Food and memories.

Chicken fried steak brought me back to the early 80s, the road, and Gino.

Food And Memories

I was thinking about back in the early 80s. Some of you know… some of you don’t know.

I used to be in a band at that time called Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five.

I was one of the five.

Recently, one of the members of the group passed away. When I say member, I mean family. You could be a roadie, manager, sound guy, if you were on multiple tours with us you were a member and family.

Gino was one of the roadies, but much more than that. He was a personal assistant, valet, roadie, lighting guy, a friend, and even filled in if someone missed the plane.

With a quick yell calling his name, GINO! You turn around, and he was right behind you lol.

No matter what you needed, he had a knack for getting it done.

So his passing reminded me of all the crazy shit that happened, and he would just look at me and laugh and say I was crazy. We had so many stories to laugh about.

RIP Eugene “Gino” Morris.

The Chicken Fried Steak Tour

We were doing a world tour on the southern part of the United States leg of the tour, mostly arenas, which I called the chicken fried steak tour.

I had never eaten or seen chicken fried steak till then. I had no idea what it was! But there it was in every diner and local restaurant from Texas to Kentucky to Atlanta…

Chicken fried steak!

Was it a chicken flattened out like a steak and then fried?

No, it’s not chicken fried chicken. It is a piece of beef flattened out with a meat tenderizer, coated in seasoned flour, and fried crispy.

Sometimes it is also called milk steak or country fried steak, depending on the gravy.

What Was On The Plate

  • Chicken fried steak
  • Peppery milk gravy
  • Mashed potatoes
  • No biscuits, yes I know

So again, using one portion of meat, I was able to stretch it for three people.

The gravy was made with some of the oil from frying the steak. We made a roux by adding flour slowly, then we added pepper, a little leftover chicken stock, and then the milk. More salt and pepper to taste.

So this was my first time making it. Surprisingly easy to make. It turned out crispy and tender, the gravy had the right amount of pepperiness, and it was so perfect on the mash. The mash just soaked up the gravy and added another flavor dimension.

No, I did not make biscuits. Thanks for pointing that out, southern people.

To be truthful, I didn’t want to take all the pots and trays out of the oven. I was cooking solo while Jesse and Kitty were playing Beat Saber in VR.

One Cool Trick

One cool trick I figured out…

After you pound the meat thin, you can get it thinner by kneading it with the palm of your hands like dough, pressing the flour into the meat at the same time.