Ever wonder what to do with cube steak?

You know that cut of meat that looks as if it has been pressed into a waffle iron? Meat that if not cooked in the correct manner can be as tough as a spare tire? Read on:

Ever since I was a little girl I watched my mother cook wonderful dinners. I helped my mother prepare tasty meals. I learned from my mother how to cook yummy hearty meals. And now thanks to my mother, I love to cook.
Since the years of my youth spent in the kitchen with my mother I have adapted a few of her old cooking-without-a-recipe dinners. And by adapted, I really mean remember what I can and make up the rest.

One recipe I used to turn my nose up at as a child, one that included canned tomatoes, was Swiss Steak. I have since outgrown my distaste of mushy canned tomatoes and learned to love this hearty, comfort food dish.

It is as easy to prepare as any dish can be. Dump. dump. stir. eat.

The reason that cube steak has such a beat up appearance is because it has been beaten, pounded with a mallet, or pierced with rods in order to break up the fibers in the tough cuts of meat making them easier to chew. It can still be a tough cut and may need a slow braising or stewing in order to make it palatable.

Winter is when our house is usually filled with the aroma of comfort foods. Stews, soups, hearty meals. The past two months i have been really cutting back, eating extra healthy and preparing my body for the bikini and the beach. Tonight we ate good. Here is what was on the menu.

Swiss Steak

Heat a skillet on medium heat with a sprinkle of olive oil in the bottom. Slice a medium onion, and add to the oil.

While the onions caramelize in the pan, season the cube steaks with some salt. pepper and onion powder.


When the onions are golden brown and almost tender, remove them from the pan and set aside.

In a shallow bowl, combine a cup of flour, 1/4 c cornstarch ( adds a crispness to the coating) and seasonings of your choice. You cant go wrong with some Basil, thyme, parsley and a little more salt and pepper.


I have found that seasoning the meat a little before dredging flavors the meat better than just adding the seasoning to the flour

Fluff the seasonings into the flour and cornstarch with a fork and begin dredging. Cut the steaks into individual portions approximately 3 in square.

Dip each piece of meat into the flour and coat each side well.


Place the meat into the pan the onions came from.
Add a little more oil if needed. Continue with all of the meat pieces.


About the time you get the last piece of meat into the pan, you will notice the first pieces will look as though the flour coating has disappeared.

This is a sign it is near done on the first side. When the meat has a nice crisp shell on the underside, turn the meat and cook the second side the same.

When the meat has a crispness on both sides, add the onions back on top.

Pour two cans of diced tomatoes on top of it all. Add one can of water.

Bring to a boil.

Turn heat down a little. Cover. And let it stew for about 20 minutes.

In about the time it took to steam some vegetables, and mash some garlic potatoes, it was done.

Easy. And tender enough to cut with a fork.