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By Jon Yonan The Washington Post If I had to pick one dish that defined my West Texas upbringing, it would be chicken-fried steak. It was the first real supper I learned how to make on my own, un - der the guidance of my good- ol'-boy stepdad, Vern, and it was a staple at restaurant visits for many years, even into my Austin college days. It's tempting for me to think "My, how I've changed," but, honestly, I haven't changed all that much. Okay, so I'm not flat - tening cube steak with a mallet anymore, among other shifts. But I still love the big flavors that go into dishes like CFS, and the hearty meal that results from pan-frying something and spooning gravy on top. I owe the idea for CFC (chicken-fried cauliflower) to chef Amanda Cohen at New York's Dirt Candy. She bathes hers in smoke first, while I tend to use smoked paprika or a chili powder to add that touch. And I use miso to do some of the same work the little meaty bits do in the original meat-focused recipe, deepening the flavor of mushrooms for a quick-to- the-table gravy. One disclaimer: I cannot, for the life of me, imagine serving this to Vern. I don't think he would appreciate it — or even if he did, I think he'd consider it an appetizer and hope the steak was on the way. But it's a moot point. After all, I'm not in West Texas anymore. Serve with mashed pota - toes and greens, if you like. Dinner Chicken-fried without the chicken Cauliflower takes on a peppery, crisp taste with a coating of flour CHICKEN-FRIED CAULIFLOWER WITH MISO-MUSHROOM GRAVY INGREDIENTS 4 servings 1 small (1 1/2 pounds) head cauliflower 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, plus more as needed 2 large eggs, lightly whisked 1/2 cup flour 1/2 teaspoon ancho chili powder Vegetable oil, for frying 8 ounces stemmed shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced 2 tablespoons white miso 2 tablespoons vegetable broth, plus more as needed DIRECTIONS Trim the core from the bottom of the cauliflower, but don't cut it fully from the florets. Cut the cauliflower in half and then each half into 1-inch-thick steaks. Set the slices (and any leover trimmed pieces) in a large skillet over medium heat and pour in 1/4 inch of water. Once the water starts to bubble, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and gently steam the cauliflower until it barely starts to feel tender when you pierce it with a fork, 5 to 7 minutes. Use a spatula to carefully transfer the cauliflower steaks and pieces to a plate to cool, sprinkle with the salt on both sides. Put the eggs and flour in separate shallow bowls or plates. Stir the chili powder into the flour along with a little more salt. Dip the cauliflower in egg on both sides, then coat in the flour mixture, using a spoon or your fingers to help cover the cauliflower as completely as possible. (If the cauli- flower steaks break up, just coat and fry the pieces.) Line a baking sheet with a few layers of paper towels, then seat a wire rack over it. Pour the water out of the skillet; return it to medium-high heat and pour in 1/4 inch of the oil. Once the oil starts to shimmer, gen- tly lay the cauliflower steaks and pieces in the skillet. Fry until they are golden brown and crisp, 2 or 3 minutes. Turn them over and repeat the cooking on the second side. Transfer them to the rack to drain. Pour off all but a scant teaspoon of the oil in the skillet, then return to medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until they collapse and start to brown, a few minutes. Whisk together the miso and broth in a cup until smooth, then stir that mixture into the mushrooms. Add broth as needed to create a pourable gravy, allowing it to heat through. Divide the cauliflower among individual plates. Spoon the mushroom gravy on top; serve hot. Nutrition Per serving: 150 calories, 9 g protein, 19 g carbohy- drates, 6 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 55 mg cholesterol, 660 mg sodium, 5 g dietary fiber, 6 g sugar The WAShIngTOn POST Chicken-Fried Cauliflower, from "eat Your Vegetables: Bold Recipes for the Single Cook." By Angel Huracha Correspondent Like coffee shops and bars, you'd be hard- pressed not to find a mod- erately inexpensive Chi- nese food restaurant in town. People love Chinese food and it has easily be - come a frontrunner in the eating-out market. Whether you're crav- ing chicken and broccoli, or something a bit more adventurous, Tong Fong Low on East 20th Street is the best Chinese spot in the city. A friend raved about this place and persuaded me to give it a try. I had also heard great things about the original loca - tion out in Oroville, which made me even more cu- rious. I've always had a soft spot in my heart for Chi- nese cuisine. I learned to appreciate it while living in the Big Apple. Most of my memories are a bit of a blur as they involve me stumbling home drunk at 4 in the morning and walking to the nearest Chinese takeout joint for orange chicken and rice. The restaurant had a reminiscent feeling of that time. Arriving at the door, the kind server greeted us with a smile and allowed us to choose anywhere of our liking to dine. My friend and I decided to sit at one of the booths near the windows. Immediately after tak - ing our seats we were handed menus along with ice water and an offer for hot tea. We declined and they quickly removed the tea cups. The atten - tive service can be over- whelming in a good way. I felt very respected, as if my business was very much appreciated. Which was a bit of a surprise be - cause from the looks of the packed restaurant, I'm sure they didn't need my help. While glancing at the menu I noticed there were 14 options for less than $8 during their lunch special hours. The special runs daily between the hours of 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and comes with your choice of steamed rice or pork friend rice. Some plates start as low as $5. Now I know what you're thinking. A lunch spe - cial? The portions might be small, right? I'm here to tell you that the gener- ous portions are enough to hold your appetite and even enough for a leftover box. I chose the Kung Pao chicken plate served with the pork fried rice ($6.25). Kung Pao is traditionally a seriously spicy dish. The menu also comes with a small pepper drawing to warn you. Growing up in a house - hold where my mom tested our levels of toler- ance constantly with spicy foods, I felt prepared. Un- fortunately, I did have to reach for my water once. My mother would be so disappointed. However, the spices and seasoned chicken taste more than made up for it. The rice was not un - dercooked and had small pieces of pork and eggs, which are two of my favor- ite things. It's really easy to be satisfied with fried rice as long as it's cooked right and has a nice taste. At the end of the meal we were given our bill and treated to fortune cookies. My fortune read, "Take no risk with your reputation." Never listen to your for - tune cookie. Be as bad as you wanna be. Angel Huracha is a Chico State University student. Each week he's asked to find a meal that costs no more than $8 (one hour at mini - mum wage) and then write about it. STArVinG STUDenT Tong Fong Low is great for a cheapskate FRAnk ReBeLO — enTeRPRISe-ReCORD Tong Fong Low restaurant in Chico offers at least 14 options for less than $8. Address: 2072 e. 20th St., Suite 100, Chico. Hours: Open daily, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Telephone: 530-898- 1388. Tong fong low "i felt very respected, as if my business was very much appreciated. " — Angel Huracha, Starving Student Bonnie S. Benwick The Washington Post In Italy, these are tradi- tionally made in March for St. Joseph's Day. Adapted from "A Lenten Cookbook for Catholics," by Angelo Stagnaro (Tau Publishing, 2013). ST. JOSEPH CREAM PUFFS (SFINGI DI SAN GIUSEPPE) 16 servings FOR THE SFINGI 1 cup flour 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup water 1/2 cup unsalted butter 4 large eggs 1 tablespoon sugar 1 tablespoon each finely grated orange, lemon zest FOR FILLING, ASSEMbLY 16 ounces fresh ricotta cheese 1 cup sugar 2-3 teaspoons almond extract 1 tablespoon rum (or 1 table- spoon rum extract) 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest 2 tablespoons mini semi- sweet chocolate chips 1/3 cup whole or low-fat milk, or as needed 16 maraschino cherries, drained, for garnish For the sfingi: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Use cooking oil spray to grease 16 muffin tin wells. Combine the flour and salt in a medium bowl. heat the water and butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Once it comes to a boil, add the flour mixture; immediately reduce the heat to medium- low and stir vigorously, scraping the sides and bot- tom of the saucepan, until the dough comes together in a cohesive ball that ap- pears fairly dry. Remove from the heat; cool for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occa- sionally. Add the eggs one at a time, thoroughly incorporating each one into the dough before adding the next. The dough will appear wet at first, but keep stirring, and it will absorb the egg. Fold in the sugar and the orange and lemon zests. Use a large spoon to portion the dough evenly among the 16 muffin pan wells. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until the sfingi are a light golden brown, then rotate the pan(s) front to back, reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and bake for about 30 minutes or until they are nicely puffed and golden brown. Turn out the sfingi onto a rack to cool completely. For the filling and assembly: Combine the ricotta, sugar, almond extract (to taste), rum, cinnamon, orange zest and chocolate chips in a mixing bowl. gradually stir in milk as needed to form a smooth but fairly firm filling. (Don't add too much, or the filling will be runny.) Slice the tops from the cooled sfingi. (Reserve the tops for a snack.) Spoon filling into each of the sfingi, mounding it slightly. Top with a maraschino cher- ry. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours and serve chilled. Ingredients are too variable for a meaningful analysis. Lent recipe: St. Joseph Cream Puffs from Italy I-5 at Liberal Avenue in Corning | 530 528-3500 | www.rollinghillscasino.com New Member Throughout the month of march All new members will receive $15 free slot play 2 Bud's BBQ 22825 Antelope Blvd. Red Bluff We seat 40 people inside M-F 11am-6pm Sat. 11am-3pm Closed Sunday (530) 528-0799 CATER COMPANY MEETINGS BBQ PORK ★ BEEF ★ CHICKEN Smog Check (MOST CARS & PICK-UPS) 527-9841 • 195 S. 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