What are we eating?
I've been having issues with food all winter. I'm just bored with eating all the same meals and have been trying to work new things into my repertoire. I've been going through my cookbooks and planning different meals.
Tonight's choice is Chicken-fried Steak with Gravy from my Semi-Homemade Cooking #2.
1 cup AP flour
2 packets of dry ranch dressing mix (Hidden Valley)
Salt & FGBP
3 cups of buttermilk
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 pound cubed steak, cut in 4 pieces
oil, for frying
1 cup chicken broth
1 packet McCormick Country Gravy Mix
Mashed Potatoes (optional)
1. In a large ziplock, combine flour and 1 packet of ranch mix and a little salt and pepper. In a shallow bowl, combine 2 cups of the buttermilk, the remaining dressing mix and the egg.
2. Soak steaks in buttermilk mixture. Remove 1 steak, letting excess buttermilk mixture drip off. Add to bag with flour mixture, shake to coat. Dip again in buttermilk mixture and repeat flouring. Set steak aside and repeat double breading for remaining steak.
3. In a large cast iron skillet, heat 1/2" of oil to 350 degrees. Fry 2 steaks at a time for 4 minutes per side or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Set aside and keep warm. (I drain on a rack over a paper towel lined cookie sheet in the oven on 200 degrees.)
4. For gravy, in a small saucepan, combine remaining 1 cup of buttermilk, the broth and the gravy mix. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and stir well. Spoon gravy over steaks and serve with mashed potatoes.
(Country gravy is meant to be thick but if it gets doughy or lumpy, stir in small amounts of chicken broth or milk until it reaches the consistency you prefer.)
Last week I made the Pork Roast with Sherry Cream Sauce from the same cookbook and that was great too because it was all done in the crock pot.
1 large onion, sliced into half moons
8 ounces sliced mushrooms
2 T EVOO
1 3.5-lb pork shoulder roast, rinsed and patted dry
S & FGBP
2 cans Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup
1 cup of Sherry
2 tsp Herbes de Provence
1 tsp minced garlic
1. Place onions and mushrooms in the bottom of a 3.5-4 quart slow cooker.
2. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Season the roast and brown on all sides. Transfer to the slow cooker.
3. In a medium bowl, combine soup, sherry, herbes de Provence and garlic. Pour over roast.
4. Cover and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours. Let roast rest for 10 minutes before cutting. Serve with buttered noodles or rice.
For lunch today I had the leftover "Old Clothes" that I made for dinner one night last week. Ropa Vieja is a pretty traditional Cuban dish, named for the texture of the shredded beef and it's served with white rice or tostones (double-fried green plantain chips). The recipe was from Daisy Martinez's cookbook. She has a cooking show on PBS and everything that I've made out of this cookbook has been absolutely FABULOUS. I highly recommend it if you have any interest in Latin American cooking.
Tonight's choice is Chicken-fried Steak with Gravy from my Semi-Homemade Cooking #2.
1 cup AP flour
2 packets of dry ranch dressing mix (Hidden Valley)
Salt & FGBP
3 cups of buttermilk
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 pound cubed steak, cut in 4 pieces
oil, for frying
1 cup chicken broth
1 packet McCormick Country Gravy Mix
Mashed Potatoes (optional)
1. In a large ziplock, combine flour and 1 packet of ranch mix and a little salt and pepper. In a shallow bowl, combine 2 cups of the buttermilk, the remaining dressing mix and the egg.
2. Soak steaks in buttermilk mixture. Remove 1 steak, letting excess buttermilk mixture drip off. Add to bag with flour mixture, shake to coat. Dip again in buttermilk mixture and repeat flouring. Set steak aside and repeat double breading for remaining steak.
3. In a large cast iron skillet, heat 1/2" of oil to 350 degrees. Fry 2 steaks at a time for 4 minutes per side or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Set aside and keep warm. (I drain on a rack over a paper towel lined cookie sheet in the oven on 200 degrees.)
4. For gravy, in a small saucepan, combine remaining 1 cup of buttermilk, the broth and the gravy mix. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and stir well. Spoon gravy over steaks and serve with mashed potatoes.
(Country gravy is meant to be thick but if it gets doughy or lumpy, stir in small amounts of chicken broth or milk until it reaches the consistency you prefer.)
Last week I made the Pork Roast with Sherry Cream Sauce from the same cookbook and that was great too because it was all done in the crock pot.
1 large onion, sliced into half moons
8 ounces sliced mushrooms
2 T EVOO
1 3.5-lb pork shoulder roast, rinsed and patted dry
S & FGBP
2 cans Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup
1 cup of Sherry
2 tsp Herbes de Provence
1 tsp minced garlic
1. Place onions and mushrooms in the bottom of a 3.5-4 quart slow cooker.
2. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Season the roast and brown on all sides. Transfer to the slow cooker.
3. In a medium bowl, combine soup, sherry, herbes de Provence and garlic. Pour over roast.
4. Cover and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours. Let roast rest for 10 minutes before cutting. Serve with buttered noodles or rice.
For lunch today I had the leftover "Old Clothes" that I made for dinner one night last week. Ropa Vieja is a pretty traditional Cuban dish, named for the texture of the shredded beef and it's served with white rice or tostones (double-fried green plantain chips). The recipe was from Daisy Martinez's cookbook. She has a cooking show on PBS and everything that I've made out of this cookbook has been absolutely FABULOUS. I highly recommend it if you have any interest in Latin American cooking.