Hominy!

 Hominy is another one of those foods that crosses borders. When I was a child I thought that it was only eaten by elderly Italians. As I grew older I met Black people, Mexicans, white people from the South and from Appalachia, and Spaniards who also ate hominy.

People complain that hominy has no taste. In the old days it was made from ashes and with lye and that certainly gave it a taste. Today its most easily bought in cans or as hominy grits and you do have to work with it a bit to give it some taste. 

You can open up a can of hominy and drain it and sauté it in butter, and for this time of year you can add green and red bell pepper slices for decoration. You can also sauté hominy with bacon grease, or with bacon grease and milk, and have a tasty side dish. I sometimes add brown sugar to my grits or make a small loaf of grits, let it set in the refrigerator, and fry slices later in bacon grease. 

The easiest and most substantial hominy recipe that I can think of off hand uses a big handful of sliced onion, a little less sliced green pepper, a few tablespoons of sweet butter, two cans of hominy (Drained and rinsed), chili powder to taste, some paprika, a some pepper.

Just sauté the onion and green pepper in your butter 'til they soften up, but not so long that they that get squishy. Add everything else in and cook for maybe10 minutes. Keep an eye on it and don't let it burn or fall apart.

Image from Blind Pig and The Acorn