Swiss Steak

Gravy! How do I love thee? Let me count the ways…..

I love thee to the depth and breadth and height

My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight

For the ends of being and ideal grace.

I love the to the level of every day’s

Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.

I love thee freely, as men strive for right.

I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.

I love thee with the passion put to use.

In my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith.

I love thee with a love I seemed to lose

With my lost saints. I love thee with the breath,

Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose,

I shall but love thee better after death.

And I’ve missed you so much!

Compliments to Elizabeth Barrett Browning for the poem. I just added that last line.

The Swiss Steak recipe was requested by our daughter Leslie. These were also a very popular item at my former restaurant. I hadn’t prepared these for awhile because my wife Susan has been on Weight Watchers for a good while and has lost several pounds and gravy is not exactly weight watcher friendly. I had also shedded a few pounds myself by avoiding gravies for several months, but enough is enough! I had a temporary lapse in judgement and prepared these again a few days ago to get my fix. Now I vow to eliminate gravies from our lives for at least for a couple of weeks again!

Servings – 2

Cook / Prep Time –

• 1 lb beef cube steaks (about 3 or 4)
• 1 large shallot
• 1 medium carrot
• 1 celery rib
• 1 clove fresh garlic
• 1 plum tomato
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 14.5 oz can beef broth
• 4 oz flour
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/2 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Clean and peel the shallot, garlic, celery and carrot and place in food chopper or processor and chop them fine. Add the salt and pepper to the flour and set on a plate. Place the beef cubes one at a time between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound them out with a meat mallet. Heat the olive oil on medium low heat in a skillet. Dredge the steaks in the seasoned flour and reserve the leftover flour. Place the dredged steaks in an ovenproof skillet and cook them until well browned.After browning the steaks, remove them from the skillet and set them aside. Add the butter to the drippings in the skillet and melt on medium heat. Add the chopped vegetables and saute them while stirring often. Add the rest of the seasoned flour to the vegetables and continue stirring to make a roux.

Add the beef broth and soy sauce to the roux and continue stirring until thickened. Add the tomato paste. Chop the plum tomato and add to the gravy.Stir the fresh tomatoes in and add the steaks to the gravy. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place the skillet with the steaks in the oven and cook for 30 minutes. That’s it! Serve with mashed potatoes.

Enjoy!

Suggested songs to listen to while preparing the Swiss Steaks….

Since the art of yodeling had its roots in the Swiss Alps, how about a few yodeling songs?

“Lovesick Blues” the Hank Williams version released in February 1949.

“Dreams” by the Cranberries from their album “Everyone Else is Doing it, So Why Can’t We? Released in September 1992.

“Hocus Pocus” by the Dutch band Focus from their album “Moving Waves” released in 1971.