posted by scooby 11-04-100 10:14 AM
Chicken Fried Steak
4 cube steaks, about 5 oz. each, or 4 pieces of round steak, of the same size, pounded
1 cup flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup peanut oil
If using round steak, pound the meat with a wooden or metal meat tenderizer. Season the flour with salt and pepper. Dredge the meat in the flour mixture. Mix the egg with 1/2 cup milk. Dip the floured meat into the milk mixture and then back into the flour again.
Pan-fry meat in a large black frying pan with the oil. Brown on both sides and remove from the pan to drain on paper towels. Keep warm on a serving platter in the oven.
Drain all the remaining fat from the pan except 2 tablespoons. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the flour mixture and scrape the bottom of the pan carefully so that you remove the brown goodness left over from the frying.
Using a whisk, stir in the rest of the milk and stir over medium heat until the gravy thickens. If the gravy becomes too thick, you can add some additional milk. Check the cream gravy for salt and pepper; Serve the gravy over the meat.
Texas-Style Chicken Fried Steak with Cream Gravy
4 Tenderized beef cutlets (known in supermarkets as "cube steak") or 1 round steak, with fat removed, that you've tenderized yourself
1 Egg
1/4 Cup Milk
All-purpose flour
Cooking oil or melted Crisco
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. Ground black pepper
1/4 t Paprika
1/4 t White pepper
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 flour. Set cutlets aside on a piece of waxed paper.
Heat the cooking oil in a large cast-iron or other heavy skillet over medium-high heat for a few minutes. Oil should be about a half-inch deep in the pan. Check the temperature with a drop of water; if it pops and spits back at you, it's ready.
With a long-handled fork, carefully place each cutlet into the hot oil. Protect yourself (and your kitchen) from the popping grease that results. Fry cutlets on both sides, turning once, until golden brown. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook 4 or 5 minutes until cutlets are done through. Drain cutlets on paper towels.
Cream 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 3 tablespoons flour (use the left-over flour from the chicken fried steak recipe (waste not -- want not) in the hot oil. Stir with a wooden spoon, quickly, to brown the flour.
Gradually stir in add 3/4 cup milk and 3/4 cup water, mixed together, stirring constantly with the wooden spoon and mashing out any lumps. Lower heat, and gravy will begin to thicken. Continue cooking and stirring a few minutes until gravy reaches desired thickness. Check seasonings and add more salt and pepper according to your taste.