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COUNTRY FRIED STEAK LIKE SHONEY'S?®

Prep. Time: 3:30
Serves: 2-4

3 cups water
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
(4) 4 oz. cube steaks - trimmed, flattened
1 1/2 Tbs. ground beef
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups milk - low-fat okay
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. salt

-Pour water in a medium bowl; set aside.

-Sift together flour, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl; set aside.

-Dip steaks in water, then in dry mixture; repeat.

-Lay coated steaks flat on wax paper and freeze for 3 hours.

-Deep-fry steaks in 350 degree oil for 8-10 minutes; drain on brown paper bags.

-Brown ground beef in skillet.

-Stir in flour, then slowly stir in remaining ingredients.

-Bring to boil, then simmer until thick.

-Pour gravy over steaks.

CHICKEN FRIED STEAK II

(See photo)

2/3 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
freshly ground pepper
2 pounds top round steak, tenderized, about 1/2" thick
2 eggs
2 tablespoons cream
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 cups saltine cracker crumbs, rolled fine
1 onion, sliced
1/2 cup cream
2 cups chicken broth, approximately
1 dash Worcestershire sauce, optional
1 dash Hot sauce, optional

Mix 1/2 cup of flour with the salt and pepper. Pound the mixture into both sides of the meat with the edge of a heavy plate or mallet. Cut the meat into serving-size pieces. Beat the eggs together with the cream. Heat the oil in a heavy iron skillet over moderately high heat. Reserve 3 tablespoons of the flour. Dredge the steaks in the remainder of the flour, dip in the egg mixture, and then into the cracker crumbs. Add to the hot oil. Brown the steaks well, turn and brown the other side. Reduce heat to medium, cover the skillet, and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, turning occasionally, until the steaks are cooked through and tender. Chicken-fried steak should be well done, but not dry. Remove the steaks from the pan, and drain on brown paper bags. Keep warm. Add the onion slices to the pan and saut?© quickly. Remove.

Pour off all but 3 tablespoons of the fat in the skillet, and stir in 3 tablespoons of the flour. Stir well to loosen and incorporate any particles in the bottom of the pan and cook for 1-to-2 minutes. Stir in the cream, then the chicken stock. Season with Worcestershire and hot sauce. Top the meat with the gravy.

Serve with mashed potatoes, greens, and biscuits.

4 to 6 Servings

COPYCAT CHICKEN FRIED STEAK

4 cubed steaks
corn oil
season salt
2 tablespoons red wine
2 cups biscuit mix
1/4 pound butter or margarine, melted
1/3 cup cooking oil
season salt and pepper

The night before, put the steaks in a dish in single layers. Wipe them on both sides with an even coating of corn oil. Dust them on both sides with a generous amount of season salt. Drizzle each steak with wine (or juice). Seal the dish in doubled foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate it for about 24 hours prior to preparing the final dish. Remove the steaks from the fridge and coat both sides well in the biscuit mix. Combine the butter with the oil in a large skillet until melted. Brown both sides of each steak until crispy. Transfer right back to the same baking dish and seal in foil. Bake at 375 degrees F about 30 minutes.

OLE SOUTH COUNTRY FRIED STEAK

(See photo.)

PREP TIME: 1 Hour
SERVES: 4

This dish can be found on any home-style diner menu. The saltine crackers in the crust give the coating a little extra crunch, and the gravy is absolutely sinful. In the South, chicken-fried steak, also referred to as country-fried steak, is the ultimate comfort food.

INGREDIENTS FOR STEAK:

4 (6-8 ounce) cube steaks or round steaks, tenderized
2 cups crushed saltine crackers
1 cup flour
?? tsp baking powder
?? cup milk
2 eggs
1 cup peanut oil
salt, black and cayenne pepper to taste

METHOD FOR STEAK:

In a medium bowl, combine cracker crumbs, flour, baking powder, and season to taste using salt and peppers. In a separate bowl, whisk together milk and eggs. Set aside. In 12-inch cast iron skillet, heat ?? cup oil over medium-high heat. Season steaks lightly using salt and peppers. Dredge seasoned steaks into the flour mixture; dip into egg wash and then dredge in flour mixture again. Fry one steak at a time in hot oil for 5-7 minutes on one side, turn and continue to fry 4-5 minutes or until golden brown. Remove steak to an oven-safe pan to keep warm. Continue to fry steaks one at a time using the same procedure, adding oil as necessary until all are done. Keep steaks warm in a low oven until ready to serve. Carefully drain hot oil, reserving cooked bits and 1 tbsp of drippings in skillet to begin gravy.

INGREDIENTS FOR WHITE GRAVY:

3 cups whole milk
1 cup chicken stock
?? cup flour
?? tsp salt
?? tsp black pepper

METHOD FOR WHITE GRAVY:

In the same skillet with the pan drippings, heat over medium-high heat. In a mixing bowl, whisk together milk, chicken stock, flour, salt and pepper. Pour mixture into hot skillet, whisking constantly. Cook for 5-10 minutes or until thickened. Season to taste using salt and pepper. Serve a generous portion of gravy over the steaks.

CHICKEN FRIED CHICKEN WITH CREAM GRAVY

This is essentially Texas-style chicken fried steak, but it is made with chicken breasts. Be sure to make this with cream gravy.

4 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 Egg
1/2 cup milk
1 to 2 cups all-purpose flour
Cooking oil or melted Crisco
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon 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 chicken breasts.

Dredge the chicken breasts in the flour, shaking off the excess. Then dip each piece in the egg/milk mixture, then back in the flour. (You're going to get your hands messy here, so take your rings off.) Set chicken pieces 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 chicken breast into the hot oil. Protect yourself (and your kitchen) from the popping grease that results. Fry chicken breasts on both sides, turning once, until golden brown. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook 15 to 18 minutes until chicken pieces are done through. Drain on paper towels.

Cream Gravy

After the chicken is 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 chicken recipe (waste not -- want not) in the hot oil. Stir with a wooden spoon, quickly, to brown the flour.

Gradually stir in 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 consistency. Check seasonings and add more salt and pepper according to your taste.

Note to persons new to Cream Gravy: Gravy-making is an inexact science. Cream gravy is supposed to be thick, but if you think it's too thick, add more liquid until you're satisfied with it.

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For Two...

COUNTRY FRIED ROUND STEAK

Bell's Best - Telephone Pioneers MS Chapter #36

1/2 pound round steak, boneless
1 egg, beaten
grated rind & juice of 1 lemon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup fine dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup fine cracker crumbs
vegetable oil

Trim excess fat from steak; pound to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut steak into serving size pieces. Combine egg, lemon rind, and juice, salt and pepper; beat well. Combine bread crumbs and cracker crumbs. Dip steak into egg mixture; dredge in crumb mixture. Cook steak cutlets in hot oil until done, turning once.

Yield: 2 servings.