Indian hominy

5 cups

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
2 cups Dried corn kernels
10 cups Water
1 cup Culinary ash *OR*
2 tablespoons Baking soda

Directions

Soak the dried corn overnight in a bowl filled with the cold water.

The following day, put the corn and water into an enameled pot.

(Because the culinary ash reacts with metal, hominy must be processed in an enameled pot) Cover and bring to a boil over hight heat.

When the water begins to boil, stir in the culinary ash. At this point, the ash will intensify the color of the kernels.

Cover and reduce heat. Simmer over low heat for about 5½ hours, until the hulls are loose and the corn returns to its original color.

Stir occasionally and replenish with enough water to cover the corn when necessary, or it will dry out and burn on the bottom.

Under cold running water, rub corn between fingers to remove hulls, which should be discarded. Drain corn in a colander.

To dry hominy in the traditional manner, spread the cooked and hulled corn on an open weave basket or screen and place in full sun, turning the kernels every few hours, until completely dry. Alternatively, place the kernels on a sheet pan in a gas oven with the pilot light on, or in an electric oven on the lowest setting, turning every few hours until dry. (Check by breaking open a kernel: If there is any moisture inside, keep drying.) Once propery dried, hominy will keep almost indefinitely without spoilage.

Makes 5 cups cooked or 3 cups dried hominy. ********* Almost every tribe and pueblo throughout the Southwest region uses hominy as a base for many Native American dishes. Made from dired corn in a variety of colors, hominy can be eaten as is, canned, dried and stored for winter use (the dried hominy must be soaked in water first and then cooked), ground into a meal and used for corn tortillas or tamales, or added to stews.

When sold in Hispanic markets, hominy - canned or dried - is called pozole. In certain regions of New Mexico, pozole can also refer to a cooked dish.

***NOTE*** Culinary ash is made from burning the wood of certain trees until there is only ash left. Many types of trees and bushes found in the Southwest can be used; the Navajos use juniper primarily and the Hopis use green plants such as suwvi or chamisa bushes. The green twigs, when burned, produce an ash with a high mineral content. When used in cooking, it increases the food's nutritional value.

When culinary ash is mixed with boiling water and corn,the alkaline level in the ash reacts with the corn and changes it to a more intense color. After the water has cooled, the corn changes again - to something close to its original color.

If you live in an area where culinary ash is difficult to obtain, baking soda can be used as a substitute, although it doesn't have the high nutritional content of ash. Substitute 2 tablespoons baking soda for 1 cup ash.

From "Native American Cooking," by Lois Ellen Frank Submitted By HILDE MOTT On 10-31-94

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