Chicken Fried Steak (South, Southwest)

When I was selected to attend the Transatlantic Network 2020, aka  (TN2020) an international summit to discuss the relationship between North American and our friends in Western Europe, I was thrilled about the prospect of meeting other young professionals who care about the direction of their respective nations as much as I care about my country.  Considering the bizarre twists and turns of this election season, now is the best time for us to come together for a little global family therapy.  So, I'm super excited to head off to Belfast today and take part of what will be a lively and thoughtful conversation.

What I'm not looking forward to is the multiple flights I am embarking on today.  Surprisingly, there are no direct flights from Oklahoma City to Belfast, so I decided to devote the next few blog posts to the regions where I will fly through on my way to Europe.  Leg 1: Oklahoma City to Houston.  Leg 2: Houston to Newark.  Leg 3: Newark to Belfast.  All full flights, and a few babys here and there.

In honor of my new home Oklahoma City, may I share the sheer beauty and decadence of a chicken fried steak, which is one of nearly a dozen items which comprise Oklahoma's official state meal.  Chicken fried steak's origins most likely lie with German immigrants who brought recipes for weiner schnitzel to their new home in the 19th century.  Traditional weiner shcnitzel features a lean veal cutlet, lightly breaded and fried until golden brown.  Due to the relative thriftiness of steak in the Southwest, chicken-fried steak probably became the food of choice of the immigrants who longed for the taste of home.

Chicken fried steak is so ubiquitous in Oklahoma, that fast food restaurants like the local favorite Braum's, del Rancho, and Coit's all offer chicken fried steak sandwiches alongside burgers and fries.  In order to really get a good chicken-friend steak going you have to beat the hell out of a lean slice of steak.  After the steak is beaten within an inch of its life, it's dredged in some egg-milk wash and bread crumbs, then fried.  If you want to reduce the heart attack factor on this one, you can use lean cuts, batter them in more crumbs than egg, and place them on a rack to bake them until crunchy.  If you want to make something crispy in the oven, your best bet is to cook it on an oven safe rack sprayed with some olive oil.  It helps keeping your food from sticking to the pans and losing the breading.

Alright folks, that's all I have for you now.  Next stop: Houston.  Belfast or bust.

Happy Eating!