Lunch / Dinner
Swiss Steak with Pepper Chowchow
This old-fashioned dish gets a 21st century update. It’s a soul-warming meal that takes the sting out of chilly nights. Everybody likes Swiss steak, but no one seems to make it anymore — it’s one of those old culinary treasures that’s been shelved in favor of faster meals. Try this recipe once, and you’ll agree that it deserves another turn in the spotlight.
Swiss steak didn’t get its name from the country, rather from an old fabric-making process (called “swissing”) where material was pounded to soften it. The same concept applies to tenderizing meat. After browning the tenderized steak, braise it with tomatoes and mirepoix [mihr-PWAH] — the classic combination of onion, carrot, and celery. Swiss steak is traditionally served over mashed potatoes, but it works just as well to include the potatoes in the pot during braising. Then everything’s done, top each serving with a sweet-and-sour bell pepper chowchow.
Ingredients
FOR THE STEAK, TENDERIZE:
HEAT:
STIR IN:
ADD:
FOR THE CHOWCHOW, SAUTÉ:
OFF HEAT, STIR IN:
Test Kitchen Tip
Top round doesn’t have quite as much connective tissue as other cuts of round steak, making it easier to tenderize with a meat mallet.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 325°.
For the steak, tenderize steak pieces with the toothed side of a meat mallet 6–8 times in one direction, then repeat in opposite direction. Turn steak over and repeat process until pieces are ¼-inch thick. Season steak with salt and black pepper, then dredge in flour.
Heat 4 Tbsp. vegetable oil in an ovenproof pot or Dutch oven over medium-high until it shimmers. Brown steak in batches and remove. Add remaining 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil to pot.
Stir in onion, carrot, celery, and 2 tsp. garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook 1 minute. Deglaze pot with brandy and simmer until nearly evaporated.
Add tomatoes, broth, potatoes, pearl onions, Worcestershire, and paprika. Return steak to the pot and submerge in the liquids. Cover pot, transfer to the oven, and braise meat until tender, 1 hour.
For the chowchow, sauté bell pepper, red onion, and 1 Tbsp. garlic in olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat until softened, 6–7 minutes. Remove skillet from heat.
Off heat, stir in parsley, honey, lemon juice, and mustard; season with salt and black pepper. Serve chowchow over Swiss steak.
After searing and removing the steak, add the vegetables. Their juices begin to deglaze the pot.
Add remaining braising ingredients — the acidity of the tomatoes helps offset the richness of the beef.
Submerge the steak in the liquids as much as possible, then cover the pot and braise until they’re tender.
Nutritional Facts
Nutritional Facts
Per serving
Calories: 496
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 17g 26%
Saturated Fat 4g 20%
Cholesterol 103mg 34%
Sodium 396mg 16%
Carbs 30g 10%
Fiber 3g 12%
Protein 45g
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.