A Course of Lectures on the Principles of Domestic Economy and Cookery

The Southern cooks use lard for frying, either lard entirely or half lard and half butter; enough to cover the bottom of the frying pan about half an inch. Let the fat get hot, put some flour on a plate, season it with salt and pepper, and roll the pieces of chicken in it. When the fat is hot in the pan and the chicken has been rolled in the flour, put it into the hot fat and fry it brown, first on one side and then on the other. Of course tender chicken is generally used for this dish so that by the time it is fried brown it is done. Fry the chicken until it is tender and brown. Take up the chicken when it is brown, put it on a hot dish; in the frying pan where it was fried, put enough cream to make a good gravy, stirring it constantly. You see there will be flour on the pan off the fried chicken that will thicken the gravy. Season the gravy with salt and pepper, pour it over the chicken and serve it. Some of the colored cooks whom I have seen prepare this dish first dip their chicken in water before rolling it in the butter and flour. That is for the purpose of making more flour stick to it; but there is always this disadvantage, if you do that there will be some particles of water remaining, and when you put it in the hot fat it will sputter very much. You can do that or not as you like. While the chicken is being browned I will tell you how to prepare the hominy. Of course the chicken is to be seasoned with more pepper and salt if you wish, in addition to what you put on in the first place with the flour. HOMINY. First pick the hominy over and wash it. Fine hominy is generally used for this dish. Put it over the fire in cold water, a cupful of hominy to about four cupfuls of water. Boil it and stir