07/20/14 recipe -Taste USA

Pan Fried Porterhouse with Mushrooms

How to make Pan Fried Porterhouse with Mushrooms Recipe - When Mark Twain toured Europe in 1878, he complained bitterly about the food. One of the favorites marked on his list of foods to be ready and hot when he arrived at home was a porterhouse steak, pan-fried, with mushrooms.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 teaspoon dried leaf tarragon
3/4 cup whipping cream
1 (1-1/2-inch-thick) porterhouse steak (about 2 pounds)
1 tablespoon butter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method:
In a skillet or frying pan, heat 1/2 cup butter. Add mushrooms. Saute over medium heat 5 minutes.

Add tarragon and cream. Simmer over low heat until sauce has thickened slightly.

Score fat on steak so it will not curl during cooking.

Place 1 tablespoon butter and steak in another heavy skillet. Cook steak over high heat 5 minutes on each side for rare meat. Or, cook longer according to your taste.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Serve with creamed mushrooms.

Makes 2 to 3 servings.

Round Steak and Onions

How to make Round Steak and Onions Recipe - This is also known as Swiss steak and often has cheese sprinkled on top before serving.

Ingredients:
1 to 1-1/2 pounds round steak
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried leaf marjoram
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter
2 medium-sized onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup beef broth
1/2 cup dairy sour cream

Method:
Cut steak into 4 pieces. On a plate, mix salt, pepper, marjoram and flour.

Dredge steak in flour mixture. With the side of a plate, pound flour mixture into steaks, adding more of mixture until steaks are about doubled in diameter and about 1/4 inch thick.

In a heavy skillet, heat butter over medium heat.

Add onions. Saute 10 minutes or until golden. Lift out onions; set aside. Add steak to hot fat; brown over medium-high heat.

Add beef broth and sauteed onions. Cover and simmer over very low heat 1 hour or until steaks are fork-tender.

Remove steaks onto a warm platter. Stir sour cream into pan drippings, whisking until smooth.

Pour over steaks and serve. Makes 4 servings.

Chicken Fried Steak

How to make Chicken Fried Steak Recipe - In the West where steak was abundant and chickens were scarce, this was an economical and popular way to prepare round steak or minute steak. This is sometimes called Texas-fried steak. The meat is rolled in flour or crumbs, fried and eaten like chicken.

Ingredients:
1 cup dry bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
8 thin slices round steak or minute steak (1 pound)
1 large egg, beaten
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup water or milk
Additional salt and freshly ground pepper (optional)

Method:
On a plate, mix bread crumbs with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Dip beef into beaten egg, then into bread crumbs.

In a heavy skillet, heat oil. Add meat. Brown over low heat 10 to 15 minutes on each side. Place on a warm platter; keep hot.

To make gravy, add flour to pan drippings.

Stir over medium heat until light brown. With a whisk, stir in water or milk until it thickens into gravy. Add more liquid if too thick. If desired, add salt and pepper to taste.

Return steaks to pan. Simmer until ready to serve. Makes 4 servings.