture before it sets up. I don't think adding meat to mush is something that is done too often. But, again, it a treat for the dogs and it sure makes the dogs happy! 🙂
After cooking the mush, pour it into a lightly greased casserole dish and refrigerate it until it is firm, which can take 12 or so hours. Once the mush sets up, it can be cut into slices then given as a treat to your dogs.
Humans eat mush, too. Not this human, but there are some that do eat it! I recall Mom talking about family eating it by slicing it and frying it in butter, but I don't recall ever seeing my parents eat it. It isn't appealing to me. When I make it, it is for the dogs.
Mush is similar to polenta. Polenta is made with coarsely ground cornmeal. Mush can be made with any grind of cornmeal. Polenta usually requires more stirring than mush. You'll probably find polenta on the menu of fancy restaurants.
Grits are a type of cornmeal mush, too. Dried corn is ground into a coarser grind for grits. Sometimes grits are made from hominy, which is corn treated with an alkaline product, such as lime, to remove the hull. Because the hull is removed, grits are smooth and creamy.
I hope your dogs enjoy the Cornmeal Mush!
Cornmeal Mush
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup cornmeal
- 3/4 cup cold chicken stock You can use water or beef stock.
- 2 1/2 cups boiling chicken stock You can use water or beef stock.
- 3/4 teaspoon salt, optional I usually omit
- 1 cup chicken, shredded, optional
Instructions
- Shred cooked chicken meat and set aside.
- Lightly spray a 9x9 casserole dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Combine cornmeal and cold chicken stock in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Stir to dissolve the cornmeal.
- Add boiling chicken stock and stir to combine. Your mixture should be smooth. It will take a few minutes for the mixture to get smooth.
- Continue to stir until mixture thickens and begins to boil.
- Add the chicken meat, stir to combine.
- Turn heat down and cover pot. Simmer for about 10-minutes.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish.
- Once the mixture cools enough to place in the refrigerator, cover the dish and place in the refrigerator until firm, at least 12 hours.
- Slice and give to your dog as a treat.
- If you want to consume it yourself, you can slice, coat with flour and cook in butter.