CFS with BEP

That's Chicken Fried Steak with Black-eyed peas.....

So last night I made homemeade CFS and BEPs.

For the CFS I used "pre-tenderized" CFS portions from the fresh meat counter ay my local HEB. There were four in my pack, which was perfect for my family. I soaked them overnight in low fat Buttermilk in a Tupperware marinade container.

If you do ANY amount of marinading at home I STRONGLY suggest picking one of these up. It seals tight, is big enough for plenty of meat and saves the environment by reducing the amount of plastic bags you use and throw away. (Thank you honey for mine!!!)

Anyway...back to the recipe. I pulled the steaks from the Buttermilk and seasoned lightly with Kosher Salt, Black Pepper and my favorite beef shake...Uncle Chris' Gourmet Steak Seasoning (works great on burgers too) and then dredged them in flour. I then repeated this process, dipping them back in the buttermilk and dredging them a second time in the flour. I cooked these in a heavy frying pan with about 1/2 cup or so of cottonseed oil and tried to maintain the temp between 325 and 350 (this is tricky on my glass-top stove -- GOSH I can't wait to switch to natural gas!). I flipped them only once, at the first sign of moisture seeping from the top. I probably could have waited another minute or so because when we cut the steaks some of the breading fell off. As I understand it, letting as much moisture out of the top helps the breading to "stick". Since my pan could only fit 2 steaks at a time I placed the first 2 in the oven while the second two cooked. Just before they finished I made some cream gravy...although I took a short cut and made cream gravy from a mix (Pioneer brand).

For the Black-eyed peas I followed Paula Dean's recipe on Foodnetwork.com. I made no significant changes to her recipe other than adding 2 more slices of bacon and I used a "Tex-Mex" style tomatoes. I also, after reading several of the reviews, let them cook for about 4 hours at a much lower temp (barely a simmer).

I served this with some white rice on the side. I know, I know...no green veggies. Sorry Mom!

How was it? The steak was very flavorful -- the best I have produced. I think the only improvements could have been made on the breading adhesion and the thinness of the steaks. I think placing the steaks in a warm oven is a bad idea. I think it actually creates steam between the met and breading causing it to fall off. Next time I will simply place on a wire rack on paper lined pan and set on the back of the stove. As far as the thin-ness is concered, I intended to pound them softly with the flat side a meat mallet before soaking in the buttermilk but I forgot.

The black-eyed peas were tasty though not something to write home about. Not knowing EXACTLY how long to cook them I probably let them go a little too long as I like a slightly firmer pea. But they were good and I will probably make them again. I think I can halve the amount of peas and water but still use a whole can of tomatoes.

Overall the meal was a success. I think. I've got the leftovers with me for lunch. We'll see if soaking overnight in the broth enhances the pea's taste.