Winnie's Swiss Steak

The seventies were all about variety shows, police dramas and tv dinners...the favourite of which at my house was the "Swansons Swiss Steak". Remember pulling back the foil to reveal the "sorta steak" drowning in gravy and mushrooms?

Not to be out-done, Mom made the home-made version frequently...usually served it with mashed potatoes and some kind of over-cooked vegetable. Another thing she could do as well as Swanson was over-cook the peas.

When I started to make this, I realized a couple of things. First, this is not only a flavour from my youth...it is a SOUND from my youth. I can't tell you how many times I came home from school to hear my mom hammering the hell out of the round steak.

Funny thing about my Mom...she didn't deviate much...in her life, or in her kitchen. When she found a recipe she liked and that worked well for her...she followed it to the letter, consistently recreating the product.

Funny thing about me...I'm kinda the same. Talk about a recipe box revelation.

Swiss Steak


Combine 1/2 cup of flour and 1 teaspoon salt.  Using a mallett or the side of a plate, pound the flour into both sides of 2 pounds of round steak. ( I put the flour and salt in a ziploc bag and beat the hell out of the steak inside a bag. Still messy, but not nearly as bad as it could be.

Heat a large frying pan and add 3 tablespoons of shortening. (I CAN'T bring myself to do this - even in an effort to recreate the authentic meal...I used a couple of tablespoons of good olive oil. Sorry, Mom.)

Cut the steak up into six or eight pieces and brown on both sides. Reduce heat.

Add:
10 ounce can of beef consomme
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup catsup (I don't think mom ever called it ketchup.)
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
1 medium onion, sliced

Tightly cover the pan and simmer slowly for1 1/2 hours or until meat is tender. Add water to keep meat moist, if necessary. About twenty minutes before cooking time is up, add 1/2 pound of sliced mushrooms.

Mom had a notation on this recipe... "Good".

I agree.