Monday, September 18, 2006

h-o-m-i-n-y

Well evidently food still has a hard time crossing the mason-dixon line and the south might possibly be another country. Friday I has these great plans of cooking up giant batches of no chop chili and chicken posole soup so I could serve them with yummy breads and salads and lava cakes to my Friday night dinner guests and also for my Sunday dinner guests. Well evidently hominy is not an easy ingredient to come by here in New England. When i inquired with the manager at my local stop and shop he looked at me blankly...

me: Yes I wondered if you could help me- I am looking for canned hominy

stop and shop manager: "Could you spell that please?"

me: (what is this a spelling bee?) H-O-M-I-N-Y
(before he could venture "Could you use it in a sentence" or "Can you give me a definition")You often use it is soups or eat it creamed- It's kind of in between corn and a chick pea...A common southern food" (forgive me i don't know the origin of the word!)

Stop and shop manager: Well then I'd guess it would be over here with the canned beans and vegetables (proceeds to look blankly at the bean and veggie shelf)

Me: Yes- I looked here but didn't see any...so i wondered if I was looking in the right place or if it was sold out, or even if you carry it...

Stop and shop manager: hmmm....(evidently puzzled by this quandary) (here is when i get a brilliant idea that could revolutionize the product inquiry process at stop and shop- maybe somewhere on the premises you could have a computer (even in a managers back office that could house a simple list of products carried and someone could simply type the word hominy and press search and voila- ANSWER!)- and this whole process could be shaved down from 20 min to 20 seconds!
(over the walky talky "yes i have a customer here on aisle six she says she is looking for hominy?...she says its a kind of southern food, kind of like chick peas that you put in soup)

Stop and Shop worker emerges from back room

Worker: "Now hominy you know is really a southern food- hmmmmm.... ( a word you must master to work in grocery store customer service) hmmmmmm... hmmm....maybe try a store with a bigger ethnic section (maybe they forgot the south was just a region and not another country?)

I called a few stores and finally located this banished confederate food and smart daddy-o when and got my 4 cans-

and in case you need an introduction to the world of hominy here is the fab soup recipe (a great party favorite)...

Chicken Posole
> serves 8
> prep time: 20 minutes
> total time: 50 minutes
>
> 1 T olive oil
> 2 medium onions, chopped
> 8 garlic cloves, minced
> 1/3 cupt tomato paste
> 3 T chili powder
> 1 t dried oregano
> 4 cans (14.5 oz each) chicken broth
> 4 cans (15 oz each) white hominy, drained
> 6 3/4 cups shredded cooked chicken or turkey meat (about 2 pounds)
> coarse salt and ground pepper
> assorted garnishes: diced avocado, sliced radishes, crumbled tortilla
> chips, shredded cheese
>
> 1. Heat oil in a 5-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add onions; cook
> until translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic, tomato paste, chili
> powder, and oregano; cook, stirring constantly, until evenly distributed.
>
> 2. Add 4 cups water, broth, and hominy. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to
> a simmer, and cook until fragrant, about 30 minutes.
>
> 3. Stir in chicken; season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Cook
> until heated through.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

I couldn't find Angel food cake mix in Utah while on vacation there. My MIL didn't even know you could make it from a box.
I couldn't believe my ears!
yikesabee.

Valarie said...

you're so exotic. I watched for it at the grocery store this afternoon. I saw it in both the canned bean/legume aisle and the ethnic aisle (mexican style).

lammyann, most stores only carry one brand (Betty Crocker) and there's like one row of it on the bottom shelf. Back home there were store brands, quick one envelope versions, traditional ones, and even confetti styles. I think people there would be surprised to hear you can make it from scratch.

Missy said...

I love hominy, but has been ages just in the fact that if it is southwestish it isn't here, an AZ. Now, salsa, that I can get in a heart beat. ;)

Blackeyedsue said...

I have never tried hominy! I thought I was cultured! I am going to have to make this soup of yours. We love new and different things at this house. Do they use this dish to celebrate the "Day of the Dead" in Mexico? I have seen a lot of it lately.

smart mama said...

you know i don't know i know the soup version is different than posole as a dish- but it really is yummy-
don't let the hominy scare you-

Elozia Marie said...

LOL!

Nettie said...

Okay, let me just say ditto to ItyBty's comment! I love that casserole.

(I think hominy is a dried corn cooked in lime water. And grits is a ground up version. I bet that manager wouldn't know what that is either!)

ShelahBooksIt said...

I hate to say this smartmama, but you're usually not working with the smartest bunch with the grocery store shelf stockers. Glad you finally found it-- and lucky dog that smartdaddy would get it for you!

I had the most fantastic mushroom ravioli a few weeks ago that was served over hominy (I guess a Mexican-Italian fusion kind of thing). Anyway, I didn't make it myself, but it was good!

Lei said...

L.O.L. I have been there with so many different "southern products"! I hope you threw a bit of a drawl in there and batted your eyelashes. ;)

Swimmingmom said...

Sooo, being a new englander, what does hominy taste like?

smart mama said...

probably mostly like corn but kind of gummier?

hey when are you starting your blog dms!

Code Yellow Mom said...

My mom asked at a grocery store for "Pearl Barley" for a soup recipe and the clerk PAGED throughout the store - she thought it was the name of a friend my mom had gotten separated from while shopping!!!

Hominy is usually with the corn...We've got it in No. Virginia, but I guess technically that's a confederate state, too, huh?

Sarah said...

It's the same thing with crowder peas! You can only get them in the South!

Anonymous said...

I know what Hominy is! I've got 3 cans in my pantry! Too bad I don't live next door, I'd have loaned them to you. I make a dish called Posse Stew. mmmm... cornbread and posse stew... i'm hungry.

amanda said...

Ahhhahaha. This makes me laugh! I spent a fair amount of time searching Stop and Shop for items. So glad you found it!