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Southern Delicacy - 上菜了

(2009-09-23 20:09:53) 下一个
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I was introduced to the Chicken-Fried Steak 12 years ago when I first I arrived to the US. During my first week of school in Texas, I walked around the entire cafeteria, as if I was Alice in Wonderland, sampling everything from the corn dogs to grits. (This also explains my 15-pound weigh gain during my first semester!) Before long, I discovered the Holy Grail of the Southern Cooking – Gravy! Everything tastes good with a little bit of gravy – biscuits with gravy, fries with gravy (I believe in Canada, they called it “poutine”), chicken fried steak with gravy, and the list goes on. 

Over the years, I have eaten my way across the US and paid patronage to various fine dining establishments. If food is like shoes, yellowtail and foie gras are like your Manolos, while you can bath yourself in your friend’s envy, your feet hurt like hell. Chicken-fried Steak and gravy on the other hand is like your comfy tennis shoes, it won’t make you a fashion diva, but you wish you could wear them every day!

Here is my version of the Chicken-Fried Steak:
Two tenderized beef cutlets (known in supermarkets as "cube steak") OR 1 round steak, with fat removed.

1 egg
1/4 cup milk
all-purpose flour
Bisquick
peanut oil  (Most receipe calls for vegetable oil or Crisco.  However, peanut oil works much better.  It is also twice as expensive.)
salt, pepper, white pepper, and paprika to taste

Beat together the egg and milk and set aside. Mix together the salt, black pepper, paprika and white pepper and sprinkle on both sides of beef cutlets.  Dredge the cutlets in the flour, shaking off the excess. Then dip each cutlet in the egg/milk mixture, then back in the Bisquick.  Fry the steak in medium heat until golden brown on both sides.

To make the gravy, after the cutlets are removed from the pan, pour off all but about 2 tablespoons of oil, keeping as many as possible of the browned bits in the pan. Heat the oil over medium heat until hot.  Sprinkle 2 tablespoons flour in the hot oil. Stir with a wooden spoon, till the rue turns light brown. Gradually stir in 1 cup milk(add more  milk or water if needed to get the right consistency). Continue cooking and stirring a few minutes until gravy reaches desired thickness. Check seasonings and add more salt and pepper according to your taste.

CHICKEN FRIED STEAK

You can't have Chicken-fried steak without Collard Greens and Corn Bread!

Collard Greens have been said to prevent cancer and detoxification/cleansing ability.  It is high in vitamine C and E and is an excellent good source of calcium.

To cook the collard greens, remove the stems from collard green and tear them into pieces.

Cook two smoked hamhock, four cloves of garlic, one bay leaf, and some carrots in a pot with six cups of water.  Add collard greens to the pot and cook for about 15--20 mins.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

COLLARD GREENS

CORNBREAD

Red, White & Green Salad - Courtesy of my blogtographer Carrie

Main ingredients

red, white & green salad

Just add your favorite Italian dressing and let it marinate for an hour...
red, white & green salad
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