Monday Meals: Swiss Steak

This recipe makes me think of my grandmother. She was a missionary to India, a wife, a mother, a grandmother, a storyteller, an example… well, how do you sum up 96 years of love and service in one sentence? 

Dora Meberg on her 87th birthday in 2000

She lived a few blocks from us, and after a long day at school (my parents are both teachers), she would invite us to her house for dinner. Many times, this is what she would serve.

This recipe looked like it came from a newspaper or magazine, but it tastes just like what she served us so many times. Here are the ingredients needed.

The preparation for this is pretty fun. Lay out all the meat, and start pounding some seasoning in!

It barely fit in this pan! But it already smells great.

While that’s browning, chop up an onion. I think my onion turned out to be cut in every shape imaginable!

Then it all goes in an oven-safe pan! The original recipe called for a Dutch oven, but we didn’t have one. We just cooked on the stovetop, then transferred to this 9 x 13 inch pan and forget about it for an hour and a half.

I don’t know what it is about this meat, onions, and tomatoes, but the combination is scrumptious. It also brings back childhood memories for me.

We made this Swiss steak with mashed potatoes and a mix of frozen veggies.

Dodie Meberg’s Swiss Steak

2 tbsp. flour

¾ tsp. salt

½ tsp. pepper

1½ lbs. boneless round steak (rump or chuck steak also suitable)

3 tbsp. butter

1½ cups canned stewed tomatoes

1 cup sliced onion (1 large)

1. Combine flour, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle half the mixture on one side of meat; pound in with mallet or rim of heavy saucer. Turn meat over; repeat flouring and pounding.
2. Melt butter on stovetop. Add meat and, over medium heat, brown well on both sides.
3. Add tomatoes and onion; cover and bake in preheated 325 degree oven 1.5 - 2 hours or until tender. Makes 4 servings.