Real Texas And Tex Mex Cooking

THE NATIONAL DISH
OF TEXAS

Chicken Fried Steak with Cream Style Gravy

Texans know that one of the main secrets for Chicken Fried Steak is the quality of the beef used in this dish. Choose the best round steak that you can find and have the butcher run it through the tenderizer. If you can't do that you will have to tenderize it yourself with a mallet type meat tenderizer

Chicken Fried Steak

4 Tenderized beef steak or cutlets
1 Egg
1 C Milk
1-1/2 C Flour
1 C Melted Shortening or vegetable oil
1/2 t Salt
1/4 t Ground black pepper
1/4 t Paprika
1/4 t White pepper

Beat together the egg and milk and set aside. Combine the flour and spices, mix well, and turn out onto a flat-surfaced dish or tray.
Dip each cutlet into the milk/egg mixture, then dredge each in the flour mixture, then dip back into the milk/egg mixture. (You're going to get your hands messy here, so take your rings off.)
Heat 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 the egg/milk mixture; if it pops and sizzles, 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. Allow cutlets to fry for 3 to 5 minutes, then turn with your long-handled fork. Cook another 3 to 5 minutes, depending upon the size of the cutlets. Remove cutlets from oil and allow to drain on paper towels.

Cream Gravy

After the cutlets are removed from the pan, pour off all but about 3 tablespoons of oil, keeping as many as possible of the browned bits in the pan. Heat the oil over medium heat until hot.
Sprinkle 1/2 cup 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.
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 like it.

HAVE YOU EVER TRIED THESE
STATE DISHES OF TEXAS???

BAR-B-QUE BEEF BRISKET

1 4 to 8-pound brisket
1 tablespoon each garlic, black pepper, onion salt
1/2 tablespoon liquid smoke
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons Adolphs meat tenderizer

If your brisket is frozen DO NOT thaw. Mix all seasonings together to use as a rub. Rub the combined seasonings on the brisket. Wrap tightly in heavy foil. Place in a shallow roasting pan. Set oven to 325 for one (1) hour. Open foil and baste meat with sauce. Lower temperature to between 275 and 300 degrees depending on your oven. Cook for 3 1/2 to 4 more hours. This brisket will be so tender you can cut it with a fork. Wrap a flour tortilla around a slice with some fried onion and bell peppers and a little sour cream.
Take one bite and you'll want to slap your mother-in-law again.

If you want to make chopped beef sandwiches take part of the brisket, chop it, and cover with your favorite barbeque sauce. Serve with fresh sliced onion and pickles.

FRITO CHILI PIE

Serves 4 to 6.

1 large bag of Fritos® brand Corn Chips
2 15-oz. cans of prepared chili (without beans)
2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
3-5 chopped green onion stalks

Put Fritos® brand Corn Chips in casserole dish. Pour heated chili over Fritos®. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Garnish with green onions and jalapenos. Serve warm with crackers and pork and beans.

Man, that's so good it'll make you want to slap your mother-in-law for not teaching your wife how to cook it a long time ago.

PRIZE WINNING CHILI

Serves 4 to 6

2 1/2 lb Lean ground chuck
1 lb Lean ground pork
1 cup Finely chopped onion
4 Garlic cloves; finely chpd.
1 can Budweiser beer (12 oz.)
8 oz Hunt's tomato sauce
1 cup Water
3 tb Chili powder
2 tbl. Ground cumin
2 tbl. Wyler's beef-flavor instant
-bouillon (or 6 cubes)
2 tsp. Oregano leaves
2 tsp. Paprika
2 tsp. Sugar
1 tsp. Unsweetened cocoa
1/2 tsp. Ground coriander
1/2 tsp. Louisiana hot sauce,to taste
1 tsp. Flour
1 tsp. Cornmeal
1 tb. Warm water

In large saucepan or Dutch oven, brown half the meat; pour off fat. Remove meat. Brown remaining meat; pour off all fat except 2 Tbsps. Add onion, garlic; cook and stir until tender. Add meat and remaining ingredients except flour, cornmeal and warm water. Mix well. Bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer covered 2 hours. Stir together flour and cornmeal; add warm water. Mix well. Stir into chili mixture. Cook covered 20 minutes longer. Serve hot. Makes 2 quarts.

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Chile Rellenos Con Queso

8 fresh long green chiles
1/2 pound sharp Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
8 eggs, separated
1 cup all-purpose flour Salt and pepper
Oil

Serves: 6

Prepare chiles, being careful to make only one slit down the chile. Fill chiles with cheese. Beat egg whites until stiff. Beat yolks until very light. Add yolks to whites, beating constantly. Season flour with salt and pepper. Dredge chiles in flour and then dip into egg mixture. Fry two at a time in skillet in l/2 inch hot oil until golden. Turn once, browning both sides. Serve hot.

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My Favorite Barbecue Sauce

32 oz. Jar ketchup
1 cup dark molasses
1 1/2 tablespoons tobasco sauce
1 1/2 medium onions chopped fine
1 large green pepper chopped fine
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 1/2 tablespoons dry mustard
3 tablespoons vinegar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup liquid smoke
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

Combine all ingredients in large pot. Use 1/4 cup water to rinse out ketchup bottle and pour into pot. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer until onion and peppers are tender. (around
two hours)

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More Chili Recipes Real Texas Chili

3-1/2 lb. Chuck blade steak
1/4 C Vegetable oil
2 C Chopped onion
3 Medium green peppers, chopped
16 oz. Tomatoes
4 Garlic cloves, minced
6 oz. Tomato paste
1/3 C Chili powder
1/4 C Sugar
2 T Salt
2 t Oregano
3/4 t Black pepper

Cut steak into 1/2" cubes. Brown the meat in oil in Dutch oven, remove to a bowl and set aside. Add onions, peppers and garlic to drippings in pan over medium heat. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add more oil if necessary.

Return the meat to the pan, and add tomatoes and their liquid and the remaining ingredients. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 1-1/2 hours or until meat is fork tender, stirring occasionally. Makes 6 or 7 servings.

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Brazos River Chili

3 lbs. Top sirloin, chili ground or cut into
1/4-inch pieces
4 T Bacon drippings
4 Large cloves of garlic, minced or put through a garlic press
1 Medium onion, finely chopped
10-1/2 oz. Can of beef broth
13-3/4 oz. Can of chicken broth
8 oz. Tomato sauce
1 t Onion powder
1 t Garlic powder
3 T Chili powder
1 T Hungarian sweet paprika
1/2 t White pepper
1 or 2 Whole jalapeños, seeded and halved
3 T Chili powder
1 t Ground cumin
1 t Onion powder

In a Dutch oven, brown the meat in the bacon drippings. Add the garlic and onion and cook until just transparent.
Add the beef broth, the chicken broth and tomato sauce, and bring to a boil. Add the onion powder, chili powder, paprika and white pepper, and stir well. Float the jalapeño halves on surface of chili. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 1 hour. Check occasionally to see that liquid covers the meat. If it begins to look dry, lower the heat and add a little beef broth.

Remove jalapeños from surface and stir in the additional chili powder, ground cumin and onion powder. Return jalapeños to chili, cover, and simmer over very low heat for an additional hour. At the end of the cooking time, you may adjust the taste with additional chili powder, cumin, onion and garlic powder, if desired.

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More Vegetable Dishes
Spicy Beans

1 can refried beans
1 medium-large yellow onion
Tobasco pepper sauce
1/8 cup Coita Cheese
Cilantro to taste (generally 1 1/2 tsp)
Cumin to taste (generally 3/4 tsp)
4 oz. Sour Cream

Roughly chop the onions and fry them in the pepper sauce (amount to taste) over medium heat until transparant. Add the beans. Once beans begin to warm, Add the Coita Cheese, Cilantro, and Cumin. Generally, I make a 2-1 ration with the Cilantro and Cumin. If beans start to stick to the pan, reduce the heat. Heat beans until the coita is starting to melt. It will take longer to heat Coita vs. normal cheese, because of the low fat content. Coita has plenty of salt, therefore additional salt is not needed.

After the beans are done, add sour cream immediately. Serve hot, cold or warmed up.

Frijoles Charros

1 to 2 onions, minced
2 tablespoons lard
3 cups cooked pinto beans
4 to 6 slices bacon, minced
1 slice ham, diced (optional)
1 cup chorizo or hot italian sausage
1 16-ounce can tomatoes, drained and chopped
6 serrano chiles, minced, or to taste
1 tablespoon comino (cumin)
salt to taste

Yield : Approximately 5 to 6 cups

Add onions and lard to pinto beans and cook over medium heat 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. in another skillet, fry bacon, ham and chorizo. Add to beans with tomatoes, chiles and spices. Heat thoroughly.

Spanish Rice

1 Cup of rice
2 tablespoons bacon grease
1 medium onion, chopped
2 Clove garlic, finely chopped
1 16 ounce can stewed tomatoes
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups water

Serves: 4 to 6

Fry rice in bacon grease until browned; add onion and garlic and saute with rice 1 minute. Add remaining ingredients, cover and simmer approximately 20 minutes until tender.

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More Sauces
and Salsas
Tex Mex Salsa

1 Small (4 oz.) can of chopped ripe olives
1 Small (4 oz.) can of chopped green chiles
1 C Chopped white onion (about 1 small onion)
3 Scallions, chopped, including tops
5 or 6 Plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
2 T Red wine vinegar
3 T Olive oil
1 Clove of garlic, minced or put through a garlic press
1/4 C Fresh cilantro, chopped (more or less, depending upon taste)

Combine all ingredients, refrigerate, and marinate for several hours or overnight.
Notes: For best flavor, marinate overnight.

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Pico de Gallo

4 Ripe plum tomatoes, seeded, finely chopped (about 1 pound)
1 Small white onion, finely chopped
1/4 C Fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
4 Fresh jalapeños, seeded, finely chopped
1 T Fresh lime juice
Salt to taste

Mix tomatoes, onion, cilantro, jalapeños and lime juice. Add salt to taste. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, and serve the same day made. Makes about 2 to 2-1/2 cups.
Notes: This is classic, "unadulterated" pico de gallo. Be sure that all vegetables are very finely chopped.

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Salsa Verde

4 to 5 Serrano chiles
2 C Chopped fresh tomatillos or canned tomatillos, drained
1/3 C Fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
6 Green onions, chopped
2 Large cloves garlic, crushed
1 T Grated white onion
2 T Fresh lime juice
1/1 t Salt

Place the serranos on a baking sheet and broil, turning the chiles occasionally, until the skin is dark and blistered. Remove from heat and place the serranos in a plastic bag. Allow them to steam for 20 minutes or so, then remove from bag and peel off the skin. Chop the serranos.
Combine serranos and all remaining ingredients and chill, covered, for at least 1 hour. Salsa will keep, refrigerated, for several days.
Notes: This salsa is best if served at room temperature.

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Pico de Gallo II

2 Large ripe tomatoes, seeded, pulp removed, finely chopped
1 Medium white onion, finely chopped
2 Large cloves garlic, minced
2/3 C Cucumber, peeled, seeded, finely diced
5 Radishes, finely diced
2 T Minced cilantro leaves
3 or 4 Fresh serrano chiles, seeded, very finely chopped
1 T White wine vinegar
1 T Fresh lime juice
Salt to taste

Mix tomatoes, onion, garlic, cucumber, radishes, cilantro, chiles and vinegar. Sprinkle lime juice over all. Add salt to taste.
Best if refrigerated, covered, for at least 1 hour, and served the same day made. Makes about 3 cups.
Notes: This is the salsa that makes fajitas so good. Serrano chiles possess a lively heat; don't stint on them. However, see to it that they are very finely chopped.

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Rojo Salsa

4 Small tomatoes (about 1 lb.), peeled, finely chopped
2 Fresh California (Anaheim) or New Mexico chiles,
peeled, finely chopped OR 1/3 cup chopped green chiles
1/2 Small jalapeño chile, stems and seeds removed
1/2 Medium onion, finely chopped
1/4 C Fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
1 Large garlic clove, minced
1 t Olive oil
1/2 t Salt

Combine tomatoes, chiles, onion and cilantro in a bowl. Mash garlic with salt to make a paste. Stir garlic paste into tomato mixture.
Cover and allow to stand for two hours before serving to blend flavors. Serve at room temperature. Makes about 2-1/2 cups.
Notes: Ole. This is great stuff.

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