Ham Cornmeal Dumplings Recipes

HAM AND BEAN CASSOULET WITH CORNMEAL DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• The night before, place dry beans into a pot, cover with enough water to reach 3-4 inches above beans, and allow to soak overnight.
• When ready to begin the cassoulet, drain the beans, rinse, and pick out any odd-looking bits.
• In a large dutch oven or stew pot, heat the olive oil and saute the onions until translucent and fragrant. Add the ham and garlic and continue to cook an additional 2-3 minutes.
• Pour both boxes of chicken broth into the pot followed by the beans, carrots, and rosemary. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer and cover, stirring occasionally, 2 - 2.5 hours until beans are very soft.
• When the cassoulet is almost done, prepare the dumplings. Mix together the first 6 ingredients and then using a pair of forks or a pastry blender, cut the cold butter into the mixture until it is coarse and crumbly. Add the buttermilk and mix until just combined.
• Drop the cornmeal mixture by heaping tablespoons into the cassoulet. Cover and simmer 15-20 minutes until dumplings are dry to the touch.

SOUTHERN COLLARDS WITH CORNMEAL DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• For the collards: In a large pot, combine the turkey wings, broth, hot sauce (add more if you desire) and House Seasoning; simmer for 20 minutes. Add the collards and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are tender, about 20 minutes more. Stir in the butter. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, remove the turkey wings and discard. Transfer the collards to individual serving bowls, cover them with foil and keep warm. Reserve 1/2 cup of the liquid for the dumplings and reserve the rest of the cooking liquid in the pot.
• For the dumplings: Combine the cornmeal, flour, onions, salt and pepper in a bowl. Stir in the 1/2 cup reserved collard liquid into the dry ingredients until just combined to form a thick batter.
• Bring the collard broth back up to a boil and drop the dumpling batter into it, 1 teaspoon at a time. Simmer until cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes. Cook's Note: Do not use a spoon to stir. Gently shake the pot back and forth. Using a spoon will tear the dumplings apart.
• Transfer the dumplings to the bowls of collards. Spoon some of the broth over the collards and dumplings and serve hot.

HAM SOUP AND CORNMEAL DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• 1. Place ham bone in 6 cups water and season with salt, pepper, and red pepper to taste. Bring to boil and simmer for 45 minutes. Remove ham bone and discard.
• 2. Add green onions, salt, black pepper, ham, and parsley flakes to broth. Simmer one hour.
• 3. Mix ingredients for dumplings together. Dipping by teaspoonfuls, gently roll batter in the palms of your hands into approximately 1-inch balls; drop into boiling soup liquid. Make sure each dumpling is completely covered in liquid by shaking pot gently. Do not stir.
• 4. Cook 10 minutes uncovered; then cover and cook on low heat for 25 minutes.

MAMA'S HAM DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Put the bones into a large stock pot and pour the cold water over them. Turn on the heat as low as you can get it and bring the water slowly to the boiling point, carefully skimming off the scum as it pops to the surface. It will take about 45 minutes.
• Add the onion, carrot, and peppercorns. Simmer slowly for at least 1 hour, 2 is better. Strain, discarding the solids, return the broth to the pot, bring it back to a boil, and reduce it to 1½ quarts (about half).
• Make the dumplings according to the recipe. Drop them a few at a time into the simmering broth and let them simmer for 5 minutes. Add a dusting of freshly milled pepper, stir in the ham and parsley (if using-my grandmother didn't), and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes more. Ladle onto a serving platter or individual soup plates, sprinkle with more parsley, and serve at once.
• Sift or whisk together the flour, soda, baking powder, and salt into a mixing bowl. Cut in the lard with a pastry blender until it resembles coarse corn meal.
• Make a well in the center and pour in the buttermilk or yogurt. Using a wooden spoon and as few strokes as possible, quickly stir the ingredients together.
• To shape flat dumplings (sometimes called "slipperies") like my grandmother's, turn the dough onto lightly flour a smooth work surface. Flour you hands and gently push it away from you to flatten. Fold it in half, gently press flat with the heel of your hand, and give it a quarter turn. Repeat this until just smooth, about 12 to 15 folds. Dust the work surface and the dough with more flour and roll it out to a thickness of 1/8-inch. Quickly cut into 1-inch strips, and then cut them into 2-inch lengths. Cook immediately.

GINGERED SQUASH AND HAM SOUP WITH CORNMEAL DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Halve squash lengthwise with a sharp knife and discard seeds and strings. Peel squash and cut into 1/2-inch pieces.
• In a 4-quart saucepan simmer squash, garlic, gingerroot, and water, partially covered, until squash is very tender, about 20 minutes. In a blender purée mixture in batches and return to pan. Stir in tomatoes, ham, and salt and pepper to taste. Soup may be prepared up to this point 2 days ahead and chilled, covered.
• Into a bowl sift together cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt and blend in butter until mixture resembles meal. Add milk, egg, and chives and stir until batter is just combined. Bring soup to a bare simmer.
• Drop batter by rounded tablespoons onto soup and simmer, covered, until dumplings are just cooked through, about 12 minutes.

COLLARD GREENS AND CORNMEAL DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Make the stock: In a large heavy stockpot, bring 3 quarts water, the smoked meat, onions, celery, carrots, garlic, peppercorns and bay leaves to a boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer, and simmer, partially covered, until the flavors are well blended, about 2 hours.
• Remove the meat from the broth. When cool enough to handle, pull the meat off the bones (discard the skin, fat, and bones). Chop the meat and reserve for another use. (The meat can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week.) Use a fine-mesh sieve to strain the stock into a container. Refrigerate the stock until the fat floats to the top or skim the fat using a fat separator or spoon to use immediately. For chilled stock, use a slotted spoon to skim off the fat and discard. Pour out 6 cups stock to use; reserve the rest for another use in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
• Make the collards: In a medium saucepan, bring the 6 cups stock, the onion and garlic to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer, cover and simmer while preparing the greens.
• Thoroughly wash the collards and trim away the stems, if desired. Discard the stems or coarsely chop. Stack 2 or 3 leaves on a cutting board and roll tightly into a log. Slice the greens crosswise into 1/4-inch-wide ribbons. Place the greens and stems, if using, and the chiles in the broth and return to a simmer. Cook, covered, about 1 1/2 hours for very tender greens; you may cook them for less time if you have young greens or prefer greens with more chew. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
• About half an hour before the collards are done, prepare the dumplings: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar and salt. In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Spoon out 1/2 cup of the potlikker from the collards and add to the butter. Remove from the heat and stir it into the dry ingredients, adding more potlikker 1 tablespoon at a time if needed for the dough to come together into a mass. Let stand 5 minutes. When cool enough to handle, use wet fingertips to shape the dough into 6 round dumplings.
• During the last 15 minutes of the collards' cooking time, carefully drop the cornmeal dumplings into the pot with the greens, making sure the dumplings are submerged in the potlikker. Cover the pot and simmer until the dumplings are cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve the greens and dumplings in bowls with plenty of potlikker.