rwmmdj wrote:

My mom always made "fluffy" dumplings. I tried the flat rolled ones once, and it was a disaster. I use Bisquik now, and DH love them. One of his favorite meals. Never thought about a cornbread dumpling though. Wonder if you could use a mix and just not add as much liquid?

jharrelson wrote:

I realize that each of us was raised with different recipes and ways of cooking .. so let me share my ancestor's recipes of the cornbread dumplings and basic southern style cornbread that I grew up eating..

I don't have the old family dumpling recipe with me at the moment, but basically it was corn meal, flour, salt and black pepper .. and I think a litte bit of lard.. but not sure about the lard..

Here is the story and recipe told to me by my mother who got it from her mother and her mother's grandmother.

In most of the south and some parts of the central and northern states, cornbread is a staple food ... partially as a result of the Civil War and the scarcity of food during and after it for both the Blue and the Grey..

Many families had to glean the fields and woodlands and use what they could find to exist on...

The most common and versatile food available was corn...
Corn could be ground up and boiled as a porridge, baked as a "Cake" of bread, fried as a quick bread..(Johnnie Cake)..,and it could be added to other foods to thicken as well as make the food stretch enough to feed the entire family.

Cornbread dumplings were a result of trying to stretch the food ..
By mixing flour and cornmeal together, they were able to use less flour which was extremely scarce during and after the war and the flour held the cornmeal together in the shape of a ball while it was boiling..

Some examples of dumpling dishes were/are ... Turnip Greens, Collard Greens, Field Peas, Blackeye peas, Butter Beans, Okra, Cabbage, and the occasional rabbit, raccoon, pork, beef, chicken, turkey or Guinea.. etc...

These type foods were "Boiled" and dumplings were added to make the meal go farther..

There is an old southern saying, .... "Toss another dumpling in the pot" ... referring to when guests arrived unexpectedly..

Corn was even used to make a sweet cake for birthdays and other celebrations..
Basically it was a variation of baked cornbread in which eggs, honey, milk and what my grandmother, Mammy, called "Rizen" are added to make it "Puff Up" when baking.

This "High-Rise" or "Puffed-up" type of cornbread is what many folks refer to as "Southern Style" cornbread today..
The honey has been replaced with cane sugar and the "Rizen" is now baking powder or yeast.

True to life old fashioned southern cornbread is made with corn meal ground so fine that it looks and feels almost like wheat flour.. kinda powdery texture.
The only place I have ever been able to get that corn "flour" was in eastern North Carolina from the "Ellis Davis Mill". Don't know if it's still in operation today or not..

The stuff they call "Corn Meal" out here in the west is more like grits instead of flour... almost impossible to make a "Cake" of cornbread with it..

When southerners refer to a "Cake" of cornbread they are talking about baked in a skillet in the oven instead of pan fried.
A cake of cornbread is thick, heavy and dense, it does not rise at all.. it's about 1/2" thick.

"Old time southern cornbread" is basically a mixture of cornmeal, a small amount of wheat flour, a dash of black pepper and salt and only enough water to hold it together in a real thick paste..

The paste mixture is firmly pressed down into a cast iron frying pan that has been well coated with Lard or bacon drippings.
The mixture must be firmly pressed down evenly in the pan so that no air bubbles are in it.

Then bacon grease is drizzled across the top of the mixture. It is baked in a 425 degree oven until a thick hard crust has formed all around the edges and the center has a crunchy surface on it..

Usually about 30 to 40 minutes depending on the size of the cake.

For "Johnnie Cake" the same recipe is used but with more water so that it is about the same consistency as a extra-thick waffle batter. Then fried in a pan with bacon drippings...

"Old Time Southern Cornbread" has many variations,,, and can contain many "Additives"... like cracklings, whole kernel corn, diced bell peppers, chopped green onions, pecans, chopped peach slices... etc...

But never things like sugar, eggs and baking powder... unless it's a birthday party..

Happy eating ... and when you see a strange RV pull up at your front door, just ... "Toss another dumpling in the pot" cause I'll likely be hungry...


John

leahnrandy wrote:

Ya'll made me think of what we used to do when our kids were little. We, like most young couples had to stretch those food dollars. A friend taught me this recipe and I cooked it weekly. Now my grown kids think this is what dumplins really are!!!
1 can cheap chicken noodle soup (usually no chicken to be found)
mixed with
1/2 can milk (reconstituted powdered milk most of the time)
1/2 can water
Bring to boil. Turn burner down and add one can of biscuits - each biscuit pinched into fourths. Boil until dumplins done.
Add salt and pepper.
My sweet daughter still asks for this on her birthday!! Bless her heart...=)