There is nothing quite like a colorful and fresh Farmer’s Market brimming with excited patrons eager to find the best local produce, meat and fish.
I adore walking through the market with my bags in hand, senses alert and ready to score the next best pint of cherry tomatoes or shiny dark green poblanos.
One beautiful sunny day Sunday in June the Bennett Crew and I headed up to the Roslyn, Washington Farmer’s Market. Roslyn, Washington was once known on television as Cicely, Alaska. Our very own Roslyn was the backdrop for the TV series Northern Exposure. Little did I know back then (in the early 90’s) that someday I’d actually live down the highway from that cute little town.
While walking the market, I spotted Heirloom Cattle Company. The Peplow family raises grass-fed beef in Eastern Washington on organic native grass pasture. By this point, I was completely overcome with excitement. My Old Fashioned Swiss Steak was going to be fabulous.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see my two gals quickly wandering away hoping no one would know we’re related. I do get a little beside myself when it comes to local, organic, naturally raised, or grass fed. Those few words can light me up like a Christmas tree.
After my enthusiasm toned down a bit and I was able to rein myself in, I had the chance to talk with Rancher Peplow about his beautiful cattle ranch. Heirloom Cattle Company raises grass-fed cattle with no antibiotics, hormones, or grain; “The result is natural high quality beef that protects the environment”. A Healthier alternative, especially for those sensitive to grains.
Before we said goodbye, Rancher Peplow kindly gave me a package of his grass-fed beef brats to test and along with those brats I found the perfect cut of round steak for my Old Fashioned Swiss Steak recipe, like the one my Grandmother used to make. It was going to make a delicious entree and pair so beautifully with the Chocolate Tiffin for dessert.
I love when a visit to the farmer’s market is successful. 🙂 And delicious!
Loads of Love,
Karista
Old Fashioned Swiss Steak
Notes
I highly recommend trying this recipe with grass-fed beef. I used a grass-fed round steak, pounded out a bit to tenderize. A cube steak is also a great cut of beef for this recipe.
Recipe adapted from Alton Brown and my Grandmother. 🙂
Ingredients
- 2 pounds bottom round steak or cube steak
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (*for a gluten free version, skip this step and just pound out the steaks)
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, vegetable oil or bacon drippings
- 1 large onion, thinly sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika (love this stuff!)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 1/2 cups beef broth
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
- Season the steaks with salt and pepper.
- Place the flour* into a pie plate or shallow dish. Dust the pieces of meat on both sides in the flour mixture. Cover the meat with plastic wrap and pound out the steaks until they are thinner pieces. Then dredge the pounded slices through the flour on both sides once more and set aside.
- Add enough of the oil to just cover the bottom of a 4 to 5-quart Dutch oven set over medium-high heat. Once the oil begins to shimmer, add the steaks to the pan, being careful not to overcrowd. Cook until golden brown on both sides, approximately 2 minutes per side. Remove the steaks to a plate and repeat until all of the steaks have been browned.
- Remove the last steaks from the pot and add the onions and garlic. Saute for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add the tomato paste and stir to combine. Next add the tomatoes, paprika, oregano, Worcestershire sauce and beef broth and stir to combine.
- Return the meat to the pot, submerging it in the liquid. Cover the pot and place it in the oven on the middle rack. Cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until the meat is tender and falling apart.
- This dish is fabulous served with creamy polenta, brown rice, pasta, garlic mashers or egg noodles.
That looks amazing!
Thanks Megan. Hope you enjoy!
Made this tonight and it was great! Even got my six year old to eat the tomatoes. Thanks for a great recipe.
Thank you Flannery! That makes me so happy to hear your six year old loved the dish too. Checked out your blog and it’s now one of my faves! Love it. I’ll share your url on my facebook page. Delicious Wishes!
My husband made this for dinner tonight! It is super delicious I can’t stop eating it. Thank you for sharing!
Briana, You are so welcome! So happy you loved the Old Fashioned Swiss Steak. One of our family favorites. Happy May!
I ran across this recipe on Pinterest and I want to thank you very much! This brought back so many memories as my mom would make it all the time. I did, however, add chopped celery to the sauce…then carrots during the last hour and sliced mushrooms the last 30 minutes! Served with mashed potatoes and homemade corn bread…..It was to die for!
Julia, You just made my day! Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know how much you loved the recipe. I love your version with the celery, carrots and mushrooms! Fantastic! Wishing you the happiest of Holiday seasons. Karista
This was delicious! I omitted the flour. Thanks for the recipe.
Thank you Lindsey! I’m so happy you liked the recipe. I’ve omitted the flour on occasion and it cooks up just fine. Delicious Wishes! Karista
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My step mom made swiss steak a lot and it was never a favorite of mine. Since I haven’t had it in ages I found your recipe and surprisingly I loved it. My boyfriend does too. Delicious thank you.
Tammie you are so welcome. I’m thrilled you love this recipe. It holds a special place at our table and it’s one of my family’s favorites as well. Thank you for taking the time to comment! Delicious Wishes, Karista
This sounds scrumptious! I’ve been searching for a recipe that is similar to the Swiss steak I remember from childhood.
Would this recipe be okay prepared in a slow cooker? If so, how long would I cook this, with both the high and low settings?
Thank you so much.
Hi Amanda, Thank you for your comment. This is one of our family favorites at home. 🙂 Yes, I think preparing this in the slow cooker would be fine, however I would use skirt, flank or another more fat marbled cut of beef. If you have a lot of liquid after cooking in the slow cooker, remove the liquid to a sauce pan and reduce to your desired consistency. Hope this helps!
Swiss Steak is my favorite comfort food, I loved it as a child and still do! I have always added a green pepper – once those onions and green peppers cook down, the sauce is awesome on mashed potatoes. I never used Worcestshire Sauce but I think that would enhance the overall flavor. Can’t wait to make it again!
Maureen, Swiss Steak was always one of my favorite comfort foods as well. I love peppers and on occasion I’ve encountered them in a Swiss Steak recipe. I think that’s the lovely thing about these vintage recipes. Home cooks truly made them their own by adjusting ingredients and seasonings. I think that’s what makes them so special. Delicious wishes and thanks for commenting! Karista
I may be the only person in the world who doesn’t have a Dutch Oven but…what if you don’t have a Dutch Oven? Could cooking in a skillet on the stove top work?
Hi Samantha, If you have an oven-proof skillet that’s got a lid, you could also use that instead of a Dutch oven. You can also make this recipe in a slow cooker. Just follow the directions and add everything to the slow cooker and cook on low for about 3 hours or until the meat is done and tender. Let me know what you decide! Great question by the way! Karista
I made this in the slow cooker. It was yummy!
Yay! I’m so glad to hear you loved the steak! It’s one of my family faves as well. Happy Weekend to ya! Karista
I looked at lots of recipes for Swiss steak but decided to try this one because it didn’t call for green peppers, which my husband doesn’t like. I also liked that it cooked faster than the others. I cooked it in my Le Creuset Dutch oven and really enjoyed the wonderful aroma while it was in the oven. I served it with mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus. It was wonderful! I will definitely be making this again. The sauce is great! I’m saving it to eat with spaghetti tomorrow for lunch!
Hi Sherry, Thank you so much for your message. I’m truly happy when my recipes make others happy! I also love this recipe in a Dutch Oven, I think the Dutch Oven really locks in the flavors. The mashed potato and asparagus pairing sounds divine! Enjoy the lunch tomorrow. 😉 Delicious Wishes, Karista
I love this meal! I add tweaks to it, I add bell pepper and carrots, plus cook bacon brown the steaks in bacon drippings then add the cooked bacon to mix. Instead of 1 1/2 cups beef broth I do 1 cup broth and 1/2 cup red wine. We also love paprika so I double that. We serve this with garlic mashed taters and roasted veggies. Perfect Sunday meal. Thanks for the recipe.
Christina, I love all your tweaks! I adore the addition of the bell pepper and carrots and oh the bacon! It all sounds so delicious. And a smidgen of red wine always makes a meal taste better. 😉 Thank you so much for sharing this! Wishing you a happy holiday season. Karista
We tried this for dinner last evening and it was oh so good! A keeper for sure. Our Safeway didn’t have any bottom round steak (of course) so we ended up using some thin sliced petite sirloin. It worked perfectly and was fork tender. We’ve got a big ol’ cast iron dutch oven that did a bang up job for this. As usual, for a first time recipe try, we didn’t alter it in any way. Glad we didn’t and won’t in the future. Delish!
Phillip, Thank you so much for the comment! It always makes me so happy when readers make one of my recipes and they write to tell me how much they loved it. This is exactly why I share them. 🙂 Thanks for letting me know you used a thin sliced petite sirloin. These specifics are always good to know! Have a lovely weekend! Karista
Hi –
I’ve made this 5 times now and it turns out perfect every time!! I’ve used it with top round too. So simple but so good and foolproof – I encourage anyone looking at this for the first time to give it a try – it really is delicious and easy to make. I’ve literally thrown out all of my other Swiss Steak recipes if that tells you anything…..
Mary, It makes me so happy to know you love the recipe. I love it when a recipe works well and then makes the whole family love dinner! Thank you so much for sharing this with me. Have a lovely weekend, Karista
I made this tonight, it’s delicious and even my picky teenage boys liked it
Amy so happy you and your family loved this recipe! Yes, I completely understand picky teenagers. ha! I have two girls who are now young adults but can still be picky eaters none-the-less. 😉 Happy Weekend! Karista
In the oven right now! Added carrots to it, and can’t wait to eat! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Thank you Lauren for the comment! I hope you love the recipe. It seems to be a blog favorite. I love that you added carrots! Delicious Wishes, Karista
This is the oven as I write this only thing I did different was added green peppers. Smells amazing. I’m pinning this one.
Hope you love it Peggy! I adore the addition of the green peppers. Perfect! Karista
This recipe was absolutely AMAZING!! I added some yellow pepper to it and a bit more broth so I could have more sauce for the rice. Very easy to make.
I’m so happy to hear that you loved this recipe! I adore the addition of yellow pepper and broth, I too like extra sauce. Thanks so much for sharing! Delicious Wishes, Karista
I added fresh green beans the last hour of cooking. They cooked perfectly. Usually I steam them to a certain point and fry them with pieces of bacon. Then they get overly greasy and over cooked. But cooking them in the juices with the Swiss steak was great!!!!
Safi, thank you for your comment. I’m so sorry it took me so long to respond! The addition of green beans in the Swiss Steak sounds delicious. What a delicious idea. Thanks so much for sharing. Best Wishes, Karista
Can I make this with cube steaks instead Thank you
I definitely prefer cube steak pan seared stovetop, however, I think it would work in this Swiss Steak recipe as long as it’s cooked on a low temperature. I’d probably cook it at 300F. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions.