Channeling Chicken Fried Steak

Chicken Fried Steak and 2009 Big House White: 5/5

2009 Big House White: 81/100

When Michael and I went to Texas this past fall, we met his mom at some chain restaurant in Fort Worth, where Michael got steak fingers, and Debbie, ‘Woman’ as Michael calls her, got chicken fried steak. Both gigantic portions came served with fries and white country gravy.

The funny thing about Illinois is that other than Chicago and the surrounding suburbs, most of the state is fields, miles and miles, of corn fields, bean fields, and hay fields. With corn fields come farmers, farmers, livestock, livestock, the butcher, and you end up eating meat, potatoes and corn, ever night of the week. So in Rockford, at a restaurant called the Machine Shed in particular, it’s not hard to find Chicken fried steak, but I guess here in the city serving deep fried cube steak might be a bit low brow. Heaven On Seven, a New Orleans inspired restaurant, has the dish on the menu, but it better be fried in gold for $17.95, I mean we’re talking cube steak here.

So what is chicken fried steak all about anyways? Last night I just happen to catch the episode of Good Eats where the recipe I used was being covered. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/chicken-fried-steak-recipe/index.html According to the Nutritional Anthropologist Deborah Duchon, who pops in on the show, chicken fried steak stems from the German Wienerschnitzel, a breaded and fried veal cutlet. When the Germans immigrated to North America they ended up in the middle part of Texas. Unable to produce ample amounts of veal, they used the tougher parts of the cow, which were then tenderized and fried similarly. Combining that with another dish in a cream sauce, chicken fried steak was born.

When it comes to pairing a wine, fried food is kind of a conundrum. Usually fried food is associated with bars, and bars, beer. And with cube steak, breading, and gravy, your palate almost craves some carbonation to subdue those fatty, mouth coating textures. Since cube steak, itself, isn’t all that fatty to begin with, it’s not sacrilegious to stay away from red wine when it comes to this dish. For my sides I decided to make some corn succotash, with peppers and cajun seasoning, and some mashed cauliflower, a healthy alternative to mashed potatoes. Since both were pretty light, I was left with the debate of bubbles or no bubbles. When doing bubbly with an entree, brut is better. You don’t want to have a sweet sparkling wine with your super savory food. At the same time, I still consider most sparkling wines on the lighter side of the spectrum, so even though they might provide some needed effervescence, the flavor of the wine might be totally washed out by the food. The other alternative is to choose a medium bodied white wine, something like a Viognier or Pinot Grigio, that will provide a little more flavor and aromatics, but still have that ability to cleanse the palate.

Since this was a working man’s dish, I didn’t think in necessary to splurge on a $20+ bottle of wine, so strolling down the wine isle Michael pointed out the 2009 Big House White from California. Basically a medium bodied blended table wine, Big House White is a blend of Muscat Canelli, Viognier, Gruner Vetliner, and Malvasia Bianaca, all for under 10 bucks. We tried the Big House Red with Paula Deen’s Beef Stroganoff a couple months back and thought it to be a tasty table wine, so I thought, why not give the white a try?

As with any home frying, be prepared to get messy, but there’s something about the smell of flour, egg, and oil that just makes you feel comfortable. As I dredged, and soaked, and fried, Michael sat in anticipation in the living room. Usually I would be making something vegetarian, but since everyone had prior obligations, this meal was just going to be for Michael and me.

I don’t know if I used too much oil, or if there was a flaw in the recipe, but putting the already fried steaks in the oven, did not allow for the grease to drip off as planned, so I suggest if you do make this, to rest the steaks on some paper towels for a few moments before popping them in the oven to keep warm.

I have to admit, I am getting pretty good at multi-tasking in the kitchen, as the steak was frying, my cauliflower was boiling, my peppers were sauteing, and I had the corn warming in the microwave. Up until now, I never thought I would be able to make one of Rachel Ray’s dishes in 30 minutes, but I have to admit, I think I could come pretty close.

After I whipped up the gravy, and mashed the cauliflower, it was time to eat. Now Michael says white gravy is traditional when it comes to chicken fried steak, but I just think brown gravy made with chicken stock has a little more flavor. Either way, it put a smile on Michael’s face.

Taking a whiff of the wine I was met with rich floral aromatics of apple blossoms, and peach. Coating my palate with a light and acidic quality, I could pick out hints of grapefruit, and an apple after taste. Since the wine was so aromatic the smell was almost palate cleansing just by itself, so I wasn’t concerned with the pair.

With a nice peppery flavor from the gravy, followed by a slight crunch from the breading and a slightly chewy, but still tender piece of cube steak, it wasn’t long before the chicken fried steak started to disappear from my plate. Adding a nice cajun spice, the corn succotash was a intermittent relief from the cube steak, and the mashed cauliflower was a happy, light alternative to starchy mashed potatoes.

Finishing with another taste of wine, the acidity of the Big House White was strong enough to handle the fattiness of the fried steak, and the sweet corn succotash was able to enhance the fruity quality of the wine.

Although Michael said he wasn’t any less homesick, I knew he was satisfied at least. Using all of the senses, food is able to transport us in both time and space, and I hope that Michael was able to at least go home for a couple of bites. Another Perfect Pair.

Semi-Lynfred Let Down

Swedish Meatballs and Lynfred’s Vin De City Red: 4/5

Lynfred’s Vin De City Red: 54/100

Having the day off, Michael and I lazily lounged about the apartment—outside the day was cast in a gray monotony, scattered with flecks of gentle snow. Finally gaining enough momentum, we decided to go and get something to make for dinner. Featuring Lynfred Winery this week, I was a bit unsure of what to pair with a “table wine”.

As I flipped through The Better Homes Cookbook, I thumbed to the meats section, littered with titles like Hamburger Pie, and Chili-Pasta Skillet, not exactly what I was looking for. Then I scanned across Swedish Meatballs, and was automatically transported to Ikea. If you’ve never indulged in a plate of swedish meatballs from ikea, I’d at least do it once. I never feel as Swedish, or quite in the mood to furniture shop, as I do with a stomach full of Ikea’s meatballs.

With the thought, I was sold. Now the recipe out of Better Homes was a little to processed for my tastes—using bouillon cubes, and store bought bread crumbs, so I hit the internet and found Alton Brown’s Swedish Meatball recipe (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/swedish-meatballs-recipe/index.html) As with most Alton Brown recipes you can expect higher quality ingredients and exact measurements. Does that mean the recipe will not turn out delicious if you make your meatballs larger than 1oz? Of course not, but I have to hand it to Alton, his food can be practically cloned if you follow his recipes to a T.

Traditional Swedish Meatballs are made with ground pork and beef, but looking to save a buck, I decided to substitute ground venison for the pork. (but that’s kind of killing a “buck”, isn’t it?) My mom and dad live on a ranch in the middle of nowhere, just south of the Wisconsin border, and with solitude comes deer, especially in the mid-west. Not big hunters themselves, my parents allow their friends to come and hunt on the land, and once or twice a season, are rewarded for their kindness with an abundance of venison. When I make it home, my mom doesn’t let me leave without a good couple pounds of free meat—fine by me.

If you’ve never cooked with venison, you’ll be surprised to find how lean it is. Alone, venison has a gamey flavor, but when mixed with ground beef or used in chili or sloppy Joes, you won’t even notice. Not caring for the flavor when I was younger, my mom became a professional at disguising venison, and as she would say, “It’s good free meat, we can’t just let it go to waste.”

So what makes Swedish meatballs, Swedish? Nutmeg and Allspice. When mixed in with the meat balls, the flavors seep out into the grease while they are frying in the pan. And when the gravy is made with the leftover drippings, it takes on a warm spicy undertone, indicative of Swedish Meatballs.

Since I was pairing a table wine I thought the subtle warmth of nutmeg and allspice would bring out the vanilla and cherry in the wine. Allowing my bottle to breathe, I corked it before I started cooking. Taking an initial whiff of the bottle I was met with a strong ethanol aroma, like sniffing a bottle of vodka, which made me a bit concerned about the quality of the wine.

Adding the cream into the pan, my gravy took on a warm carmel hue and sent smells of onions, nutmeg, and beef floating about the apartment. As the gravy reduced, I prepared Michael and I’s plates with rice and green beans. Have you ever wondered how restaurants get their rice to hold such a wonderful shape? It’s easy, take a biscuit cutter, or small shallow bowl, and pack in some rice, good and tight. The starches in the rice will hold like glue so when you lift your bowl, a nice “rice castle” will be left behind, and your presentation will look clean and professional. Topping my rice castles with meat balls the plates were complete and ready for photography.

Pouring a glass of wine, the aroma of black cherry and oak met my nostrils with a slight burn. With a semi translucent reddish purple hue, I noticed the legs of the wine begin to separate instead of streak down the side of my glass. Examining my glass, I could not find anything that would be making the wine do this, but as soon as the wine hit my palate I knew what the culprit was. Having a very high ethanol concentration, the Vin De City Red attacked my palate with a harsh, burning sensation of a very young Cabernet Sauvignon. With high levels of acidity, and a noticeable astringency, my first swallow caused my face to twist a bit—not exactly what I was expecting.

Followed by bite of meatballs, the warm underlying spice was able to tame the burn in my mouth from the wine, making the flavors of cherry and vanilla more present as the meal continued. Sending little rushes of nutmeg and onion around my palate, coated in a rich creamy gravy, the meatballs were, do I dare say, better than Ikea’s—not to fatty, or salty. Combined with the wild rice and green beans, the result was a meal I didn’t have to feel guilty about eating.

Following my first bite with another sip of wine, my palate was more accepting, but still a bit reluctant. In my mind a pairing should enhance both the food and the wine, and with this I think the food played a lion taming role. Unfortunately I have had many better $10.00 wines. Just in case the wine needed an exceptionally long time to breathe I saved a small glass for lunch today. Although better than last night, the harsh presence was still over powering.

What will the Vin De City White hold? Hopefully a Perfect Pair.