FOOD ON THE TABLE #2

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(Chicken Fried – Zac Brown Band)

Southern Meal #2

Chicken Fried Steak with Country Gravy, Fried Okra, and Sautéed Greens.

Why is it called chicken fried steak when it’s not chicken?

Sounded crazy to me. Of course I googled it and found this online. “The recipe doesn’t contain any chicken, but it is so-named because the cooking method is similar to that of pan-fried chicken breast cutlets.”

My recipe said to use cube steak. Cube steak is a cut of beef, usually top round or top sirloin, tenderized and flattened by pounding with a meat tenderizer. The name refers to the shape of the indentations left by that process.

Okra or okro known in many English-speaking countries as ladies’ fingers or ochro, is a flowering plant in the mallow family. It is valued for its edible green seed pods.

Okra presents a host of benefits.

  • Okra aids in digestion
  • Okra is high in vitamin C that can boost immune system strength
  • Okra can help strengthen vision and protect against cataracts
  • Okra is a great source of fibre

Ok then. Off to prepare tonight’s meal.

After searching Pinterest (my go-to place for online recipes) a few days ago and purchasing the ingredients, I was ready. Have I mentioned how expensive groceries are here? The same price or more than at home plus then there’s the exchange rate. Oh well, what can you do.

Let me state,”I am not a relaxed cook.” And trying new recipes does not help. I do my best.

The meal tasted good. Neither of us had ever had okra before and we both enjoyed it. The steak was tasty and tender. Of course my presentation did not look like the recipe pictures but then that’s usually the way. That could also be related to the fact that I could not, in good health conscience, use the amount of required oil. The okra recipe called for cooking it in 6 cups of oil. Really? Good lord. I felt guilty using 1cup. I’m sceptical as to whether the benefits of okra apply when it’s deep fried. Thoughts?

Even though the meal tasted good I couldn’t eat this often, maybe only once a year. A lot of fried food and we don’t eat gravy. Can my arteries clog from one fried meal? Hope not. (Thank goodness I went on a bike ride this morning.)

Nite y’all😴

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Published by Debi

With retirement comes the opportunity for new experiences. Debi has a passion for music, singing, theatre, and travel. With her BMEd and MEd she had an extensive career which included elementary music education, performing, vocal instruction, choral conducting, musical theatre directing, and clinician work. She has, for the most part, retired from this very successful music career. But really, does one ever retire from music? I think not. So now the stage is set for the next act: interweaving her love for music, travel, and whatever else comes her way. Wherever her travels take her Debi shares her exploits: musical adventures, local interests, historical sites, local cuisine, the journey there and back, plus whatever life sends her. She'll share the hits and the misses, the successes and the failures, as well as any helpful hints she discovers along the way.

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5 thoughts on “FOOD ON THE TABLE #2”

  1. Oh Febi, I can hear you talking! I never enjoyed southern cooking and had to choose amongst all the “unknown” dishes whenever I went south. I finally just focused on seafood, not the local faves. You can’t go wrong. I would love to be south but after a traumatic drive home from Florida I vowed not to go back until 45 was ousted from the Presidency. They have tried to convince me…my home base is New Smyrna in Florida, but not yet. Maybe soon…my good Florida friends try to convince me but at the same time…they are secretly planning how they can move to Canada!!!

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  2. That seems like a lot of oil to cook Orka ……….glad you were able to go for a bike ride afterwards! Love reading your posts, Debi…… keep them coming.😘

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