Bob Hart's chicken fried steak

American regional food, especially eaten in roadside establishments while you are travelling around the US, is special � far superior, in my view, to anything we can offer. Try it: drive from Melbourne to Sydney, say, and try to eat as you go. It could cost you your life. But drive, as I did recently, from Denver, Colorado to Santa Fe, New Mexico, and you will encounter a range of delicious, quirky foods � much of it highly traditional. Like, for example, one of my favourite southern classics: chicken fried steak.

The name is confusing, obviously. There are no chicken products involved in the dish, which is a piece of steak � usually a vigorously-tenderised (beaten) cheaper cut � which is cooked like a piece of fried chicken. It is then served with a white gravy. It is a dish that emerged from tough economic times, which may explain its new-found popularity. Here�s how it�s done:

Warm an oven and position a baking tray with a rack inside. Then, mix 2 tsp sweet paprika, a few grinds of pepper and a generous pinch or two of salt into 2 cups plain flour on a large, serving plate. In a bowl, whisk together 1 cup buttermilk, 1 tsp Tabasco and an egg.

Buy four 150 � 200g steaks � cheaper cuts are ideal. Tenderise by beating each with a tenderising mallet to a thickness of less than 1cm. Dredge each steak in the seasoned flour, then in the buttermilk, then again in the flour. Shake off excess.

Pour canola (or similar) oil into a pan (cast iron is ideal, but any heavy pan will do) to a depth of a bit more than 1cm. Heat until fairly hot (160C) and fry the steaks, two at a time, turning just once, for a total of about 6 minutes. Place in the oven to keep warm while you prepare the �white gravy�.

Melt 2 tbs butter in a pot over medium-high heat, whiskin 3 tbs plain flour and cook for 1-2 min. Whisk in 2 cups milk and cook until thick. Season generously with Taqasco, salt and pepper, and serve over steaks.

God bless America. (Chicken fried steaks also make great hot sandwiches, and if you choose to finish them with ketchup rather than white gravy, I will fully understand.)