Swiss Steak in an Iron Skillet and other delights

Swiss Steak chez Cheeseparer

My mom used to make something called Swiss steak.  All I remember is that she pounded round steak, browned it after dipping the steak in flour, and did something with onion and tomato and simmered the whole business for a while.  Served it with mashed potatoes and a salad.

As a bride, I tinkered with the recipe a bit, first browning the onions (one large) and removing them from the skillet (note cast iron--ugly but so cook for serious cooking).  Brown round steak, floured, pounded, and seasoned (lots of salt and black pepper) in  fat.  I usually use canola oil and a bit of butter, but all oil is  all right.  When the meat is browned, smother it in the sauteed onions, sprinkle with dried marjoram, and pour an 8 oz. can of tomato sauce over the whole business.  Cover and simmer until tender.

Eat and enjoy.  Don't know if I've ever seen a recipe for Swiss steak.  Round steak is fairly lean (cut off extra fat) and fairly cheap, and has a good beefy flavor.  Oh, I usually saute a garlic clove or two with the onion.  A green vegetable like broccoli, beans, or even Brussels sprouts goes well.

Did your Mom make this, too?  

Old Time Swiss Steak


This is very close to my mom's recipe.  Enjoy!

When the power goes off

The woods behind the house

We live in New England, a  locale subject to hurricanes and snowstorms and alas, power outages when nature gets mad.  Our first experience was  not long after we moved here.  I actually drove downtown to work the day of the hurricane, to find the office closed and the doorman telling me to go home.  We survived the storm, although a huge paper wasp nest was dislodged from the maple in front (we didn't even know it was there.).  After the storm the neighbors came out and walked around and a little boy came by and (as little boys will) kicked the nest.  Ouch!  The worst was that the power went off and stayed for four days.  My neighbor had just filled her freezer with hors d'oeuvres.  We had a camp stove and a Weber kettle and  as stuff in the freezer defrosted, we ate it.   We had some really weird meals, but nothing spoiled and we were fed.

When we moved further out into the 'burbs, we bought a place with a gas stove, gas hot water heater, and it had, like our earlier house a wood-burning fireplace.  We've had two major power outages here and life has not been too bad.  The first was Hurricane Irene (3 days w/o power).  We can cook on the stove top if we light to pilot light, bypassing the electronic ignition.  And  we still have our Weber kettle, so as usual, we cook and eat the food as it thaws.  Showering is done in one bathroom, because the other has no windows, and gee, it does get dark.

In the big storm a year ago October, with a foot of snow before the leaves fell, the branches broke and hit the power line.  That was  4 days with no power.  It got dark early and it was cold.  We had the fire place going almost 24/7 and it heated the living room.  We could cook (Weber kettle was buried in snow) on the gas stove top and shower.  We always have candles, battery powered lanterns, kerosene lanterns, (ancient) and flashlights.  I have a special little light for my Kindle.  Our sons left us with two down sleeping bags.  It never was so cold that we couldn't wear heavy pjs to bed and nestle under the down duvet, but had it been, the sleeping bags in front of the fire would have been toasty.

During the blizzard of 2013, we didn't lose power, nor did we during Sandy.  Truth be told, it's a pain in the ass, and it takes all one's wits to cope, but you can cope.  We always have a few days worth of food in the house, winter and summer.  If a big storm is forecast, for heaven's sake make sure you have staples and things which will help you see in the dark.  Don't forget pet food. 

We visited libraries of various towns that did have power to read email, and there was always Starbucks or Panera.  Neighbors help neighbors.  And you'll have some good stories.   Be prepared.  

Do You Shop the Weekly Specials?

With newspaper flyer or online flyer, do you shop your favorite supermarket's specials and plan meals around them?  Do you shop several local (gas is still pricey) stores?  If not, you may want to reconsider. 

We're in the enviable position of having new Trader Joe's and Walmart within easy driving distance. The Walmart has an expanded food section, and I'm quite pleased with it.  The salad offerings are fresh;  the Polish ham is cheap; bananas are cheap, too.  Bread at $1.68 a loaf!  When was the last time you saw that price?  Dairy is also good, and I'm crazy about the Triscuit, the Shredded Wheat and Bran and the granola bar prices.  

Walmart doesn't have everything.  Cheese selection is poor.  Not a lot of organics (salad excepted).  You probably won't find radicchio and fennel.  We like Trader Joe's for cheese and dairy, wine, and the odd delicacy or frozen item.  When I asked whether the peppercorns could be removed from the peppermill they came in, the clerk demonstrated  by opening it up that they could.  

What is it with peppercorns?  I have two pepper grinders that I LOVE, and do not, repeat, do not want to buy pepper in a grinder, but that seems to be the latest thing.  I had to return a jar that didn't indicate except in small print that it was only a grinder.  One could not open it.  Phooey!  

Yesterday, we shopped the specials, spent $79.00 and saved $ 29.00.  These savings add up fast.  We don't buy a lot of heavily processed food, so I'm pleased to find avocados, strawberries, pears, pork chops, pasta, orange juice and cheese marked down.  Pizza dough!  Never see that on sale.  Good prices is the dairy aisle always welcome.  Savings on laundry detergent and seltzer.  BTW, I don't like seltzer but other family members do. 

We had a dynamite vegetarian stuffed shells this week.  The shells were stuffed with fennel, radicchio, red onion and ricotta bound with egg.  Somehow, this turned into a meaty concoction that was extremely satisfying and I am not always "satisfied" by vegetarian food.  I bought the pasta, and eggs and the cheese at Walmart, the veggies at Whole Foods, sort of the Yin and the Yang of grocery shopping.  The veggies had to cook forever,  but was the dish ever good and it made enough for 4 meals, which makes it economical even with the trip to Whole Foods.  The recipe came from Food and Wine.  

What are you making for the SuperBowl?  Meatloaf is out traditional  offering with bean dip and chips to nibble during the game.  Maybe Brussels sprouts and baked potatoes as sides.  It has to be something easy to eat in front of the TV, although we can usually time dinner for half time.  Everyone in Boston is bummed that the Pats lost to the Ravens, but whatchagonna do? 

It got so cold this week that I had to haul my ancient sheepskin coat out of the cedar closet.   It must weigh 10 pounds and is as warm as toast.   Patriots fans can be  glad the playoff was last weekend in mild weather rather than this weekend in the freezer compartment.  

Latkes with sour cream and apple sauce make a delicious cheap vegetarian meal

What do you eat on Superbowl Sunday?  Significant Other doesn't like chicken wings, or I would make them.   We have to journey to Stop and Shop because it's impossible to find Bean Dip anywhere else.  Some things just don't make any sense.  

Shop well and you'll save a bundle.  Now that's sensible!  


The Cheeseparer  

Cabbage and Sparerib Soup

Forget all those other recipes out there.  This is the one that rocks!  Cheap, too.  Soooo tasty.  My only changes.  After the rub, I saved the garlic and some of the rub that didn't adhere and cooked it with the cabbage and onions.  I can't tell you how delicious this soup is.  Just try it.    Don't cook ALL the garlic but two or three cloves, otherwise, you'll have garlic soup. 

We like it with rye bread, a salad and some fruit for dessert. 

New York Times recipes seldom let you down.

Cabbage and Sparerib Soup from the New York Times

Vegetarian Entre

This is a great vegetarian dish that doesn't call for 16 ingredients, take all day to fix, and leave you with a pile of dishes.  It's a roasted garlic/cauliflower/pasta dish with pepper flakes, lemon juice and lots of Parmesan cheese.  You roast two bulbs of garlic in a hot hot (500 degrees oven)  in foil, then remove the garlic and roast the cauliflower, coated with olive oil and cut into 1/8ths in the same pan in the same 500 degree oven.  
Meanwhile you have toasted 1/4-1/3 cup walnuts. Chop after they cool.  Cook the pasta, make sauce of the garlic, lemon juice and hot pepper flakes and mix everything together and add plenty of Parmesan and serve with more Parmesan. Garnish with walnuts.
 I'm making a salad with iceberg lettuce, grape tomatoes and avocado to add some green to the menu.  Sounds good, doesn't it?   Avocados on sale lately.  Good healthy oils for you in the winter.  

We had tacos last night with all the trimmings:  bean/pepper/onion for the vegetarian guest and ours likewise, but with some sauteed and cut up tri-tip steak.  I serve lightly sauteed corn tortillas, salsa, sour cream, grated cheddar, lettuce, tomato, avocado, scallions and cilantro to make as we like.  And we sure as hell like. 

Chili Mac: a great one-skillet casserole

During the holiday rush, when shopping, wrapping, cards, and lots of baking harry us, it's nice to have a go to dish for dinner that's fast, economical and doesn't dirty every dish in the kitchen.  May I offer up Chili Mac?

My recipe is from (I think) the Boston Globe and is attributed to Keri Fisher.  Thanks, Keri, we needed this.
Keri Fisher recipes

The recipe serves 4, but we ate and ate last night and there's still more than enough for a second meal.  I just  found the recipe on the web. Chili Mac Recipe

I followed the recipe except I had diced fire-roasted tomatoes.  Noticed the cans are now (grrrr!) 14.5 ounces instead of a pound, so I added a few cherry tomatoes, chopped.  I always buy good quality ground beef from the butcher counter.  Used ancho chili powder, and the Mexican cheese blend.  It was so cheesy we didn't need extra,  Serve with a nice salad.  Ours was mesclun with cherry tomatoes and cukes and some feta cheese sprinkled thereon.

The recipe is not too spicy for kids, but not too bland for adults.  We really relished it.  Yum! 

Old Time Rice Pudding

This is an unexpectedly delicious rice pudding, due to the caramelization  of the milk and sugar.  It's from the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook when I was a bride.  Use any kind of rice in the pantry.  Milk should be whole milk or 2%.  You can use  2/3 cup of brown sugar instead of the white sugar, grated orange rind instead of lemon, cinnamon or cardamon instead of nutmeg, and golden raisins or currants instead of dark raisins.  This is known as "making do" and it can yield some delicious surprises.  The first hour requires a bit of stirring, but after that the oven does its work.  Serve with heavy cream for a real treat.

Old-time Rice Pudding

1/2 cup rice
 4 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 t. salt
1 t. grated lemon peel
1/4 t. nutmet
1/2 cup seeded raisins.

Note:  t. = teaspoon

Combine rice, milk, sugar, and salt; pour into greased 11/2 -qurt baking dish.  Bake in slow oven (350 degrees F.) for 1  hour, stirring several time.
Add lemon peel, nutmeg, and raisins; continue baking 2 to 21/2 hours.  Makes 6 servings.