That Swiss Steak Recipe and a Stunning Side

Brussels Sprouts Even the Picky Eaters May Enjoy

I hope that everyone had a nice Thanksgiving. Today, I’d like to share with you a new side dish that Jeff prepared for this year’s feast, with a little inspiration from Jacques Pépin. This dish may even get your Brussels sprouts haters on board with this polarizing vegetable. After that, because I was specifically asked, I am going break down that Swiss Steak recipe that I mentioned last week. If you missed the story, you can check it out here.

What can we call this beautiful dish? Although we had it as part of our Thanksgiving table, it would be a show-stopper for Christmas with the red and green. Jeff was inspired to make this dish rather than the standard green beans or green bean casserole, after watching a tutorial on social media from Jacques Pépin: Brussels Sprouts with Bacon.

He started with 16 oz of Brussels and four pieces of thick cut bacon. From there, he followed the steps in the video to thinly slice the Brussels and sauté them in the rendered bacon fat. He then made this recipe his own by adding chopped walnuts for texture and finished with a sprinkling of pomegranate seeds for a pop of color and flavor.

Even two people who previously disliked Brussels went back for seconds.

Last week I wrote about one of my favorite dishes that my grandmother used to make and how I finally recreated it with a little help from Moriarty Meats. The post was more about the butcher shop and cafe. I debated about sharing a recipe. Ultimately, I decided to leave the inspiration for Swiss Steak without a recipe, as my grandmother left it to us. But, because a few people asked, I’m going to provide some rough instructions while leaving room for improvision.

Swiss Steak

INGREDIENTS:

1 - 1.5 lb. of Top Round, pounded thin*

1 large onion

Flour

1-2 cups of beef broth (or water)

1-2 tbsp of oil

Some recipes include Worcestershire sauce (1 tbsp)

About 16 - 24 ounces of tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, or combination of. My grandmother always used her own sauce and because I had some of my own in the freezer, I did the same. Recipes may call for tomato sauce, canned tomatoes, whole tomatoes, stewed tomatoes, or tomato paste.

Seasoning: if you are using a premade sauce like I did, you have this covered. If you are starting with an unseasoned tomato product, you’ll also want salt, pepper, garlic, and maybe sugar if you like your sauce on the sweeter side (because this blog is based in WNY).

*TIP: if you get your beef at Moriarty Meats, then can pound it thin for you.

Note: Although some recipes call for cube steak, I recommend against this as I feel this was my main misstep on a previous attempt.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 F

Halve and slice onions or slice then halve, whichever you prefer. I use the medium insert on my mandolin. Layer onions into a baking dish.

Cut your thinly pounded top round into serving size pieces, then dredge in flour.

Add 1-2 tbsp of oil to hot pan. Brown meat for about 1 minute per side.

Layer meat into baking dish on top of onions.

Next mix together the sauce, tomatoes, broth, water, whatever you are using, and pour over the meat. I added about a cup of water to 16 oz of homemade sauce, but you could also use beef broth. IMPORTANT: If your sauce is thick already, you will definitely want to thin it out because the flour on the beef will thicken your sauce. Next time, I would honestly add a bit more water or broth myself.

Cook uncovered for 90 to 120 minutes. Meat should be fork tender when done.

Serve on top homemade mashed potatoes, rice, or noodles.