Cube steak with mushrooms is one of my favorite dinners, perhaps because my mother made it periodically for special dinners and because it was always fork-tender, full of beefy flavor, and accompanied by mushrooms, which, at the time, were a special treat. This version of cube steak with mushrooms is close to the version my mom made, and it's also inexpensive to make. The dish makes a great family meal, especially on Sundays, and it's special enough to serve to guests. What is "cube steak"? It's tenderized round steak. You can buy it at the grocery store, which tenderizes the round steak for you (it looks like it has little tracks across the steak). You also can pound your own round steak with a meat tenderizer, if you're so inclined. The steak needs to cook over very low heat for quite a while--usually 45 minutes to an hour, depending on the tenderness/thickness of the steak--so plan ahead. The steak will smell amazingly good as it cooks, so expect visitors in your kitchen to check on the progress of the dinner. We like the steak with mashed potatoes, noodles, or rice and a green vegetable. If you have any leftover steak, it reheats well for future dinners/lunches. Enjoy!
Cube Steak With Mushrooms -- Serves 4
2 - 4 teaspoons of canola oil
2 tablespoons of flour
1 - 1 1/4 pound round steak, tenderized (cube steaks)
1 medium onion, chopped
4 ounces of mushrooms (5-6 mushrooms), half sliced and half chopped
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of pepper
2 cups of water mixed with 2 teaspoons of reduced sodium beef "Better Than Bullion"
or use beef broth
1 teaspoon of dried parsley flakes
1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder
2 tablespoons of ketchup (yes, ketchup!)
1 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon of sweet paprika
2 - 4 tablespoons of red wine
Fresh parsley to sprinkle, optional
In a large chef's pan or skillet, heat half the oil over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and onions to the pan and saute them for about five minutes or until they start to soften a little. While the onions and mushrooms are cooking, dust both sides of the round steak with the flour. Push the mushrooms/onions to the sides of the pan, add a little more oil to the pan, if necessary, and put the steaks in the pan so that they aren't overlapping. Sprinkle on the salt and pepper. Brown the steaks on one side for 5-6 minutes, then flip them over and brown them for a few minutes on the other side. Add the water/bullion to the pan. Stir in the remaining ingredients and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low, so that the mixture just simmers, cover the pan most of the way, and let the meat cook in the sauce for 45-60 minutes or until the meat can easily be pierced with a fork and the liquid cooks down. You can lift the lid to stir the sauce/flip the meat periodically, if you like. You can also add a little more liquid (water or wine) to the sauce if it looks like it is evaporating too quickly. Taste the sauce and add a little more salt/pepper, if you think it needs it. Sprinkle the meat with a little parsley, if you like.
Comments