country fried steak

Our favorite restaurant in Chicago is the Chicago Diner. Unfortunately, we don't live close enough to it to frequent the joint...wait, maybe that's a blessing in disguise :)  Everyone's favorite meal there is the Country Fried Steak. David will order two so he can take one home; invariably, though, it doesn't make it to his lunch box the next day. I even bought their cookbook hoping they included the recipe. Uh, no.

For years I tried recreating this dish only to fail miserably...the breading would fall off in the oil or burn or be soggy...ugh. I was disgusted. Until a little angel came whispering the secret...Paula Deen. OK, not exactly an angel. And not exactly the secret. But she did provide the spark that would be the answer to my Country Fried Steak Glory. You see, she used buttermilk to dredge her steak (real steak) in. Well, having been vegan for quite a long time and before that never having the inclination to use buttermilk, I hadn't realized the consistency of the stuff. Until Ms. Dean poured it in her pan. A light bulb went off: it looked like yogurt. Yogurt! That was my epiphany. And it works beautifully! Dredge your seitan in plain soy yogurt (you may add a smidgen of milk or water to make it thinner), then in seasoned flour and fry it in a cast iron pan with about a half inch of oil. 

No.. Not healthy. I know. The rule in my house is that I will deep-fry (because that is what this is tantamount to) once a month. No more. Go easy on me. This is really good stuff.

Cost Breakdown:

seitan: $3

flour, oil, yogurt: $4

potatoes: $4

almond milk: $2

Total to feed 6 people well:

$13.00

 

hungarian cream of mushroom soup

Three-fifth of us love mushrooms. We love shiitakes, oysters, bellas, chanterelles, morel,  even the simple button. I suppose where ever a fungus can grow, and I believe that is on every continent but Antarctica, the people of that region have held a love of the 'flower' of the mushroom, because we do not actually eat the main part of the fungus, which is underground and can be miles and miles of tendrils of mycelium. Uh, perhaps a little too much botany...anyway, they are good as far as I am concerned.

This Hungarian soup would use sour cream, as Hungarians are wont to do, but we are leaving the milk for the cow's baby and using cashew cream, which is much better for you anyway. Almond cream or Brazil-nut cream would also would just fine. Nuts have this really cool property where they thicken the liquid they are in as they are heated, therefore helping to thicken and bind this soup. The Hungarian paprika from Szeged  (sold in any grocery store, please do not pay the price from the link) is a must. And if you also have the Hot Hungarian Paprika, this is where to use it - the kick from it is delightful after the sweetness of the mild paprika. Kate came into the kitchen yelling for water because it was so spicy! I thought, great, she didn't eat it. To my surprise, her bowl was empty.

I guess the spice was too nice to keep her from devouring it. 

Cost Breakdown:

Mushrooms: $7

cashew: $1

onion and paprika: $1

homemade stock: $.75

Total to feed 5 people:

$9.75

 

HUNGARIAN CREAM OF MUSHROOM SOUP PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE