National Indian Pudding Day!

I'm celebrating this special day by passing on this recipe - it was given to me a number of years ago, (more than I care to number!) by a Native American.   They told me that it was an authentic tribal recipe, which was handed down for generations.  I have always been a little skeptical about that claim, but it is still a very good recipe.  If you know of it being authentic, I'd like to hear on that!

Farmer Boy Indian Pudding

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Cup of coarse ground Corn Meal
• 1 Cup of hot whole milk
• 1/4 Cup of sugar
• a pinch of baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground Ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground Cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon of ground Nutmeg
• a scant pinch of ground Cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1 Cup of Apples, finely chopped
• 1/4 Cup of raisins
• 1/4 Cup of Molasses
• 1/2 Cup of cold milk

Directions: Heat the milk in a pan.  Pour it over the corn meal in a bowl.  Stir and transfer back into the pan.  Heat and stir constantly, till it thickens.  Put aside to cool.

In a bowl, combine the cold milk and molasses.  Add the chopped apples and raisins.   Stir this mixture into the cooled corn meal mixture.   Pour this into a lightly greased quart-sized casserole dish.  Place in a 275 degree F. oven and bake for 2 hours.  (I was told that this recipe was baked in the sun for hours by the Squaws.  I couldn't figure how they would have had some of these ingredients on hand! So, I dispute the story - maybe I'm wrong!  The person who gave me the recipe is now in the "Happy Hunting Grounds" and unable to clear this up for us.)

* Note: I've found that baking it in the casserole dish and then immersed in a larger pan full of water, helps keep the pudding more moist.  But I like the crustiness on the top myself!

Even if this turns out to be a non-authentic Native American recipe, and is more like a Pioneer Recipe which Caroline Ingalls might have made, it is still really tasty! 

I hope you'll try this recipe and then leave a comment here to let us all know.  Thanks.  The Old Man in the Bib Overalls