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.

Cooler weather calls for Stew

When we were children, I don't recall my mother having a dislike for any foods. I found out later in my adult life that there were a few things that she didn't like, but she never told us. This made us both quite hearty eaters. Rarely did we complain about the food we were served, and honestly, I cant think of a reason to complain about it. My mother was/is a great cook and I learned at a very young age many of her cooking tips and recipes. I have passed on both of them, and the joy of cooking and food to my children also.

My mother grew up in the same small town that I now live and my children have spent the majority of their lives in. She was the oldest of five daughters born to my grandparents. Grandma was a homemaker and Grandpa was a body/fender man. The years of my mothers childhood, were hard times. Times of war. Where grandpa himself would have been, if not for a fellow soldier mis-firing his rifle and hitting grandpa in the head in basic training no less. He survived, was given an early medical discharge and sent back home.
But post war times were tough on the economy, and feeding a family of seven on a single white collar income was not easy. Many times, grandma would ask the butcher in town, for the parts of the cow that many butchers would just throw out. Parts that are often found these days to be delicacies... the best cuts. She would often get them for little or no charge and knew how to 'make something out of nothing' really.

Although my mother wasn't too impressed with a lot of those cuts, one recipe stuck with her. This one was a favorite of ours growing up. My mother has passed it on to my sister and I. It is a darn good thing that I didn't know what an oxtail was when I was little. Or at least I never put it together that an oxtail was in fact, an Ox's (or cows) tail. Or I may never have been able to coerce my own stomach into even tasting the stew. But Whoo eeee. It is good eatin'!

I remember making this stew for my now ex husband, he liked it. I thought I had made it for my kids also, but they swear they don't remember. I also recall the oxtails themselves being the cheapest cut of meat at the market... not so anymore!

Oh well, here is my recipe as I made it Sunday.

First, I browned the meat (6lbs- this sounds like a lot but they are half bone) on all sides in a skillet. In my experience, the smaller the bone, the sweeter and more tender the meat. However, if they are too small, there is no meat at all.

I bought two packages that had a mixture of many sizes as that was all they had at the time.

Next, chop up one medium onion white or yellow, your choice.
10 carrots also cut into bite sized pieces, I used a bag of baby carrots, less chopping. Add them to the onions. This can all be stewed in a large pot, until tender but I used a slow cooker.

Then I added the meat on top of the vegetables.

Pour in two cans of tomato soup. I used one carton of tomato basil. I think I may try substituting a can of diced tomatoes in place of the soup sometime. But it will need something to thicken it up. I love to mix-up my recipes once in a while. It is sometimes necessary when you are on a limited budget but then, that is how I invented some of my best creations. But this time, I did it as mother intended.

Pour one quarter cup of granulated sugar over the soup.

Then Two cups of water.

Season with good ol' stan d-by's salt and pepper.

Then sit back and relax, or head off for work, or get some cleaning done, or leaves raked. Simmer covered for 3 1/2 hours. No need to stir. (In the slow-cooker, I let them go for 5 hours and it was just right.)

Our Dog, blackjack helped

With the waiting part.

When there are only about 20 minutes left to simmer, boil some water and cook your choice of noodle, Mom uses large egg noodles (I chose some vegetable induced egg noodles) al dente'. (still a little firm)

And pour right into the stew.

and serve it up!

I think that mine could have simmered just a little longer, the meat was tough. When done right, this stew makes the sweetest, most tender, fall off the bones meat. Like little mini ribs.

If you can get your mind past the origins of the meat. You will not be disappointed with this dish.

And on a day like this,

curl up with your warm Labrador dog,

eat some oxtail stew

and re-live your childhood. Like mine when we would cuddle with a blanket over the heat vents in the floor and let the warm air create a warm bubble of warmth...aaahhhh to be a kid again.

I think I want to curl up with some leftover soup. Thanks mom!

Tip: If your fingers and hands smell of onion or garlic after you chop them, (As mine are prone to do the following day, and more)
Just cut a lemon in half and rub onto the smelly surface. In a pinch, lemon juice works as well. ta-da odor is gone!