I love me a coupon, so when I was at the market and came across this thin-cut chuck steak with a big-ole $2 off instant coupon slapped on top of it… well, that beef was what’s for dinner.
Now, how to cook it?
Chuck Roast o’ Love? No, I wasn’t in the mood.
Boardinghouse Steak? Mebbe, but that recipe needed some spicing up.
Then, I came across a recipe for Swiss Steak, which looked to me to have the same issue, spice-wise, as the Boardinghouse Steak.
But, hmmm….
Yep, it could work, with just a few tweaks.
INGREDIENTS
•1 cup Mischa’s Italian Dressing
•2 pounds round or chuck steak
•1/4 cup flour
•1 tsp Colman’s dry mustard
•1 tsp Seasoned Salt
•1/2 tsp Tellicherry pepper
•2 tbsp canola oil
•1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
•1 onion, diced (about 2 cups)
•2 jalapeños, sliced
•3 cups diced celery, including the leafy tops
•2 cups carrots, chopped
•2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
•1 cup good vegetable stock
•1 can, 14-1/2 oz, diced tomatoes
•1 tbsp sugar
•1/4 tsp thyme
•1 sprig fresh rosemary
•1 tsp dried red and green bell pepper
•1 tsp dried parsley
•1 tbsp cornstarch
•1 tbsp water
•1/4 cup ketchup
What? I said a few tweaks, not a few ingredients. You want good, you gotta put in the effort; and besides, it all comes together in one pot with not much effort other than chopping and measuring, so give it a shot.
Place the chuck steak in a bowl with the cup of Mischa’s (or any Italian dressing), flip to coat well, then cover and stash it in the fridge for a few hours. I did about 3.
Stir the flour together with the Colman’s, seasoned salt, and Tellicherry pepper in a flat bottomed bowl.
Remove the chuck steak from the marinade and dredge well in the seasoned flour (discard the remaining marinade).
Heat the canola oil in an oven-safe pan over a medium-high flame and brown the steak 3 minutes on each side. Remove to a platter, scrape up any crusty bits on the bottom of the pan and add the onion, celery, jalapeños, carrot, Sichuan peppercorns, and the garlic, then sauté for about 4 minutes, just until the veggies are nicely aromatic and the onions translucent.
Stir in the veggie stock, can of diced tomatoes, the thyme, rosemary, and parsley, and dried bell pepper, then add the steak.
Cover and pop into a 350º oven for about 90 minutes.
Remove the now nicely braised, tender, and tasty steak from the pot and keep warm in a covered dish.
Combine the water with the cornstarch, and add, along with the ketchup, to the tomato and veggie mixture in the pot.
Place over medium heat and simmer to thicken.
We had ours with tots, but the gravy would’ve worked a treat with egg noodles or rice as well, and for leftovers?
How about served on toasted Challah Rolls with a schmear of Pineapple Mustard and some freshly shaved Asiago cheese?
Nothin’ Swiss about THIS steak.