Texas is known for; chicken fried steak, chili (the official state dish of Texas), barbecue, pintos, banana pudding, kolaches, sweet tea, Tex Mex and of course steak. Foods in Texas are influenced by Mexican, Polish, Czechoslovakian and German immigrants.
Kolaches are a Czech pastry; soft yeast roll filled with either apricots, prunes, cheese, sausage, poppy seeds or other delicious fillings. The town of West, located on the I-35 half-way between Austin and Dallas is famous for their Kolaches and you can't seem to pass through without making a stop for a box of these yummy little delights.
The first time Jerry and I went into a restaurant in Texas and asked if they had turkey burgers, the waitress said, and I kid you not "we don't serve vegetarian food" we knew we were in beef country. Texas and Beef -- the words are almost synonymous. There is a restaurant which I'm sure you've all seen on TV called The Big Texan, located in Amarillo and it's home of the 72 oz. steak!! Mercy me that's big. If you can eat it all, including all the fixins (shrimp cocktail, baked potato, salad, roll with butter) you get it for free, but it must be eaten within 1 hour. If you lose you pay up. I think you'd end up in the emergency room if you ate that much meat.
Texans are very serious about their chicken fried steak - I personally don't eat it, because as I've said before we don't eat beef, but we've gone with the "chicken fried chicken" version with cream gravy and it's very tasty. Let me tell you, when you tell a Texan you don't eat beef they look at you mighty funny. I can just imagine the thoughts going on in their head.
Chicken Fried Steak
4 tenderized beef cutlets commonly known as "cube steak"
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
all-purpose flour for dredging
Vegetable oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. paprika
Tabasco to taste
Beat together the egg, Tabasco and milk and set aside. Mix together the salt, black pepper, paprika and sprinkle on both sides of beef cutlets. Dredge the cutlets in the flour, shaking off the excess. Then dip each cutlet in the egg/milk mixture, then back in the flour. You want a nice crunchy crust when it's cooked.
Pour about 1/2-inch of oil in a large cast iron skillet. Heat the oil over medium-high heat for a few minutes. You want the oil to pop when a few drops of water are added. With your tongs, carefully place each cutlet into the hot oil. Fry cutlets on both sides, turning once, until golden brown. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook 4 or 5 minutes until cutlets are done through. Drain cutlets on paper towels.
Cream Gravy: Remove all oil but abut 2 tablespoons keeping the browned bits in the pan (that's where all the flavors at). Heat the oil over medium heat until hot. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons flour in the hot oil to make a roux. Whisk well and gradually stir in 1 1/4 cups milk, stirring constantly with the whisk. Lower heat, and gravy will begin to thicken. Add about 1/4 cup of heavy cream and continue cooking until gravy reaches desired thickness. Adjust seasonings with more salt and pepper to taste. I like lots of pepper in my cream gravy.
Plate up cutlets on platter and drizzle over a little gravy, and add a sprinkle of chopped Italian parsley - ya gotta have a little green. Pass extra gravy because you know you want it. Serve with piping hot biscuits and mashed potatoes.
Another food item Texans are serious about is their beans. We're talking pinto beans and nothing else. Hope you enjoy my version.
Texas Pintos
1 package dried pinto beans (washed)
1 bottle Texas beer
cold water
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 can Rotel tomatoes (don't drain)
2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped
ham hock
salt
2 Tbl. chili powder
Wash beans and place in large Dutch oven, cover with cold water and soak overnight. Drain and place back in Dutch oven and add beer and cold water to cover. Add rest of ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer covered for about 3 hours or until beans are tender. If at any time more water is required add it. Remove ham hock. Taste and if any salt is needed add at this time. I like to serve mine with Tabasco as I'm hooked on it.
Banana Pudding: We usually see banana pudding as something we certainly don't want to put in our mouths. It always looks awful at most restaurants served with the required maraschino cherry on top (we're not talking high end here) but banana pudding can be delicious, creamy, luscious, divine and a joy to eat. Here is my adaptation of banana pudding.
3 cups whole milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
3 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
2 Tbl. butter
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract (you can also use Rum extract or a combo of both, delicious)
1 to 2 tsp. banana extract or banana liqueur (add one tsp. and taste it, if you want more add the other tsp.)
pinch of salt
5 ripe bananas
1 box of vanilla wafers
I have two ways to top it;
Meringue:
4 egg whites
5 Tbl. sugar
1/4 tsp. cream of tarter
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
OR
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract and banana liqueur
2 Tbl. powdered sugar
Pudding: In a saucepan; whisk together the flour with a little milk to incorporate, then add rest of milk & cream whisking so you don't have any lumps. Whisk the eggs and sugar into the saucepan and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn down to medium low and whisk for about 20 minutes until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in butter, banana extract and vanilla extract until butter is melted. At this point we have to cool the pudding. Pour pudding into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator to cool. Cut your bananas into slices not too thick though.
Next step we have 2 ways we can go here; first is in an attractive trifle bowl, add vanilla wafers on bottom of bowl and one row up the side. Add some pudding, sliced bananas, more wafers and keep layering. Finish the top with lots of wonderful banana whipped cream and crush some extra wafers and sprinkle on top.
Second way: Line a 8x8 baking dish with a layer of wafers, then top with banana slices, pudding, and layer again ending with pudding. Make your meringue; beat egg whites on high until they form soft peaks, add cream of tarter. Beat on high gradually adding sugar, a little at a time and beat until stiff peaks form, fold in the vanilla. Spread the meringue over the pudding and lift your spoon up to get little peaks. Be sure to seal the edges with the meringue. Bake in preheated oven at 375 until meringue gets golden brown about 15 minutes, just be sure to keep an eye on it. I think you might just change your mind about the humble banana pudding.
Texans love their "sweet tea" as do most southerners. Sweet Tea in Texas is like coffee in Seattle. I personally do not like my tea sweet. The best way to make it is by first making a simple syrup. 2 cups sugar with 3 cups water, bring to a boil and stir until sugar is dissolved. Next get some good ole Lipton or Luzianne tea bags, some nice cold water and either use the sun method of making tea. Get a gallon jar, add cold water and tea bags and let the sun do the work for you by sitting it outside for a few hours. I happen to like my iced tea strong so I use a lot of tea bags. My husband says drinking my tea will give you a caffeine jolt! Use as many bags as you prefer. The other way is to get a pot of cold water, bring to boiling, remove from heat and add your tea bags to steep. Next fill your pitcher with tea, stir in some simple syrup and pour over a glass full of ice. Or you can serve a small pitcher of simple syrup on the side and serve with a glass of ice tea and mix in the amount of syrup you like.
Texas Chili - "The Official State Dish of Texas". If you go to my blog, "Christmas in Texas" you will find a recipe for Texas Chili, which means "NO BEANS". From the history I've read about chili in Texas a couple of Dallas newspapermen challenged each other to a chili cook-off. The first one being in the ghost town of Terlingua, Texas in the Big Bend area. The contest has three criteria; taste, appearance and aroma, in addition to NO BEANS. The cook-off is still held in Terlingua on a grand scale and now the competition features theme, originality, costumes, booth set-up and anything goes except beans. I'd lose because I love beans in my chili.
As for barbecue, there are just too many fantastic barbecue joints in this great state of Texas that I don't even have a desire to make my own. You can drive through small one horse towns and come across 3 or 4 barbecue joints. They are everywhere, so you never have to search too far for one.
Cowboy Cookies - my friend Sandra (a Texas gal) gave me this recipe. Us non-cowgirls and cowboys can enjoy them too. My friend Geri in Anacortes, WA is a cowgirl so this ones for you.
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 sticks butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 cups quick-cooking oats (she said to use Quaker Oats)
1 (6 oz) package chocolate chips (I use more than this)
1 cups pecans, chopped (I lightly toast them)
Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
In another bowl, cream butter and sugars together until fluffy, adding eggs and vanilla. Mix flour mixture together with butter mixture until well incorporated. Add oats, chocolate chips and pecans and mix well. Drop by spoonfuls on lightly greased cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown, remove to cooking racks.
Bon Appetit
"You are my hope O Lord God, You are my confidence"
Psalm 71:5
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