Snow Day Swiss Steak

Here in the Mid-South the average high temperature in mid-January is supposed to be around 50 degrees F (low temps hover near freezing). But Mother Nature must have let Snow Miser have his way in Southtown. Average highs for the past five days range from 37 to 13 degrees F, with lows looming around 3 to 12 degrees F. Brrr…is all I can say. For all of my friends and family in Northtown where snow and cold are the norm this time of the year, yes, I’m officially wussified. Regardless of where we’re at, or what the winter temps are, a hearty dish I’ve long forgotten about (but recently remembered) is Swiss Steak.

Akin to chicken fried steak and cream gravy, Swiss Steak does not come from Switzerland. (Although the name exudes thoughts of Heidi with her goats and Alpine horn tooting yodelers.) “Swissing” is a British term for pounding out tough cuts of beef like rump roast or shoulder steak. Recipes for Swiss Steak began springing up around the ’20 in the U.S., but didn’t fully immigrate to kitchens until after WWII when frugal housewives used cheaper cuts of cube steak to stretch Sunday suppers. A tomato and beef broth based gravy thickened with cornstarch rounded out the heartiness of this comfort food.

Mom made Swiss Steak often when I was a kid. Pop’s go-to meal using cube steak was chicken fried steak and milk gravy, but Swiss Steak always seemed a healthier alternative to Mom. The basis of both are flour dredged cuts of cube steak fried to a golden brown in an oil–bacon grease works hog-tastically! Onion, celery, garlic, mushrooms, diced tomatoes and beef broth are the foundation of Swiss Steak’s hearty gravy, which the browned steak takes a hot tub bath in.

After a 1-1/2 to 2 hour stay in the oven, thicken the sauce slightly with a cornstarch-water slurry. Then serve over creamy mashed potatoes, egg noodles or your favorite flavor of rice. (Red wine is optional.)

Snow Day Swiss Steak

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Hearty, flavorful and oh so filling!  Tenderized cube steak makes this meal affordable, and is amped up with a succulent sauce of tomatoes, vegetables, and seasonings.  Serve with a side of creamy mashed potatoes to warm up on a snowy night.

• Author: Erin Thomas
• Prep Time: 20 Minutes
• Cook Time: 90 Minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
• Yield: About 4–6 Servings 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

1/4 c. oil–olive, vegetable, etc.

1/4 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt (Kosher, sea or table)

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

1 tsp. garlic powder

1–1/2 to 2 pounds cube steak, cut into serving sized pieces

4 shallots or 1 onion, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

1 bell pepper, cut into thin strips about 1” long

2–8 ounce cans sliced mushrooms

4 cloves garlic, minced

4 tbsp. tomato paste

1–15 oz. can diced tomatoes (or 1 pint home-canned tomatoes), with juice

2 c. beef broth

1 tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce (We like Bear & Burton’s W Sauce!)

1 tsp. dried thyme

1 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. celery seed

2 tbsp. water + 2 tbsp. cornstarch

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  In a Dutch Oven, over medium-high, heat oil.  Place flour, salt, black pepper and garlic powder in a zip-top bag and shake.  Put 1-2 pieces of cube steak into flour mixture and shake to evenly coat. Remove excess flour by lightly tapping steak on side of bag.  Place floured meat into heated oil.   Brown meat on both sides, about 2-3 minutes per side, and remove to a plate.

Reduce temperature to medium heat.  Add shallot or onion, celery, bell pepper and mushrooms to Dutch Oven, adding additional oil if pan seems dry (about 1 tbsp.).  Stir and cook until veg softens slightly.  Add garlic and tomato paste.  Stir and cook for 1-2 minutes.

Stir in diced tomatoes, beef broth, Worcestershire, thyme, sugar and celery seed.  Bring to a boil.  Add browned meat to sauce, making sure each piece is covered completely.   Cover Dutch Oven and put in preheated oven for 1-1/2 to 2 hours.

Remove Dutch Oven from oven and bring contents to a boil over medium heat on the stove.  Stir water and cornstarch together in a small bowl.  Stir into tomato gravy until thickened.   Serve Swiss Steak over mashed potatoes*, egg noodles or rice with gravy.

Notes

*The Hubby loves to make mashed potatoes luxurious.  Peel, cube and boil about 1 pound of potatoes until fork tender.  Drain water and mash with a hand-masher.  Add 1-8 oz. block of room temperature and cubed cream cheese to potatoes.  Add 1 stick of room temperature and cubed unsalted butter to potatoes.  Season to taste with salt, pepper and dried chives.