Review by Margaret M. Howell

Web posted on: Wednesday, June 03, 1998 4:38:47 PM EDT

As a Southerner, I enjoyed discovering the similarities between the foods I grew up on, and the recipes found here. Cabbage salad (cole slaw), cornbread, buttermilk biscuits, red beans and rice just to name a few. There are some recipes that I found a bit too exotic for my tastes, such as Baked Sliced Beef Tongue, and some that just didn't sound palatable to me, like Peanut Butter Lamb Stew; but others like Chicken With Spicy Cous Cous are next on my list of things to try.

I did taste test Hominy Spoon Bread on my family. They found it a refreshing and tasty change over regular cornbread. The recipe was fairly easy to follow, though I did have to re-read the ingredient list several times to figure out if the 1/2 cup of grits were already cooked, or if cooking was the first step (it's the first step). Once that was figured out, making the bread was as easy as 1-2-3.

Bottom line here - if you enjoy cooking and trying new recipes, Mother Africa's Table is worth checking out.

Hominy Spoon Bread

1/2 cup regular or quick-cooking hominy grits 2 1/2 cups water 2 tablespoons butter, plus additional for serving 3 eggs, separated 1/2 cup white cornmeal 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Cook the grits with the water according to package directions. Stir in the butter and let cool for 5 minutes. Beat the egg yolks into the grits mixture until creamy and well-blended. Cover and set aside.

2. In a mixing bowl, stir together the cornmeal, baking powder, and salt; blend into the grits mixture. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, fold the beaten egg whites into the grits mixture.

3. Pour the batter into a buttered ovenproof casserole. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until golden brown. Serve hot with butter, if desired.

Serves 4