IF I COULD, I’d eat Hominy au Gratin every day. It’s creamy. It’s comforting. And it goes with everything. Need an accompaniment for hamburgers? Poached eggs? A Thanksgiving turkey? Hominy au Gratin is your friend.
Now, if you are not a Southerner, you might be wondering “what the heck is hominy?” Well, it’s dried kernels of corn that have been soaked in an alkaline solution. The solution removes the hull and germ of the corn. It also turns the kernels into soft, voluptuous pearls. Voluptuous peals that have the same, melt-in-your-mouth texture as gnocchi.
Hominy au Gratin
Ingredients for 8-10 servings
2- 1lb, 14oz cans white or yellow hominy (or 4- 15oz cans)
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups hot milk
2 cups lightly-pressed down shredded cheddar cheese, divided
Seasonings – one pinch each of salt, pepper, and nutmeg
To remove the taste of the can, pour the kernels into a colander and then rinse them under cold water. Set aside while you make the cheese sauce.
The cheese sauce begins with a flour-and-butter mixture, or roux: In a saucepan set over low heat, melt the butter. You don’t want the butter to color any more than a pale yellow. As assurance against browning, I always lift the pan about an inch or two above the flame.
Add the flour to the melted butter, and stir it quickly until the mixture becomes smooth and bubbly — about one minute.
Add the milk, increase the heat to medium, and stir constantly until the sauce thickens and reaches a boil. If your milk is already hot — I pour mine into a Pyrex measure and then microwave it on “High” for 2 minutes — thickening will occur in a matter of seconds.
Off heat, stir in one cup of cheese until it melts. Then stir in the seasonings — salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Taste carefully; you might like to add more salt.
Did someone say “Cheese?”
Pour a quarter-cup of the cheese sauce into a buttered (or non-stick-sprayed) baking dish. Then pour on the hominy. Pour the remaining cheese sauce over the hominy, and shake the dish to help the sauce settle between the kernels.
Top with the remaining shredded cheese.
I’d say this baby’s lookin’ good already.
Bake on the middle rack of your preheated 425F oven until bubbling and slightly browned — 30-40 minutes.
Folks, Hominy au Gratin is so delicious it practically defies description. Promise me you’ll try it sometime, okay?
Here’s the copy and paste version of the above recipe:
Hominy au Gratin
Kevin Lee Jacobs, A Garden for the House
Ingredients for 8-10 servings
2- 1lb, 14oz cans white or yellow hominy (or 4- 15oz cans)
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups hot milk
2 cups lightly-pressed down shredded cheddar cheese, divided
Seasonings – one pinch each of salt, pepper, and nutmegNecessary equipment: a heavy bottomed, 2 1/2 quart saucepan; a wooden spoon or spatula; a buttered (or vegetable-sprayed) baking dish, approximately 9-x12-x2-inches.
Preheat oven to 425F.
1. Pour the hominy into a colander, and then run cold water over the kernels to remove the taste of the can.
2. In the saucepan, melt butter over low heat; when melted, add the flour and stir, with a wooden spatula, until smooth and bubbly. Then add the hot milk, increase heat, and stir constantly until the sauce thickens and reaches a boil.
3. Off heat, add seasonings and one cup of the cheese; stir until the cheese melts. Taste carefully – you might like to add more salt, pepper, or nutmeg.
4. Coat the bottom of the baking dish with a small amount of sauce, pour on the hominy, and then top with the remaining cup of cheese.
5. Bake on the middle rack of the preheated 425F oven until bubbly and browned — 30-40 minutes.
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Related Posts:
Buttermilk Biscuits
Apple Crisp
Classic Tomato Pie
How do you do it? Every recipe you put up here positively makes me weak in the knees. I am going to need a new recipe card box as mine is overflowing w/ cards marked “from the kitchen of Kevin”. I’ve never had hominy but gnocchi is my favorite food in the world, so I have a feeling I will enjoy it. I hope our grocer’s up here in the North have it in stock.
Being raised in Texas, I have eaten hominy all my life. This looks delicious. It’s hard to make hominy look pretty but you did it!
Hmm… I have never had hominy or gnocchi. You sure have made this sound and look delicious! I might, just might try this.
Badger gardener – How nice of you! I think most supermarkets sell hominy. My local store stocks it among the canned beans.
Carolyn Collins – It’s even more delicious than it looks
Erin- Well, you have got to try hominy at least once. And gnocchi, too. I’ll come up with a nifty gnocchi dish before too long.
Kevin, if there’s a Hispanic food section of your grocery store – maybe not, since you live up north, but maybe there’s a Hispanic food market? Anyway, I highly recommend the hominy sold there, rather than the washed-out totally white version sold in the vegetable aisle. It’s less refined and starchy than the Bush or Goya brands, and has great texture and a more nutty taste. Won’t swear, but I think the brand name is “La Costena” or something similar – the can is red.
If you live in the Baltimore/Washington DC area, the best canned hominy is made by Mannings! … Packed tightly with very little water … when we moved to Florida, all we could find was Bush’s hominy … and it was awful … more water than hominy … will check the Hispanic food section of our supermarket and see what I can find … thanks for the tip … we sure miss our Mannings Hominy … we usually bring a year supply back to Florida when we go home …
I will try this as all the ingredients would be gluten-free if I used rice flour. Thanks, looks yummy and easy. I tried to make gluten-free gnocchi once and it turned into starch-water with small lumps.
MicronCat – Thanks for the tip. There is a Mexican store in a neighboring town not far from me. I’ll have to compare the hominy they sell to the one from Goya.
Kathy – I wonder if Mannings would ship their fab hominy to you?
Gloria – I’ve also made Hominy au Gratin with cornstarch as a thickener, so that my gluten-intolerant partner could enjoy the dish. T’was delicious.
Kevin,
The brand name for the Mexican Style hominy is Juanita, not La Cosena. I made this yesterday, subbing tapioca flour because I’m trying the “wheat free” thing for awhile, and we loved it. Next time, will leave out the nutmeg and add garlic, and a dash or two of Marie Sharp’s. Nomnomnom….
Thanks!
MC
Yum, I just love hominy in the white and yellow version. I think I will try this recipe using half and half. Thanks for your recipes. I really enjoy your blog, unlike some other blogs you don’t overload us with useless information.
I love hominy but I’ve never had it baked with cheese. I’m going to try it.
I too have never had hominy…. but this looks like a pretty darned good way to try it to me! Anything covered in cheese is a winner in my book!!!!
It’s just not fair – why does all the good stuff have cheese in it? I can substitute for milk, for butter – but not for cheese. Is there anything else you can do w/ hominy that’s yummy but doesn’t call for cheese? I know that’s a big request, but I have faith in your creativity and resourcefulness.
Ok, I will give this a try even though I do not like hominy! I am willing to give it a chance because, hey, anything smothered in melted bubbly browny cheese can’t be all that bad, right?
Renda – Yes, Yes, YES to half & half.
Anna – If you try this dish, I hope you’ll let me know how it turns out for you.
Brenda – You simply have to try this piece of heaven!
Mary M-S – Here’s a super-simple, dairy-free way to enjoy hominy: saute the kernels in 2-3 Tbs butter (or whatever butter sub you use). Then toss with 2-3 Tbs freshly-snipped chives, basil, parsley or whatever herbs you happen to have on hand. Delicious.
Deb Nelson – I can’t say for certain, but I’ll wager this gratin will give you a new-found respect for hominy! I hope you’ll try it and then let me know…
I grew up eating fried pork chops and hominy. This recipe is one I just have to try, Kevin. What I appreciate about your recipes — besides how delicious they sound and how deliciously easy you make the pre p — is the step-by-step photo commentary. Thank you, thank you!
Now to find certified organic hominy so I can be sure it’s not made from genetically modified corn! (80% of all corn is genetically modified these days).
Kevin, I love hominy and grew up in the North, but we had it probably at least once a month. It was always just served with butter, salt and pepper. I can’t wait to try this recipe, for a change-up. We have both the Mexican version and the “old/regular” canned hominy available, in WA State, and yes, the Mexican is drier. The yellow variety is a bit chewier, but I like them both. Thanks for posting.
Thank you for your recipes!
No wonder obesity is an epidemic in the South and Mid-West!
to Mary M-S; have you tried some of the soy based cheese substitutes? some of them melt nicely.
I agree w/ Badger Gardener above. You always make me hungry first thing in the morning… hhahaha!
Anyway, I was born in the south, so I am fully aware of hominy.. mmm! I’ve always wanted a good way to introduce it to my boyfriend in a way that he’d like it – au Gratin? Cheese? yeah, cheese will do… Making a note to make this one night for dinner.
And I do love the shot of Lily… she’s like my Charlotte, hard to capture a still shot of her groveling for food in the kitchen… >D
I have really enjoyed your blog for both food and gardening. i love hominy and will try the Mexican type. As a vegan I will find a way to make it work for me…will let you know. Thanks for the inspiration.
So I made both the hominy dish and your apple crisp for dinner tonight! A smashing success enjoyed by all!!!! YUM! (and now with stuffed tummy…. I head for my couch….)
I have never eaten Hominy in any form. Your recipe looks divine. I am sorely tempted to try it. Now that the weather has cooled a bit, I feel inspired to use my oven! Thanks Kevin!
I have never, never tried hominy. But this recipe sounds so delicious, maybe it’s time for me to try some.
Hominy harmony. Yum. I served this over the weekend as a side w/ grilled burgers and my husband and I loved it. Now I am waiting to see what you do w/ gnocchi (hint, hint).