My Prairie Cookbook (19 page)

This is possibly the ultimate stick-to-your-ribs prairie dinner. It's also my all-time-favorite, most indulgent, “I don't care in the least about my weight today” meal.

Serves 6

For the Steaks:

6 (½-inch/12-mm-thick) rib-eye steaks (6 ounces/170 g each)

¾ cup (180 ml) milk

1 large egg, beaten

2½ to 3 cups (315 g) all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons seasoned salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Canola oil for frying

For the Cream Gravy:

3 heaping tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups (480 ml) milk

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

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Make the steaks: Trim any fat from the steaks and, using a mallet or rolling pin, pound out the steaks to ¼ inch (6 mm) thick.

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Beat together the milk and egg in a shallow dish and set aside. Place the flour in another shallow dish, season with the seasoned salt and pepper, and set aside.

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Cover the bottom of a large skillet, preferably cast iron, with enough oil to reach about ½ inch (12 mm).

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Coat the steaks in the egg mixture, then in the flour mixture, and add them to the pan (you will need to do this in batches). Cook until the bottom is nice and brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the steaks and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Be careful to not over-cook them. Continue this process until all the steaks are cooked, placing the finished steaks on a paper towel–lined baking sheet to drain.

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After frying the steaks, make the cream gravy: Pour off most of the oil, leaving about ¼ cup (60 ml) behind along with all the brown bits. Add the flour, whisking until it is well mixed. Place the skillet back over medium-high heat and slowly add the milk while stirring constantly. Cook until the gravy comes to a boil. Season with salt and pepper. Serve it hot over the chicken-fried steaks.

Southwestern settlers used dried beef for their chili. My (bean-free) chili is made with fresh beef chuck and is great on its own. But here's a fun and contemporary way to serve it at a Super Bowl party, or any party for that matter: Get some individual-size bags of Fritos (the kind for school lunches), put a bag in a bowl, slice the bag open lengthwise, kind of like a baked potato, and spoon chili over the chips inside. Then top with cheese and all the other toppings. Voilà . . . Frito pie.

Serves 10

¼ cup (60 ml) vegetable oil

4 pounds (1.8 kg) well-trimmed boneless beef chuck (from about 5 pounds/2.3 kg total), cut into ½-inch (12-mm) cubes

2 medium onions, chopped

1 head garlic (about 15 cloves), chopped

¼ cup (30 g) ground ancho chile powder

2 tablespoons ground cumin

½ teaspoon ground allspice

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

1 (12-ounce/360-ml) bottle dark beer

1 (28-ounce/800-g) can diced tomatoes, with juice

2 teaspoons dried oregano

2 tablespoons salt, plus more for serving

2 tablespoons tomato paste

3 tablespoons masa harina

Coarsely grated sharp Cheddar cheese, for serving (optional)

Chopped green and/or red onion, for serving (optional)

Chopped fresh cilantro, for serving (optional)

Diced fresh tomatoes, for serving (optional)

Sour cream, for serving (optional)

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Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add one-third of the beef; sprinkle it with salt. Cook until browned, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beef to a large bowl. Repeat two more times with 2 more tablespoons oil and the remaining two batches of beef.

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Reduce the heat to medium. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and the onions. Sauté until soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Add the ancho chile powder, cumin, all-spice, cinnamon, and cloves; cook and stir for about 1 minute. Add the beer; stir for 1 minute, scraping up the browned bits.

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Return the beef and any accumulated juices to the pot. Add the canned tomatoes with their juice, 2 cups (480 ml) of water, the oregano, and 2 teaspoons of salt. Bring the chili to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover it with the lid slightly ajar, and simmer gently until the beef is just tender, 1¾ to 2 hours.

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Let the chili cool for 1 hour, then refrigerate it uncovered until cold. Cover and refrigerate it overnight.

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The next day, spoon the fat from the top of the chili. Bring the chili to a simmer over medium heat. Stir in the tomato paste. Sprinkle the masa harina over the top; stir to blend. Simmer uncovered until thickened and the beef is very tender, stirring often and adding water by ¼ cup (60 ml) at a time if it is too thick, about 30 minutes.

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Divide the chili among bowls. Serve it hot with desired garnishes.

Everyone should have a family recipe for meat loaf, right? Well, here's mine. You can substitute ground turkey for the beef and pork, if you like. As you would certainly expect with any venerable family meat loaf, this one is also great served cold the next day as a sandwich.

Serves 6

1 cup (55 g) finely ground fresh bread crumbs (from 2 slices firm white bread)

⅓ cup (75 ml) whole milk

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 yellow onion, finely chopped

1 celery rib, finely chopped

1 carrot, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon apple-cider vinegar

2 teaspoons salt

1½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon ground allspice

1½ pounds (680 g) ground beef chuck

8 ounces (225 g) ground pork

4 ounces (115 g) bacon (about 4 slices), finely chopped

2 large eggs

⅓ cup (10 g) finely chopped fresh parsley

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Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) with a rack in middle.

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Soak the bread crumbs in the milk in a large bowl.

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Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat and cook the onion, celery, carrot, and garlic, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Cover the skillet and reduce the heat to low, then cook until the carrot is tender, about 5 minutes.

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Remove from the heat and stir in the Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, salt, pepper, and allspice. Add the onion mixture to the bread crumb mixture.

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Add the beef to the onion mixture along with the pork, bacon, eggs, and parsley and mix together with your hands.

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Pack the mixture into a 9-by-5-inch (23-by-12-cm) oval loaf or a 9-by-13-inch (23-by-33-cm) shallow baking dish. Bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the meat loaf registers 155°F (70°C), 1 to 1¼ hours. Let it cool for about 5 minutes before serving.