Made Mountain Oysters (Calf Fries) last night...

[KarenN]

for my sis and her husband - they loved them! LOL Their 11 yo son however thought he was going to be sick, even though his cousins (my boys) love them. Thought I'd share how I made them last night....

Had a few "fries" in the freezer from the last time we helped at a ranch, don't know where you'd get them otherwise!

Remove outer membrane and slice in thin pieces. Dipped them in sourdough starter, then in seasoned flour (creole seasoning, greek seasoning or lemon pepper all work well) and fried them in hot oil till golden. This was the first time I tried the sourdough starter rather than egg and milk and they were awesome!

I also use the sourdough starter for chicken fried steak - YUM!

[Chrisnstar]

Yeah, I'll bet what people really like is the crunchy outside fried coating, kinda like eating lutefisk. I mean, who REALLy eats fish cured in lye? You eat it for the butter you dip it in.

chris

[KarenN]

HEY! I resemble that remark! LOL

I like lutefisk, and krub, too!

[janepain]

OK - what the heck is sourdough starter - and just how do you make chicken-fried steak? I've always wanted to try making that.

BTW - I don't think I'd like the mountain oysters, either!!!

[Chrisnstar]

Oh, now sourdough is good stuff! You can buy starter packets at speciality food stores, or you can make your own with some flour, water, sugar and yeast. Let it bubble for days until if ferments!

You use it in place of yeast in baking. If you take a cup of starter out for a recipe, you add back enough flour and water to make up what you took out. I kept a starter going for 11 years once!

chirs

[KarenN]

And the longer you can keep it going the better! Mine is only a few months old right now. I go through phases of using it, then letting it sit too long, throwing it out and starting a new one to use for awhile. I think the longest I've kept one going is about three years.

Here's a starter....

1-1/2 cups lukewarm milk
1 package active dry yeast
1 tbls sugar (more or less to taste, or use honey)
2 cups unbleached white flour
1/4 cup water

1. To prepare the starter, place the milk in a mixing bowl. (I use stoneware - never metal)

2. Sprinkle the yeast over the milk.

3. Whisk in the sugar and 1-1/2 cups of the flour.

4. Cover with a clean towel and let sit at room temperature (72 to 76 degrees F.) for 72 hours (3 days).

5. After 72 hours, stir in the 1/4 cup water and whisk in the remaining 1/2 cup flour.

6. Cover again and let sit at room temperature for 2 hours; the mixture should be bubbly and have a sour, tangy aroma and taste.

7. Remove the amount of starter the recipe calls for and set aside.

8. Transfer the remaining starter to a sterile' glass jar or crock and replenish it by mixing in 1 cup water or milk and 1 cup flour. Cover tightly and store in the refrigerator. Each time you use it for a recipe add back the 1 cup flour and 1 cup liquid.

SourDough Pancakes:

The night before you serve them, mix one cup starter, two cups flour and two cups milk - let sit at room temp overnight.

In the morning add 2 eggs, 1/4 cup sugar, 2 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt.

Make like regular pancakes and serve with real maple syrup and you will the HERO!

I also make sourdough biscuits, bread, you name it!

For the chicken fried steaks - I used minute steaks, dipped them in starter then dredged them in seasoned flour and fried them till golden in a little butter and olive oil. Make gravy from the drippings and serve with mashed potatos and your favorite green veggie and salad - another meal that will make you a hero

[Marci]

OK you are making breakfast! Those sound delicious.