December 16, 2011: Cube Steak With Mushroom Sauce Recipe

Usually when I prepare cube steak it comes out as chicken fried steak. Sure, that’s yummy, but it’s also calorie-laden – and that’s the last thing I need during the holiday season! So instead of frying it, this time I baked the cube steak to make it tender.

Cube Steak with Mushroom Sauce served with cheddar mashed potatoes and green beans.

Cube Steak With Mushroom Sauce

2 cube steaks (about ¾ pound)

Salt and pepper

½ cup flour

1 T. olive oil

4 ounces mushrooms, thickly sliced

1 t. beef bouillon

1 cup water

1 t. Worcestershire sauce

Sprinkle the cube steaks with salt and pepper. Dredge in the flour.

Heat the oil in a heavy, oven safe saucepan or Dutch oven to medium. Add cube steaks and cook just until crispy on each side, turning once. Remove steaks from pan and add mushrooms. Cooke for about a minute, until mushrooms are soft. Add bouillon, water and Worcestershire sauce. Place steaks on top of mushrooms and sprinkle with any remaining flour. Cover and place in low (250 degrees) oven. Bake for about 1 ½ hours, until sauce is thickened.

Serves 2

Tip: You can also make this dish in a crock pot. Just brown the meat before putting in the crock pot and set it to cook on low for 4+ hours.

September 6, 2011: Chicken Fried Breakfast Steak Recipe

I usually don’t go to the trouble of making a real elaborate breakfast for just my husband and I but I wanted something special over the long weekend. I dug down in my freezer and found a couple pork cube steaks. Voila! A breakfast fit for a king (with enough calories to last a week but we won’t mention that)!

Chicken Fried Breakfast Steak with Cream Gravy

2 beef or pork cube steaks (or two boneless chops, pounded thin and tenderized)

Garlic salt and black pepper

1 cup flour

1 egg, beaten

1 cup coarse bread crumbs (or Panko if you do not have fresh)

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 cup milk

Season the cube steaks with salt and pepper on each side. Dredge in the flour. Dip each into the beaten egg, then the bread crumbs, generously coating each side. Save remaining flour. Let the coated steaks rest for about 10 minutes minimum.

Heat the oil in an electric skillet (you can also cook them on the stove but I find the electric skillet, which is Teflon-coated, works best) to 325 degrees. Carefully place the steaks in the pan, being sure to minimize loss of bread crumbing coating. Cook about 5 minutes, until oil begins to bubble up through the spaces. Turn over and cook an additional 5 minutes or so, until the steaks are well done. Remove from the skillet and transfer on a plate to a warm oven.

Reduce heat to 250 degrees and add remaining flour to the skillet. Cook and stir for a couple minutes, to ensure that the oil and flour are well incorporated. Slowly stir in the milk. Bring to a boil and cook for a couple more minutes, until gravy is smooth and thick. Add salt and pepper to taste, if desired.

Serving suggestion: as pictured, serve with scrambled eggs, hash browns, and a piece of toast.

Serves two.