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Chicken Fried
Steak - CFS
In Texas, the reigning queen of comfort food or down-home cooking is
chicken-fried steak, or as Texans affectionately call it CFS. Every
city, town, and village in Texas takes prides in their CFS. Some,
admittedly, are better than others.
Texans have a unique way of
rating restaurants that serve CFS. The restaurants are rated by the
number of pickup trucks that is parked out in front. Never stop at a
one pickup place, as the steak will have been frozen and factory
breaded. A two and three pickup restaurant is not much better. A
four and five pickup place is a must stop restaurants, as the CFS
will be fresh and tender with good sopping gravy.
You might be surprised to learn that there is no chicken in
Chicken-Fried Steak. It is tenderized round steak (a cheap and tough
piece of beef) made like fried chicken with a milk gravy made from
the drippings left in the pan. The traditional way to cook CFS is in
a large
cast-iron
skillet with very little oil. Served with "the
works" means accompanied by mashed potatoes, gravy, greens,
black-eye peas, and cornbread.
Although not
official, the dish is considered the state dish of Texas. According to a
Texas Restaurant Associate, it is estimated that 800,000 orders of
Chicken-Fried Steak are served in Texas every day, not counting any prepared
at home.
1844-1850 - The origin of the Chicken-Fried Steak probably comes
from the German people who settled in Texas from 1844 to 1850. As Wiener
Schnitzel is a popular German dish that is made from veal, and because veal
was never popular in Texas and beef was, the German immigrants probably
adapted their popular dish to use the tougher cuts of beef available to
them.
Chicken-Fried Steak Recipe - How To Make Chicken-Fried
Steak
Recipe Type:
Beef,
Milk Gravy
Cuisine:
Southwest
Yields: 4 servings
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Ingredients:
1/2 cup all-purpose
flour
1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
Freshly ground
black pepper
1 large
egg
2 tablespoons water
3/4 cup buttermilk baking mix (such as
the brand Bisquick)
2 pounds bottom or top round steak (cut into four individual portions),
pounded well to tenderize
1/3 cup vegetable oil
Milk Gravy (recipe follows)
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 150 degrees F.
In a shallow pan or
plate, sift together flour, salt, and pepper.
In another shallow pan,
combine egg and water.
In still another shallow pan, place baking mix. Coat
steaks in flour mixture, dip in egg mixture, and then coat with baking mix.
In a large frying pan (I
like to use my
cast-iron skillet) over medium-high heat, add vegetable oil
and heat until a drop of water sizzles. Add coated steak pieces, in batches,
and fry 4 to 5 minutes per side or until golden brown and thoroughly cooked
(add additional vegetable oil if needed). Remove from pan and keep cooked
steaks warm in preheated oven.
Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the cooking
oil. Put the frying pan back over the heat and make the Milk Gravy.
Makes 4 servings.
Milk Gravy Recipe:
2 tablespoons pan drippings
1 tablespoon all-purpose
flour
2 cups milk, heavy
cream, or evaporated milk, room temperature
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
In the same frying
pan with 2 tablespoons pan drippings, over medium heat, sprinkle flour over
the oil and blend with a wooden spoon or whisk until smooth. Whisking or
stirring constantly, slowly pour in milk, cream or evaporated milk; continue
stirring, scraping loose browned bits from the bottom and sides of skillet,
until the gravy begins to boil and thicken. Season with salt and pepper to
taste.
Reduce heat to low
and simmer, stirring occasionally, 5 to 8 minutes or until gravy is
thickened to the desired consistency and the flour has lost its raw, pasty
taste.
Remove from pan and serve hot with the Chicken-Fried Steak.
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