When it comes right down to it, a lot of polls are actually fairly meaningless. Few, if any, ever seem to match what I think or reflect my personal opinion on whatever the subject may be. Nor that of my friends and family, either.
It’s not overly surprising, then, to notice in a recent poll of 63,937 supposedly average folks, an unbelievable 25 percent chose breakfast in bed when asked what would make the sweetest gift on Valentine’s Day. What is it with these people? Don’t they work for a living? They just arbitrarily decide to get to work hours late? Take the whole day off? Do they live in the real world?
Somewhere out there, though, at least some of us are on the right track, because 19 percent indicated a chocolate treat would do the job, while a romantic dinner hit the mark with a whopping 56 percent of the question-answerers.
Yes! Now we’re talking! So let’s talk about this Valentine’s Day dinner delight shared by Susan Bender of Camano Island. You’ll notice right off that it calls for beef tenderloin, which costs about as much as a new car. Undoubtedly worth every penny, but possibly impossible for the food budget to accommodate. Especially if it’s not just the two of you, it’s the whole family, too. In either case, there’s absolutely no reason the more affordable, ready-to-cook beef or pork cube steaks couldn’t be substituted for the tenderloin.
Another substitution that might be necessary involves the trio of specialty hot chili peppers called for. Susan tells us, “These spices are from Penzey’s and are available online. You’ll have to grind the peppers yourself. I make my seasoning mix a little hotter by adding extra. It’s up to your taste.”
To order peppers online for future use, go to www.penzeys.com or call 800-741-7787.
Now, to shed some light on how to adapt or substitute dried peppers for pepper seasoning you may already have on hand for those listed, here are pepper heat ratings in Scoville units: ancho (New Mexican) peppers, 3,000 heat units; guajillo peppers, 6,000 heat units; chipotle (New Mexican) peppers, 15,000 heat units; arbol peppers, 35,000 heat units; cayenne peppers, 40,000 heat units; and chili piquin, 140,000 heat units.
In other words, when it comes to the pepper seasoning in this particular recipe, go ahead and choose your own preferred heat level and favorite pepper flavors. You can also buy, in large, well-stocked specialty Mexican sections at a few supermarkets, ready-to-use pepper seasonings. I’ve got a fat, squat bottle, for instance, of Pico de Gallo’s pico piquin that’ll not just knock your socks off, it’ll remove the enamel on your teeth, too. Talk about incendiary! Makes your mouth think the stuff was scraped off the gates of hell, it’s so hot. Awesome flavor, though.
Another thing you’ll notice — this steak just happens to make two servings; perfect for a couple, but not as workable if you’re feeding a family. So go ahead and double or triple the recipe, fry the meat in two or three batches, and don’t forget to double or triple the amount of gravy. To finish it off, Susan suggests, “Serve this with homemade garlic mashed potatoes and sauteed mushrooms.”
Spicy and pricey chicken fried steak
Seasoning mix:
2teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground guajillo chili pepper
1 teaspoon ground arbol chili pepper
2 teaspoons hot New Mexican chili pepper
1teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1-1/2pounds beef tenderloin, cut into six slices
1 cup flour, divided
2 eggs
1/2 cup whole milk
2 cups vegetable oil
1/2 cup chopped shallots
1-1/4 cups chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Parsley sprigs for garnish
In a small bowl, stir together the salt, paprika, ground chilies, garlic and onion powders, peppers and cumin, mixing thoroughly. Set aside.
Place meat slices between two sheets of waxed paper on a wooden cutting board and pound each steak with a meat mallet until pieces are about 1/4-inch thick. Sprinkle 1/2-teaspoon of the seasoning mix on each side of the steak, making sure to rub it in with your fingers. In a shallow bowl, combine 3/4-cup of the flour with 2 teaspoons of the seasoning mix and whisk to combine. In another shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk until frothy and pale yellow.
Heat oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat until very hot. While the oil is heating, dredge the steaks, one at a time, in the seasoned flour, then soak in the egg mixture. Dredge them again in the flour mixture, pressing to make sure they are well coated. Immediately place steaks in the hot oil and cook until browned on both sides, about 2 to 3 minutes, taking care not to let them burn. Remove steaks to a platter and place in a preheated 180-degree oven.
Remove pan from heat and pour off all but 1 tablespoon of oil in the skillet, leaving any meat juices and browned bits that remained on the bottom of the pan. Return pan to burner and, as soon as the remaining oil starts to sizzle, add the shallots and cook 3 minutes, or until golden brown. Add the remaining 1/4 -cup flour to the chicken stock and whisk until mixed. Whisk in remaining seasoning mix; pour over shallots and whisk until there are no lumps. Add the cream and parsley, bring to boil and cook 1 minute, whisking constantly.
Remove steaks from oven and pour gravy over the top. Garnish with sprigs of parsley. Makes 2 servings.
The next Forum will appear in Friday’s Time Out section. Meanwhile, have a wonderful Valentine’s Day!
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