Smothered Steak
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Place one and one-half pound flank or round steak in a casserole or granite pan and season.
Add a thick layer of chopped onions and one pimento or a portion of sweet pepper.
Pour over all one-half can tomatoes.
Bake
Cover closely and bake in the oven for one hour or until the steak is tender.
Uncover and brown the last half hour if desired.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures. See the original page.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Flank or round steak
- Long, covered baking in moisture breaks down connective tissue, making the meat tender.
- Chopped onions (in the method)
- Softens and sweetens as it cooks, adding aroma to the sauce.
- Tomatoes (in the method)
- Adds acidity and liquid that forms a sauce around the steak.
- Pimento
- Adds mild sweetness and fresh aroma to the dish.
The step that matters
Cover closely while baking. The lid traps steam so the steak braises in its own juices and the tomatoes. Slow, moist heat breaks down connective tissue, so the meat becomes tender rather than dry and tough.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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