Fried Cornmeal Mush with Tomato Gravy

I remember my father making this dish when I was a boy. He had eaten it often as a child, and I could not understand why he would be cooking something that marked difficult times in his youth. I asked him why and he replied, "Because I can." There is something very important about choosing to eat foods from times in which you had few or no choices at all. Dad's younger brother, Dale, told me that he remembers Thanksgiving dinners at which fried cornmeal mush was served . . . and nothing else.

I enjoy the dish very much. Make it for your kids now and then. I think they will get a kick out of history on the table for breakfast.

Make a batch of Hasty Pudding (see recipe) and add 4 tablespoons of flour to the mixture. Whip it in, in a hurry. Pour the mush into an oiled loaf pan and chill overnight. In the morning slice the cold mush 1/4 inch thick and fry in oil, butter, bacon fat, or a mixture of same. Fry it slowly until it takes on a golden and crunchy crust. This will take some time, about 15 minutes on each side. No, this is not an instant breakfast!

My friend Beatrice, in St. Paul, tells me that I should always flour the slices before frying. She's right. They brown evenly and taste wonderful.

Serve with butter and maple syrup.

TIME INCLUDES OVERNIGHT CHILLING