Some days I feel like cooking a gourmet dinner. Other days all I want is a big old salad with meat and cheese and a horribly caloric dressing. Oh, and don’t forget the croutons. Then, there are the times like a couple of days ago when all I wanted was a savory and comforting dish that went well with potatoes.  Kind of a modified meat and potatoes day.

So I thought of Swiss steak. And sure enough I have a couple of great recipes for Swiss steak on this site that I always enjoy. (Swiss Steak with Mushrooms and Swiss Steak with Cheddar Cheese Polenta.) But I didn’t happen to have any fresh mushrooms on hand, and I had two lovely Yukon Gold potatoes I really needed to use before the peels turned green and the potatoes started to think about reproducing themselves. (Sprouting.) So cheddar cheese polenta was out. And of course, I’m always game to try new and interesting looking recipes. So to the internet I proceeded.

And I found the bones for this recipe on the tasteandtellblog.com site. I changed the ingredients somewhat and the manner in which the meat was cooked, then proceeded from there. I simply turned a stove top recipe into an oven braise. Let me explain.

First of all, I like to braise meat. Braising is a combination cooking method; combining the dry-heat method of searing the meat to begin with and then cooking the meat until tender with the moist heat of a long and gentle simmer in liquid. And frankly, whenever possible, I braise meat in the oven. (Stove top braises make more work for me because then I am always checking the pot, stirring the liquid, and even tasting the sauce.) So using the oven is definitely my preferred braising method.

Really, all you are doing in a braise, is taking a tough cut of meat, adding a few flavorful ingredients, and gently cooking the entire mess in liquid until all of the ingredients are magically transformed into a tender, succulent, delicious masterpiece. (I bet that got your attention! It even got my attention, and I wrote the darn sentence!)

Anyway, if you are in the mood for a savory, meaty, fairly inexpensive, and simple main dish to prepare, this might fit your bill. I know it certainly fit ours the other evening.

As always, keep counting your blessings, keep striving to keep your life and the lives of those around you interesting, and if you have an older neighbor who might be in need of a bit of cheer, be the one that makes it happen. Baking cookies? Take a few over. Making bread? Make a small loaf to share. Even a simple wave or “howdy neighbor” can mean a lot to someone who is unable to see family or friends during this pandemic. Think of ways to make life better for others. If nothing else, it takes your mind off yourself. Peace and love to all.    

1 lb. beef steak, cut into serving sized pieces (tough cuts work well for this recipe, like round steak or boneless chuck) 

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

½ onion, diced

1 stalk celery, thinly sliced

1 carrot, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 T. tomato paste

1 T. unbleached all-purpose flour

2 c. beef stock, or more as needed (I use water and Better Than Bouillon Beef Base)

1 sm. bay leaf

¼ tsp. dried thyme   

½ tsp. paprika

tiny pinch crushed red pepper flakes

1½ tsp. red wine vinegar

2 T. minced fresh Italian parsley

Season the meat generously with salt and pepper.

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a heavy covered pan. (This is a great time to use your cast iron Dutch oven.)  Add the seasoned beef and cook, flipping halfway through, until browned on both sides, 5-6 minutes. Remove the browned pieces to a container. Set aside.

Add the onion, celery, and carrot to the pan and continue to cook, stirring often, until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, then stir in the tomato paste. Add the flour and stir for a couple of minutes.

Slowly whisk in the beef stock. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly and scraping up all of the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the bay leaf, thyme, paprika, crushed red pepper flakes, and red wine vinegar. Return the beef to the skillet, along with any juices that have accumulated. The liquid does not have to cover the meat.

Cover the pan and place in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 90-120 minutes, or until the beef is fork tender. Check after 45 minutes to see if more liquid is required. (If anything, I err on the side of caution. When in doubt, I add more liquid. Can’t really hurt.) You might also want to taste the liquid at this point and adjust seasoning as required. Return to oven and braise the beef until the sauce has thickened (and is almost gone) and the beef is tender.

Remove from oven, discard the bay leaf, and serve sprinkled with the fresh parsley. 

Great served with mashed or oven roasted potatoes, rice, or buttered egg noodles.  

If you too have those days when all you want to do is get a decent dinner on the table with a minimum of effort and especially without a drive to your local grocery store, this dish is for you.

On a recent morning I took a package of ground beef out of the freezer without any real idea of what I was going to prepare that evening. It sat on my drain board for hours while I went about my daily routine, never giving it a second thought. So when it came time to actually do something with the meat, I decided to make a Salisbury steak. But what should go into a Salisbury steak? So I went on line and took ideas from several recipes and came up with this combination.

Now I really wanted to include mushrooms in this dish. But there was no way either Mr. C. or I were going to make a trip to the grocery store for fresh mushrooms. Plus I love dried mushrooms, so I decided to go that route. (And yes, I always have at least three types of dried mushrooms in my pantry.) They are just so delicious and always add just that gourmet touch to all kinds of savory dishes. Plus when you consider how often I don’t have fresh mushrooms around and would have to make a special trip to the store for them, I figure the savings on gas alone is justification for the money spent on the dried fungi. (Given enough provocation, I could probably justify spending money on almost any ingredient or tool in my kitchen. But I won’t bore you with any more of my personal idiosyncrasies.)

Suffice it to say, this dish was a hit at the Carr table. We both loved the tender and juicy beef patties and look forward to enjoying them again in the near future. And I’m sure that will happen soon. We always have ground beef in the freezer, and my interest in spending hours preparing dinner is waning. Could be my age, but I suspect it’s more my discovery of yet another great mystery writer. (I think my admitting to being an avid reader doesn’t fit the definition of a personal idiosyncrasy, so therefore acceptable to disclose.) Should you be interested, I just started reading Peter Robinson’s novels featuring Inspector Banks. (Thank you Stephany C. and Laurie Z. for the introduction.) And just like the books featuring Chief Inspector Armand Gamache by mystery writer Louise Penny, start with the first book in the series and enjoy both the individual stories and the character development throughout the series. But while you’re at it, stop long enough to whip up this dish and sit down to a down home dinner. Nothing is better than a warm, savory meat dish on a cold, rainy winter evening. Plus with your fellow diners happy and well fed you can get back to your book without a hint of contrition. And doesn’t that always feel wonderful! Peace and love (and good reading) to all.

• ¼ c. small pieces of dried mushrooms (your choice)
• ½ c. very hot water
• 1 T. Montreal Steak Seasoning
• 1 egg
• 3 tsp. Worcestershire sauce, divided
• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• 1 T. extra virgin olive oil
• 2 T. unsalted butter
• ½ med. onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 T. flour
• 2 c. beef broth
• 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
• ½ tsp. Kitchen Bouquet*, opt.  

Place the dried mushroom pieces in a bowl with the hot water. Set aside. Drain off the water before using in the gravy. Retain the water however. It can be used if required to thin out the gravy. Whisk the Montreal Seasoning, egg, and 1 teaspoon of the Worcestershire sauce together in a bowl. Gentle stir in the ground beef until just combined. Don’t over mix.

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan. Divide the meat mixture into 4 patties. Don’t press the meat together. Just shape it gently. Place the patties in the frying pan and cook the first side until nicely browned. Flip and brown the second side. Remove patties from pan and place on a plate. (The inside will still be raw.)

Add the chopped onion to the fry pan and cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the butter and garlic to the pan; cook for one minute. Whisk in the flour and cook for a minute before carefully adding the beef broth. When the gravy is smooth, stir in the Dijon mustard, Kitchen Bouquet, remaining 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, drained mushrooms, and a good bit of black pepper.

Add the beef patties and any remaining juice from the plate. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the gravy has thickened. If the gravy becomes too thick, add the mushroom water or a bit of plain water until desired thickness is achieved. Adjust seasoning. (Your gravy may need a bit of salt.)

Serve the Salisbury steaks topped with gravy. (The gravy is also wonderful on mashed potatoes.) Add a nice salad and/or a steamed veggie, and life is good!

*Kitchen Bouquet is a browning and seasoning sauce primarily composed of caramel with vegetable flavorings. It has been in use as a flavoring addition for gravies and other foods since approximately 1873. Though it’s typically used in meat dishes, it is entirely vegetarian, made from a base of carrots, cabbage, turnips, parsnips, celery, and onion. It’s also MSG-free. It is simply a bottled condiment sauce used as an ingredient in cooking, rather than as a table condiment. It is mostly used for its ability to add a dark brown color. It’s generically referred to as a “browning agent.”

I like dinners that I can prep ahead and require my oven to do the lions’ share of the work. And this is one of those delightful dishes that also happens to be delicious. And oh so reminiscent of my childhood. OK, maybe not the overall flavor of the dish. (My mom was not known for her culinary prowess.) But an inexpensive cut of beef braising in the oven for a couple of hours sure takes me back to the 50s.

Even though we often raised our own beef, there were no fancy steaks prepared in my mother’s kitchen. The entire butchered critter was either cut into roasts, stew meat, or ground into hamburger. And when I think back at what we could have been dining on, I just shake my head. After all, this was grass fed beef, with various grains and hay thrown in for good measure. And of course no growth hormones or anything like that. Just plain old well fed cows giving up their lives for our dining pleasure. (And yes I would be a vegetarian if I really stopped to think about it. But I’m too much of a carnivore to allow my conscience a say in the matter. Plus we still have organic beef in our freezer.) So back to this recipe.

I’ve been making a version of this dish for decades. But for whatever reason, I had yet to post this recipe on my blog. I’m feeling very badly about this major culinary faux pas because this is such a perfect recipe for even a beginner in the kitchen. No fancy ingredients, unless you consider cognac a non-essential la-di-da ingredient, which I absolutely do not! No fancy instructions. Just a bit of common sense and a willingness to allow your oven to work its magic while you kick back and read a good book while sipping on a lovely libation. And doesn’t that sound great!?!?

So grab some inexpensive beef, take that essential bottle of cognac or brandy off your pantry shelf, and fix yourself and your family an old standard. Serve the Swiss steak with some form of potato/rice/grain and a green salad or veggie on the side, and ring the dinner gong. Dinner is ready.

• 3 T. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 lb. round or boneless chuck steak, excess fat removed as much as possible – then cut into serving sized pieces 
• kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• ½ med. onion, chopped
• 6-8 mushrooms, thickly sliced
• 2 lg. garlic cloves, finely minced
• ¼ tsp. dried thyme
• ¼ c. cognac or brandy
• ½ c. beef broth  
• 4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 2 tsp. tomato paste
• 1 (14-oz.) can diced tomatoes, (Italian if possible)
• 2 T. chopped fresh parsley

Heat the olive oil in a large covered Dutch oven or heavy pan. Liberally salt and pepper the steaks and fry them on each side until nicely browned. Remove from pan and set aside.

Add the onion and cook until softened. Add the mushrooms and cook for about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and dried thyme and cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat.

Pour in the cognac, place the pan over heat, and stir until no liquid remains. (This usually takes less than a minute.) Then stir in the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, tomato paste, and diced tomatoes. Add the browned steak pieces and any juices back to the pan. Bring sauce to a boil, remove from heat, cover, and place in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 1½ to 2 hours, or until the meat is very tender. (Check after an hour to make sure there is enough liquid. If liquid is required, add about a half cup of water.) Continue braising until the beef is tender.

When the beef is tender, remove the pan from oven. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Serve with mashed potatoes or our personal favorite, baked Yukon Gold potatoes. (The tomato gravy is amazing on either mashed potatoes or dolloped on a baked potato.)  A side of steamed green beans or a lovely salad is also wonderful with this dish.

In 2006 we visited Argentina. And I must say, the food in Buenos Aires was phenomenal! And the beef! OMG. Argentinian beef has deservedly earned a reputation for being some of the world’s best. It is incomparably tender and richly flavored, even though it’s rarely seasoned with anything but salt.

That’s all well and good if you happen to be grilling on your lanai in La Boca (a very picturesque Buenos Aires neighborhood) or Palermo (home to the arts, the city’s largest park, and magnificent mansions). But if you live on Camano Island and often buy your meat from the local IGA, your best bet is to add flavor by marinating the heck out of the meat before throwing it on the grill! Thus this recipe.

Now I don’t mean to say that you haven’t a snowballs chance in hell of coming close to what you would experience if you were sitting on the sidewalk of a Buenos Aires restaurant at 11:30 at night waiting for the tango orchestra to begin playing at say…12:30 am. (Not making this up folks, this is the reality of eating and listening in Buenos Aires.) Because this marinated flank steak is really, really tasty. And when topped with chimichurri sauce, well you are going to experience a lot of the taste you would be enjoying if you were dining in Argentina. As far as the tango orchestra part goes, well God gave us CDs for a reason! Love and happy grilling to all.

Marinade:

• ¼ c. extra virgin olive oil
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. granulated garlic
• pinch crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp. kosher salt, plus more added just before grilling
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1-1½ lb. flank steak, trimmed of all fat

Combine the olive oil, lime juice, chili powder, onion powder, granulated garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper in a container or large zip lock bag. Add the flank steak and chill for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours. (The longer the better.)

Remove from refrigerator 1 hour before grilling the steak. Set the grill to high heat. Carefully grease the grill with some oil. Once the grill is hot, add the steak. (Don’t forget that last bit of salt added just before placing the steak on the grill.) Cover and cook the steak until well browned, about 3 to 4 minutes, then flip and cook until desired doneness, about 3 to 4 minutes. Use a thermometer to make certain the temperature doesn’t surpass 125 degrees for a perfect medium rare steak. (If you cook flank steak until no pink is showing, it will be tough.) Remove the steak from the grill. Tent with aluminum foil for about 10 minutes before slicing very thinly against the grain and on a diagonal. Serve with the chimichurri sauce.

Chimichurri Sauce:

• ¾ c. finely chopped fresh parsley
• 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
• ¼ c. red wine vinegar
• ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes, or more to taste
• ¼ tsp. dried oregano
• ¾ tsp. kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• ½ c. extra virgin olive oil

Combine all ingredients well in a bowl or jar. Store in your refrigerator, but best served the same day as prepared. Bring to room temperature before serving.