Here’s a quick and yummy Swiss Steak recipe for you…perfect to make with the great fresh vegetables you can find in your garden or farmers market!
It’s not like I have oodles of spare time on my hands…but I just had to take the time to wonder…
Why is Swiss Steak called Swiss Steak?
Did it originate in Switzerland? Do I need to dress like I’m from Switzerland when I’m preparing this dish? Must I learn to speak a new language in order to serve Swiss Steak?
These very important questions came to mind as I stood cooking our most recent Swiss Steak…so I googled it. Because I knew that as soon as I posted this recipe, I’d be swarmed with emails from all of you, full of questions such as these. I just couldn’t leave you hanging with so many unanswered questions. Hey, I’m here for you.
Get this! According to Wikipedia…Swiss Steak does not come from Switzerland at all. (Which is a huge relief because I am not a good student of foreign language.)
Swiss Steak is named Swiss Steak because the meat has undergone a process called “Swissing” in order to make it tender.
I’ve never “swissed” my meat before…nor do I remember learning to “swiss” my meat in Home Economics in high school. Imagine that…I’ve gone all these years without ever “swissing”.
Apparently I purchase my meat already “swissed” in the form of “Cube Steak”. How about that? I never knew that the cube steak in my freezer had been “swissed”. I’m willing to bet that some of you have some steak in your freezer that has been “swissed”. Eh? Am I right?!
Now that you have all the background information you could possibly ever need (and oh so much more) about Swiss Steak…here is my recipe. (Take heart…the recipe is VERY SIMPLE compared to all of the swissing detail you just received.)
Swiss Steak
1 1/2 lb. cube steaks or minute steaks
4 T. whole wheat flour or unbleached white flour
2 T. palm kernel oil
2 cups chopped tomatoes
2 T. water
1 small onion, cut up into rings
½ cup chopped carrot
½ t. thyme
Coat meat in flour and cook in hot oil until lightly browned on both sides. Add tomatoes, water, onion, carrots and thyme. Salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer on low heat for 1 hour or until meat and vegetables are tender.
Serve over noodles or rice.
Enjoy the Swiss Steak…and all of the information about “swissing” that you can now use during important moments such as awkward silences or while completing crossword puzzles (five letter word for the process of tenderizing meat).
You’ll thank me later for this.
:)
I’m glad you cleared that up. I was just wondering yesterday how to make Finn Steak.
That is very interesting! I came over here after seeing your guest post on Crystals blog, because I also have 4 sons ages 3-10!!! I just found it interesting!
YEAH!!! Thank you so much for posting your recipe Laura. It sounds easy and delicious. I can’t wait to try it.
yummy! that recipe is very close to mine! :)
Thanks for sharing!
I was thinking that “swissing” was maybe poking holes in the steak… like their cheese.
This sounds really good. I will have to try it soon.
Thanks for the info. If I’m ever on a game show, I’ll be fully prepared! ;-)
Seriously, I’ll have to try this because cube steak is always on sale down here!
Down here in the South they bread it, fry it and eat it with gravy,lol.
Hello!I am new to this site and have found it very helpful…I have 6 and 8 yr old boys who are very full of energy. My 6 year olds councilor thinks he may have adhd,but my husband and I feel that he doesnt…I have since then switched some things as far as our diets go and your site is just what I needed to nurture me along the way…I was wondering if you have a chicken and noodle recipe? Thanks for helping me out and God bless…
I don’t have a chicken and noodle recipe on my blog, but I do have one in my What to Do with the Chicken in Your Kitchen ebook: https://www.heavenlyhomemakers.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=7
An old post with a new comment … I grew up calling Swiss Steak something my mom made with round steak (it requires some tenderizing with a mallet as it is a tougher cut of meat and requires long, moist cooking) – she would cut a whole steak in about 4 – 5 pieces and put garlic salt, pepper and flour on it and then pound that in with the mallet. Then she would brown it on both sides and add chunks of potatoes, carrots, onions and celery with some tomato sauce and bake it (covered) in a cast iron skillet for a couple of hours. The meat would melt in your mouth and it was delicious meal! What you are calling “Swiss Steak” is what we, in the south, call Country Fried Steak. It is cubed steak, breaded and fried. mmmmm. No matter what we call it or where it comes from it makes me hungry thinking about it! I know what’s going on my menu plan in the next week or two :)
That’s exactly the way our family makes Swiss steak…and we’re Polish.lol
It is really good!!
What side dishes would you pair with this entree?
Any green veggie or salad would be a good side!
Made this tonight in the Instant Pot. Yummy!
I agree with Elaine. Swiss steak and cubed steak was served up on a regular basis in our home by my mom, who’s heritage was from Arkansas. The two dishes are different in the technique of tenderizing. Wiki doesn’t mention cubed steak for Swiss steak rather pounding or rolling it. Cubed steak is run through a number of sharp cutting blades just short of turning it into hamburger. Swissing as you call it, allows the grain of the meat to stay intact, not unlike roast beef, albeit roughed up
Although one can certainly make Swiss steak from cubed steak, it is more often used using round steak that had been pounded with flour with a mallet or edge of a plate to incorporate the flour into the meat. This may seem like I’m quibbling over a minor point, however the texture of the meat between the two is much different. The Swiss steak method retains the texture of the meat.
Cubed steak is typically fried with or with out a coating of flour. Pounding cubed steak would leave you with a pathetic piece of meat. Fried cubed steak without flour was a poor mans substitute for a better quality steak. When floured it became Chicken fried steak accompanied by any number of types of gravy. With either when it was allowed to be braised on the stovetop and develop its own gravy it was called smothered fried steak. However, steak that had been pounded and braised was more often called Swiss steak to differentiate it from smothered fried steak, either left intact, not pounded or cubed.
And all to often and unfortunately my mom would just fry round steak neither pounded or cubed and cooked to death. The result being eating nothing short of shoe leather. At my very tender age I didn’t know any better and grew to love the dish. However, today you couldn’t get me eat it for love nor money.
Anyway, this is my 2 cents on the subject. As Elaine said, they’re all good.