Swiss steak and tomato gravy.

[HarleyDog]

My wife was telling me about a dish (titled above) her mother used to make when she was younger and that she hasn't had it in several years. So I thought, hey, that's a hint? So, I started looking at several recipes online. Most of them called for a dutch oven. I didn't even know what that was until I googled it today, seriously? So anyway, I went to the store to get swiss steak and there was none, so I went with bottom round (Not that I know meat, it was a suggestion on many as a substitute so I went with it). I cut up 2lbs into about 4x4 slices, 1/2in thick. Salt and peppered both sides and then coated them with flower on both sides as well. 

I put vegetable oil (I like olive oil better but, all recipes called for vegetable oil) in the skillet and cooked the meat for 2 minutes on each side and then put on a plate. Then added onions, celery and 3 cloves of garlic (recipe only called for 2 but I love garlic) in the same pan. Sauteed for a couple minutes, then added a tablespoon of tomato paste and then stirred. Then added fire cooked diced tomatoes to the mix along with some spices, beef broth, a tiny bit of liquid smoke and red hot. I think the spices it called for was oregano and paprika.

Since I didn't have a dutch oven, I put the meat in a crock-pot and then poured the contents from the pan over the top of the meat. Gonna cook on high for about 2 hours. Looks amazing thus-far, but I wish I would have added a little flour to the pan to thicken the gravy. Its a little runny, but maybe it will thicken in the crock-pot. Going to serve it over mashed potatoes.

When she first explained what her mother made to me I thought in my head, "Gross!" However, after reading about it in several recipes, I loved everything in the ingredients and the pictures looked amazing. We shall see how this goes. 

[SunsetBengal]

Sounds great, Harley. Let us know how your wife like's it.

My wife loves it when I make cubed steak and gravy, the way my Grandma taught me how to make it.

Oh, about your runny gravy? You can retro-fix that, pretty easily. Just dissolve a teaspoon of corn starch in about 1/3 cup of HOT water, use a fork to whisk it well. Make sure it's fully dissolved, and add to your hot crock pot and stir it in.

[HarleyDog]

(02-18-2018, 05:41 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: Sounds great, Harley.  Let us know how your wife like's it.

My wife loves it when I make cubed steak and gravy, the way my Grandma taught me how to make it.

Oh, about your runny gravy?  You can retro-fix that, pretty easily.  Just dissolve a teaspoon of corn starch in about 1/3 cup of HOT water, use a fork to whisk it well.  Make sure it's fully dissolved, and add to your hot crock pot and stir it in.

Really? Nice. So it will thicken it up? Good lord, this is amazing. Hope I have some corn starch.

[samhain]

(02-18-2018, 05:41 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: Sounds great, Harley.  Let us know how your wife like's it.

My wife loves it when I make cubed steak and gravy, the way my Grandma taught me how to make it.

Oh, about your runny gravy?  You can retro-fix that, pretty easily.  Just dissolve a teaspoon of corn starch in about 1/3 cup of HOT water, use a fork to whisk it well.  Make sure it's fully dissolved, and add to your hot crock pot and stir it in.

Swiss steak is one of those things that's kind of like meatloaf.  When I was a kid, I hated nights when we had it for dinner.  Now that I'm older, I love them both.  Strange how things like that go.

[HarleyDog]

(02-18-2018, 05:43 PM)samhain Wrote: Swiss steak is one of those things that's kind of like meatloaf.  When I was a kid, I hated nights when we had it for dinner.  Now that I'm older, I love them both.  Strange how things like that go.

[SunsetBengal]

(02-18-2018, 05:43 PM)HarleyDog Wrote: Really? Nice. So it will thicken it up? Good lord, this is amazing. Hope I have some corn starch.

One last tip.  You might want to turn the crock down to low, after the first 45 minutes or so.  If you cook it on high the whole time, the steak might toughen up.  (I'm assuming that you want it tender, and able to be cut with a fork, right?)

[HarleyDog]

(02-18-2018, 05:53 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: One last tip.  You might want to turn the crock down to low, after the first 45 minutes or so.  If you cook it on high the whole time, the steak might toughen up.  (I'm assuming that you want it tender, and able to be cut with a fork, right?)

Thanks for the tip. It did thicken the gravy. I think I put too much vegetable oil in the pan at first at the very beginning. Once it was done cooking there was a thin layer of grease or oil on top, but it was still very good. I did learn 1 thing about this dish that will be good to know going forward. It was good at first, but once cooled and reheated later it was much more flavorful. Kinda like chili is better the day after once giving all the ingredients time to come together.

[fredtoast]

(02-18-2018, 05:41 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: Just dissolve a teaspoon of corn starch in about 1/3 cup of HOT water,

Corn starch dissolves much better in cold water.

[*Go Cards*]

(02-20-2018, 11:51 AM)fredtoast Wrote: Corn starch dissolves much better in cold water.

Swiss steak that my Granny made is not sold in store as swiss steak. 

It was a thick cut of round steak that you have to have butcher run through tenderizer behind counter to turn into the cut. 

They do this free of charge. 

After the thick cut is run through the tenderizer you will have your half inch thick pieces. 

Hers had brown gravy instead of tomato base but both are probably delicious. 

There is or was a restaurant in Middletown called Dad's that tastes about like my Granny's but obviously not quite as good as hers though.    Only place I have seen it. 

Love it and one of my favs but rarely have it.  

[*Go Cards*]

Trying to go to Ohio on Saturday (have not been in a while) and am going to have to go by that restaurant now if it is still there.

My chili dog stand (the old A&W) in Post Town is seasonal and will be closed so thanks for reminding me of this.

No dish reminds me more of my Grandmother than swiss steak and homemade blackberry pie.

Thanks for the memories.