Chicken Fried Steak

 

Ever since Charlie graduated from high school, he has been looking for chicken fried steak like they had in the cafeteria. We heard the oldest restaurant in Kansas (Hays House) is famous for theirs and were planning to give it a try some day... it is a two hour trip from here. Every so often I come across a recipe that I hope will be the one but never found it.  The other day I finally found the password to get into the iCloud and found some really ancient stuff. One was a complete cookbook of recipes from restaurants and one two of them were for Country Fried Steak. I may never find that recipe again to see what the date was but it was copied to my computer some 24 years ago. The ISBN number is tor Threadgills, not the cookbook I had with it in it.  One was from Threadgills and the other from Paula Deans.  I used Deans recipe for biscuits and the fried steak from Threadgills. I don't know anything about that restaurant.  I used a mix for the mashed potatoes and one for the gravy. He really liked it. He said it was better than the cafeteria, like a gourmet version and that he was shocked that I finally came up with a winner. He liked the biscuits better too.

Country Fried Steak recipe from Threadgills - a must for comfort foods!

                                                04/03/00 16:39:22   

  From: kitana 

                                                 

   Recipe By : Threadgill's - The Cookbook ISBN 1-56352-277-2 

    1/2 cup kosher salt 

    4 tablespoons black pepper 

    2 tablespoons white pepper 

    1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper 

    2 tablespoons granulated onion 

    1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin 

    4 tablespoons granulated garlic 

    2 tablespoons paprika 

    Mix ingredients well. Store in a glass jar or plastic container. Keep tightly

    sealed. Shake before each use to prevent settling. 

    8 6 ounce tenderized beef cutlets -- at room temperature 

    2 eggs 

    2 cups milk -- at room temperature 

    3 cups flour 

    2 teaspoons Threadgill's Meat Seasoning 

    2 cups frying oil -- preferably canola 

    Whisk eggs and milk together in a bowl and set this egg wash aside. Combine

    the flour and meat seasoning in another bowl and set aside. Heat the oil in a

    heavy 14-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat to 350 degrees F. Use a 550

    degree thermometer to check temperature. The oil should pop loudly when a

    drop of egg wash is dropped in. 

    Dip each of the first 4 cutlets in the egg wash mixture. Dredge them in the flour,

    then dip them back into the egg wash, and very gently place them in the hot oil.

    As you carry them one at a time from the egg wash to the skillet, hold a plate

    under them to catch the dripping egg wash. There'll be a regular explosion of

    noisy oil a-popping. 

    Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until breading is set and golden brown. Gently turn

    them with a long-handled meat fork or long metal tongs. Be careful. Cook

    another 3 minutes. 

    Carefully remove them from the skillet and drain on a platter lined with paper

    towels. Let oil reheat and repeat process for other 4 cutlets. Serve with White Cream Gravy and Mashed potatoes.

Basic Biscuits: 

1 package yeast 

1/2 cup lukewarm water 

5 cups all-purpose flour 

1 teaspoon baking soda 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1 tablespoon baking powder 

2 tablespoons sugar 

3/4 cup solid shortening (recommended: Crisco) 

2 cups buttermilk

Biscuits: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Dissolve yeast in warm water; set aside. Mix dry ingredients together. Cut in shortening. Add yeast and buttermilk and mix well. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and roll out to desired thickness. Cut with small biscuit cutter and place on greased baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown. 

Split biscuits in half and top with country fried steak and drizzle with gravy.

Turkey casserole

 

I have some left-over turkey that needed to get used up soon so I made a casserole. I didn't use a recipe, I just made a roux with butter, flour , garlic, nutmeg, salt and pepper and oregano along with some milk and chicken stock. I melted in some Guyer cheese.  Then I cooked until soft some onions, carrots, celery, mushrooms, & peas. in butter and oil until soft.  I didn't measure, I just added as much as I thought would be enough. I topped it with biscuit dough rolled into small balls and painted the top with butter  I baked it until the biscuit dough was done and the casserole was heated through, about 35 minutes at 350º I planned to add some mushrooms but forgot to put them on my shopping list.

Pasta alla Norma

We used to have eggplant fairly often but I had not made it in quite a while so when this recipe cropped in the Kansas City Star yesterday, I dedided to give it a try. I later addes some jarred pasta sauce later.  The directions say to cook the pasta and save 1/2 C. of pasta water. Later it says to add the reserved pasta water and does not mention the pasta again. I add it to the recipe below when I think it should have been added.

Pasta alla Norma    serves 4 to 6 

It was created in the coastal city of Catania, Sicily, home town of Bellini who composed the opera Norma in the 1830’s. He adored this dish so much, it was eventually named for his opera. 

2 med. eggplant, about 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 lbs. total, peeled

Extra virgin olive oil

Coarse salt

 freshly ground black pepper

16 oz pasta, rigatoni, penne or ziti

3 cloves garlic, smashed

Generous pinch red pepper flakes

11/2 to 2 lb. tomatoes

1 T. chopped fresh oregano

1/4-1/2 C. dry white wine, optional

1/2C.  chopped basil

1/2 C. grated ricotta salata or pecorino romano

Oven to 425º, rack in center.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper

Slice eggplant into 1/2 inch discs, discarding the end pieces. Brush both sides with oil and  sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast until browned and very tender, about 40 to 45 minutes, flipping them half way through.  Remove and cut into strips; set aside.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt until it tastes salty. Add pasta, cook to package directions. Save 1/2 C. pasta water before draining pasta. Set aside.

Add about 1/2 inch of oil to large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and cook until it begins to color 10 seconds to a minutes, stir in red pepper flakes, tomatoes and oregano, cook until tomatoes are very soft, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the pasta, reserved pasta water and wine, cook to make a thick sauce, another 5 to 8 minutes.

 Gently stir the roasted eggplant. Taste and adjust the seasonings.Stir in most of the basil and half the cheese. Use both reserved basil and cheese for garnish.

Serve garnished with rest of the basil and cheese

 

Shrimp with Chipotle Mojo

 This is a Rick Bayless recipe named Mexico City Shrimp with Chopotle Mojo. We had it with Street Corn Pudding, a store bought cold crab salad and Mexican style rice.

Mexico City Shrimp with Chipotle Mojo 

Chef Rick Bayless roasts garlic in oil, then spikes it with chipotle and lime so the sauce is tangy, spicy, and smoky—terrific on sautéed shrimp.

By Rick Bayless Active Time: 30 mins  Total Time: 1 hr 10 mins  Yield: 6

Ingredients

2 heads garlic (about 26) peeled and crushed

1 1/2 C.  EVOO

Kosher salt

1/4 C. fresh lime juice

1 chipotle in adobo sauce, seeded & minced

2 lb. med.shrimp-shelled & deveined, tails left intact

Fresh ground pepper

Chopped cilantro for garnish

Lime wedges, for serving

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325°. In a 4-cup ceramic baking dish, combine the crushed garlic and olive oil with a pinch of salt. Put the dish on a cookie sheet and bake for about 30 minutes, until the garlic is tender and just starting to brown. Stir in the lime juice and bake for about 15 minutes more, until the garlic is golden and very soft. Let the mixture cool slightly.
   
2. Pour the garlic and oil into a small saucepan. Using a fork, mash the garlic against the side of the pan and stir to incorporate the oil; the sauce may look like it has separated. Add the chipotle, season with salt and keep warm.
   
3. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the garlicky oil from the mojo until shimmering. Add half of the shrimp and a generous pinch each of salt and pepper and cook over moderately high heat, turning once, until golden and just cooked through, about 3 minutes. Transfer the shrimp to a platter. Repeat with 2 more tablespoons of the garlicky oil and the remaining shrimp. Top the shrimp with more garlic mojo and garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve with lime wedges, passing the remaining garlic mojo at the table.
   Make Ahead:  Refrigerate the garlic mojo up to 1 week,  gently reheat  before using.Serve With  White rice or crusty bread. Suggested pairing with crisp  berry-inflected French rosé.

Street Corn Pudding serves 8-10

Ingredients Yield 8-10 servings

Nonstick cooking spray or butter or pan

1 large or 2 med. jalapeños 

1 (8.5 oz) box cornbread or corn muffin mix

1 (14.75 oz) can creamed corn, not drained

1 (14.75 oz) can whole kernel corn, rinsed

1/2 C. salted butter, melted, cooled

 2 T. sugar

2 large eggs, breaten

1 C. sour cream

1/4 C. milk

Crema, Tajim and crumbeld queso fresca for serving

Preparation

Heat oven to 350 º.  Coat 8’ baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

Roast the Jalapeños on baking sheet until slightly tender, about 20 minutes. When cool enough to handle, cut stems off, discard seeds. Dice.

In a large bowl, mix together the cornbread mix, creamed corn, corn kernels, butter, sugar, eggs, sour cream, milk and diced jalapeños until combined. Don’t over-mix. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish.

Bake until golden brown and gently set in the center, 55-65 minutes.

Top with the crema, Tajín and queso fresco. Serve hot.

Turkey in the smoker

 

This is my year to host the family Thanksgiving dinner so I thought I'd try some different ways to cook it.  When I only cook turkey once a year, by the time it comes around a year later, I have forgotten what I did to make it special... Come to think of it there hasn't been a really special turkey ever.  Once quite a while ago someone brought a smoked turkey to a potluck and I didn't like it.  Now after a few  years of doing my own smoking, I think I probably didn't like it because the person didn't know how to smoke properly. If he was like me, when I first started,  he thought any smoke is good smoke and the more the better.  If that is what happened, that is why it did not taste good to me.  So this year I'll practice a few ways so I'll be ready in November.  This one was was spatchcocked so it would cook faster and hopefully without any undercooked parts.  I took it out of the smoker at 157 º at the breast and let is coast up to 160º out of the smoker.  The dark meat was mostly 185 to 190 which is what dark turkey meat should be. Usually when it comes out whenever the pop-up timer signals, it usually means the white meat is dry and the dark meat is under cooked.  I mean its safely cooked but kind of icky.  This way the dark meat surrounded the white meat and cooked properly by the time the white meat in the middle was done and still juicy. 

So the look, feel and temperatures tell me that this one is going to be good.  When it cools down, i cut it up and we will have it for dinner.

Charlie liked these enough to ask for them again today.

 Cooked over charcoal on bamboo skewers. 

Grilled Chicken Shawarma Skewers    serves 6

For the white sauce:

1 C. plain Greek yogurt

1/3 C. mayo

1 T. fresh lemon juice

1 cl. garlic, minced

For the chicken:

1/3 C. olive oil 

1/4 C. fresh lemon juice

6 cl. garlic, minced

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. ground coriander

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 tsp. Salt & 1 tsp.Pepper

2 1/2 lb. chicken thighs, cut into 1-in pieces

Bamboo skewers soaked in water for 1 hour.

Prepare white sauce :  Combine all ingredients, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve

Prepare the chicken:  Combine all ingredients, add  chicken and stir to coat. Marinate 30 min. to 1 hour.

Oil grill or use grill mats.  Heat grill, skewer chicken tightly together. Grill, turning skewers every minute or so until cooked through, browned and starting to char in spots-9 to 10 minutes.  Serve with white sauce.