Bringing the cowboy spirit to the kitchen

Buttermilk-fried Chicken

Soaking chicken in buttermilk is the best way I know to compete with the "Colonel." Buttermilk tenderizes and fluffs up the chicken. Oven-fry or classic-fry in a cast-iron Dutch oven -- both ways work well, especially if you're preparing large batches. However, the original frying method is pretty well unbeatable. This is great chicken, even cold as picnic fare.

In large bowl, cover chicken with buttermilk and 2 teaspoons salt. Refrigerate few hours or overnight.

Drain.

To oven-fry, line large baking sheet with wire rack or parchment paper.

In large plastic food bag, mix together salt to taste, flour, cornmeal, garlic powder, pepper, celery salt, sage, Old Bay seasoning, curry powder and hot red pepper. Shake chicken pieces, few at a time, in heavy lastic food bag to coat. Place chicken on rack. Repeat process of coating once more.

Bake at 400 degrees until chicken is well browned, about 45 minutes.

To fry, heat generous quantity of half oil and half shortening in large cast-iron skillet. Fat should reach halfway up side of pan (deep-sided cast-iron skillet or chicken fryer). Heat to 375 to 385 degrees.

Fry couple of pieces at a time. Reduce heat so that chicken fries briskly but not so fast that it burns. Turn once. Each piece should take about 8 minutes to cook (4 minutes per side). Keep warm in oven at 300 degrees or serve chilled.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Cream Gravy for Fried Chicken

Melt butter in small saucepan. Stir in flour and cook until browned slightly, 1 1/2 minutes (mixture will be crumbly). Over medium heat, stir in warm chicken stock, whisking constantly to thicken mixture and avoid lumps. Lower heat and stir in half and half, salt and pepper to taste, sage and Kitchen Bouquet. Adjust seasonings to taste. Serve with chicken.

Makes about 1 1/4 cups.

Stampede Chili

Texans make a face if you mention tomatoes or beans when it comes to chili. Cincinnati aficionados add cinnamon to theirs and the chili often appears atop spaghetti. Californians, well, Californians do what they like: beans, tofu, chocolate. Here's my version of a ``bowl of red'' -- it is quite garlicky. This is more special if you round up some rustic ceramic bowls and furnish all the fixins'. Don't forget to include corn bread or tortillas.

Garnishes: sour cream, shredded Colby or Cheddar cheese, minced jalapeno chiles, minced fresh cilantro, parsley, shredded lettuce, finely chopped black olives, sun-dried tomatoes and steamed basmati rice, corn bread or tortillas

In large Dutch oven, saute meat in oil, 2 to 3 minutes, breaking up pieces with wooden spoon. Drain off oil and move meat to side. Add garlic and onion and saute until softened, 2 minutes. Add beef stock, wine, vinegar, cayenne, chili powder, salt, pepper, oregano, sage, sugar, bay leaf, sun-dried tomatoes, cumin, canned tomatoes, tomato paste and beans. Simmer until meat is fully cooked and flavors meld, 45 to 90 minutes. Adjust seasonings to taste. Discard bay leaf.

Serve in ceramic bowls with choice of garnishes on side: sour cream, shredded cheese, chiles, fresh herbs, lettuce, olives, tomatoes, rice, and side of corn bread or tortillas.

Makes 8 generous servings.

Chicken-fried Steak

This is the trademark Western way of tenderizing a tough steak. Kind of like a schnitzel with a Rio Grande spin.

Steak:

Gravy:

To prepare Steak, cut meat into 4-ounce serving sizes. Pound with meat tenderizer mallet between parchment or wax paper to flatten slightly.

Beat eggs with milk. Mix flour with salt and pepper. Dip steak in flour mixture, then milk mixture, then back to flour. Fry in hot oil until browned on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

To prepare Gravy, heat oil in same skillet after draining most of oil. Reduce heat. Off heat, whisk in flour, then stir in milk. Return to heat and whisk until thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add few drops of gravy browning. Serve with steak.

Makes 3 to 4 servings.

Calico Salad

This colorful salad is as sunny as the Southwest and serves up grains and legumes in a delightful way.

Toss together beans, corn, red pepper and rice in large bowl.

Whisk together lemon juice, salt, garlic, sugar, pepper, cumin, coriander and oil.

Toss with vegetables. Garnish with minced cilantro and parsley.

Makes 4 to 5 servings.

Buttery Angel Biscuits

A basket of these, fresh and hot, is just the thing to serve with a chicken and corn-on-the-cob supper. These are tender and flaky and awe-inspiring. They can be made on a gas barbecue, too, or over a campfire.

In large bowl, stir together 2 1/2 cups flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda and sugar. Cut butter and shortening into dry ingredients until crumbly and well distributed.

In small bowl, sprinkle yeast over warm water and stir briefly. Set aside about 5 minutes to dissolve and swell.

Add warm buttermilk to dry ingredients, then dissolved yeast mixture. Toss with fork to blend and moisten, creating ragged mass. Turn out onto lightly floured board and knead gently to make soft dough, 8 to 10 seconds. Cover bowl with tea towel and let stand 10 minutes.

Roll dough out to thickness of 3/4 to 1 inch and about 6 to 8 by 6 to 8 inches. Cut into 8 to 10, 2 1/2 to 3 inch round biscuits. Arrange in seasoned 9 or 10 inch cast iron skillet or lightly greased 10 inch square or round baking pan. Cover with clean tea towel 20 to 30 minutes.

Dust biscuit tops lightly with flour. Bake at 425 degrees until lightly golden, 12 to 15 minutes.

Makes 8 to 10 biscuits.

Note: To bake on outdoor gas barbecue, preheat grill to medium and use cast-iron skillet. Place some terra cotta tiles on grill, and when grill is properly preheated set skillet on top and close grill cover. Bake 11 to 14 minutes until golden.

Fried Dough

Fresh from the fryer, these are the next best thing to being at a country fair. A bread machine does a great job with this recipe.

In large mixing bowl, stir together yeast, warm water and pinch sugar. Let stand 5 minutes to let yeast dissolve and swell.

Stir in 1/3 cup sugar, milk, vanilla, eggs, oil, salt and most of flour to make soft dough. Knead 5 to 8 minutes (by hand or with dough hook), adding flour as needed to form firm, smooth, elastic dough.

Place in greased bowl. Place bowl in plastic food bag and seal. (If not using right away, refrigerate dough). Let rise in covered, lightly greased bowl, 30 to 40 minutes. Gently deflate dough, (if dough has been refrigerated, allow to warm up about 40 minutes before proceeding).

Pinch off golfball-sized piece of dough. Roll out into 5-inch oval and let stand, covered, with tea towel while preparing remaining dough. Let dough rounds stand 20 to 30 minutes.

Heat about 4 inches oil in fryer (wok works best but you can use Dutch oven or whatever you usually use for frying) to 385 degrees. Toss in tiny bit of dough. It should sizzle and swell immediately.

Add dough to hot oil, 1 or 2 at time, stretching ovals out bit to thin and enlarge just before frying. Turn once when undersides are deep brown. Lift finished pieces out with tongs and drain on paper towels.

Fill large bowl with 1 to 2 cups granulated sugar (add little ground cinnamon, if desired). Toss fried dough in sugar and shake off excess. Also good served with 1 dollop of jam or apple pie filling.

Makes 2 to 3 dozen, depending on size.