Saturday, February 20, 2016

Chicken Fried Steak

a staple of the south and southwest, but the recipe i found needed help!


§       2 to 3 pounds top sirloin steak.
§       1 egg per pound of meat, beaten
§       1/8 cup whole milk per pound of steak
§       1/4 cup milk for gravy
§       flour
§       1/4 cup water
§       black pepper to taste
§       salt to taste
§       your favorite cooking oil (but sausage grease is best)

Cut steak into 6 oz pieces
beat steak with mallet to tenderize
salt and pepper each piece of meat
whisk eggs and milk together
add black pepper and salt to flour and mix well
set up flouring station -
        1 container for the egg,
        1 for the flour
coat meat in flour, then egg wash, then flour again
fry steaks in an oiled cast iron skillet until golden brown on both sides
set aside
Whisk flour, the 1/4 cup milk and water to make the gravy
add salt to taste
serve over the steak

Wednesday, February 3, 2016

Stuffed Cabbage

I "sang" my thoughts and memories of this dish before making it.
This is the actual recipe:
Stuffed cabbage
my mom's style

§       1 head green cabbage (Savoy is best)
§       2 lbs lean ground pork (or beef or lamb)
§       2 large onions, white or yellow, diced
§       1 cinnamon stick
§       1 tablespoon whole cloves
§       kosher salt
§       8 cloves garlic, minced
§       1 tablespoon dry oregano
§       1 cup cooked long grain rice
§       2 tablespoons parsley
§       1 32 oz can tomato sauce
§       black pepper to taste

bring a large pot of water to a boil with the cinnamon stick and cloves
Salt the water to "pasta water" saltiness
core the cabbage and boil for 10 minutes
reserve the spiced water
Add tomato sauce to 1 cup of the spiced water with 3 garlic cloves
cook this to a "gravy" thickness
remove the cabbage and when it cools, separate the leaves
cook the ground pork with onions, the remaining garlic and oregano
when cooked, salt and pepper to taste
add 1 cup tomato sauce to the meat mixture and mix well
coat a baking pan (or 2) with equal parts of tomato sauce and spiced water
~2 tablespoons of meat mixture per large leaf, fold and place in pan
top with tomato sauce and bake at 350 F for 45 minutes
serve hot





Monday, February 1, 2016

i experiment regularly

Ages ago, i learn how to make the Greek nut cake, known as Karidopida.
I was fascinated by it because the base was not flour, but egg.
I thought, i could do other things with this base and so my first attempt was corn bread, removing the flour and adding corn meal (either finely ground or course ground) with great success.

The base is very light (because  of whipped eggs) and so was the corn bread.

I began looking for other applications and was asked to bring a carrot cake to a dinner yesterday...
I always think of carrot cake as too sweet and too dense and not enough flavor.
I experimented.
it was a success!

A Greek twist on a classic


The cake
·       8 eggs, separated
·       1 cup brown sugar
·       1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
·       1/4 teaspoon allspice
·       1/4 teaspoon ground clove
·       1/8 teaspoon cream of tarter
·       2 teaspoons baking powder
·       1/8 teaspoon salt
·       1/2 cup raisins, rehydrated
·       1 cup unbleached flour
·       1 cup raw carrots, shredded
·       1/2 cup ground Walnuts
Frosting
·       2 cups powdered sugar
·       2 tablespoons soft butter
·       8 oz cream cheese, softened
·       1 teaspoon orange extract
Frosting
using the paddle attachment, mix butter and cream cheese
add powdered sugar in 4 part increments
add orange extract

Cake
Use a whisk attachment on a mixer first
beat egg whites with cream of tarter on high and set aside
beat egg yokes until thick and then add spices, sugar and salt and continue to mix
separately, mix baking powder with the flour
Change the paddle from the whisk to a beat bar and reduce the speed of the mixer
slowly add the flour mixture to the egg yoke mixture
When mixed remove from the mixer and fold in the egg whites
Fold in the carrots, nuts and raisins
Pour into a 9 x 12 greased cake pan
Cook at 350 F for 40 minutes
Remove from the oven and cool in the refrigerator for 10 minutes before topping
Serve cool