Country-Style Swiss Steak

A Cooking Process that Makes Tough Cuts Tender

Aug 2, 2009 Melody Mundawarara

Misleadingly called Swiss Steak, this easy-to-make dish produces succulent meat from relatively tough cuts.

The name of this dish does not refer to Switzerland, but rather to the preparation process in which the meat, usually beef, is tenderized by means of rolling or pounding . In other words, swissing, is an old-fashioned term for tenderizing.

The swissed meat is then braised in a cooking pot, either on a stove (cooker) or in an oven. This is useful for cooking relatively tough cuts of meat. Most home cooks use cube steak for producing this dish. Cube steak has had the connective fibers that make the meat tough physically broken by the butcher passing it through a set of bladed rollers. The braising process further breaks down the connective tissue in the meat.

Country-Style Swiss Steak Recipe

Serves 8 to 12

Ingredients:

1 to 11/2 kg round steak or sirloin steak, pounded and tenderized using a meat mallet
500 g fresh tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 large onions, diced
2 green peppers, sliced
1 cup flour
1 cup beef stock
1 cup water
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt to taste
¼ to ½ cup cooking oil

Method:

Preheat oven to 165 degrees C.
Cut meat into serving pieces; trim off excess fat.
Mix flour and salt in a plastic bag. Add steak pieces, twist the bag shut and shake to coat meat.
Into a large frying pan, add enough cooking oil to just cover the bottom. Once the oil begins to shimmer, add the steaks to the pan, being careful not to overcrowd. Cook until golden brown on both sides, approximately 2 minutes per side. Put the cooked steaks into a casserole dish and repeat until all of the steaks have been browned.
Remove the last steaks from the pan and add the onion. Saute for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste and stir to combine. Next add the tomatoes, paprika, oregano, Worcestershire sauce, beef stock and water; stir to combine.
Pour mixture from the pan over steak in the casserole. Cover the dish and place it in the oven on the middle rack.
Bake at 165 degrees C for 30 minutes before reducing the temperature to 120 degrees C. Cook for 1 to 1 1/2 hours more or until meat is tender. Swiss steak should be tender enough to be eaten without a knife.
Serve with cooked rice or noodles.

To freeze: Spoon into a freezer container. Seal, label and freeze. To serve, transfer frozen mixture to medium pan. Cover and cook over medium low heat about 45 minutes or until heated through. Stir occasionally.

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