This would be heavenly on the grill but the day I made it it was about 45F and drizzling. Grill be darned…that is what grill pans are for! Oil your grill pan, if you have one, with olive oil and then let it get good and hot. You want the steak to have those fantastic grill marks. If you don’t have a grill pan you can use a frying pan.

The flavor? The meat is allowed to marinate in the maple and chipotle glaze and then is grilled with a light coat of the glaze to intensify the flavors.  The combination of sweet and spicy is perfect with the beef. I served this with smoky mashed potatoes and would suggest a good Shiraz as a compliment.

Always let your meat warm up a touch before cooking. Placing cold meat in a hot pan will shock the cells in it and make it tough. Give it about 30 minutes on the counter to come to room temperature and then cook it. You will be glad you did.

Steaks with Chipotle Maple Glaze

• Flank Steak or London Broil
• 1/4 cup maple syrup (real stuff)
• 1/8 to 1/4 cup chipotle in adobo, mashed or blended
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• Kosher salt and pepper to taste
• Olive oil for grill pan

1. Combine the maple, chipotle, and garlic until smooth
2. Rub salt and pepper on the steaks
3. Brush the marinade on steaks and allow to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes
4. Brush the gill pan with olive oil and allow to heat until sizzling
5. Add the meat carefully to the pan, glaze side down, allowing it to sear
6. Brush the top of the meat with the remaining glaze
7. Cook for 7 to 10 minutes on each side, or until desired done-ness is reached

Servings depend on the amount of beef you get.

images:marye audet

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It is cooked slowly in tomato, pepper, onion, and celery. The tomato helps to tenderize the meat. The flavor of this is incredible, totally understandable that it was so popular with Mrs. Cleaver’s crowd back in the day.  One thing I changed that I really loved was I added a chopped Poblano pepper in place of the bell pepper. Added just a touch of spice, and caused my tastebuds to pay attention.

I got the round steaks for 50 percent off on clearance. You know, have some recipes that you can pull out when you find a great deal like that. For the eight of us this Swiss steak dinner was less than five dollars. I was happy and so was my budget.

In a tough economy it is a good idea to browse cookbooks from the earlier decades of the 1900s for frugal recipes. So many of them have been forgotten. I hope you will give this a try. You can make it in the oven as I did here, or in a slow cooker.

Swiss Steak

• 3 to 4 pounds of round steak
• 2 slices of bacon
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2  1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• Drippings from bacon
• Olive oil as needed
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 1 cup celery, chopped
• 1 poblano pepper, chopped
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 2 lbs canned organic tomatoes
• 1 cup water or beef broth

1. Preheat the oven to 300
2. Cook the bacon until crisp, remove bacon from pan but leave drippings
3. Pound meat until thin with a tenderizer
4. Mix flour, salt, and pepper
5. Dredge the meat in the flour
6. Add about 2 tbs of olive oil to pan with bacon drippings
7. Heat oil  until it shimmers a bit, add steak
8. Fry until just golden
9. Flip and fry on the other side.
10. Repeat with all steaks. You may need to add a little more olive oil
11. Lay steaks in a 13 x 9 inch pan
12. Cover with crumbled bacon, peppers, carrots, onions,  and celery.
13. Pour tomatoes over  and add broth or water.
14. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 2 hours.

Serves 8 (freezes well)

image: Marye Audet

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There is something about Texas food. it is unassuming, not particularly fussy and usually easy to make with local ingredients. The flavors are as in your face as a drunk cowboy and it seems to be served in amounts that would feed a whole corral of hungry cowpokes.

For me, Texas foods and flavors are just exactly what summer is all about.

Here is my version of a classic Texas 4th of July menu right down to the sweet tea.

Beef Brisket

Tomatoes Vinaigrette

Potato Salad

Tomato Swirl Bread

Incredible Dark Chocolate Bundt Cake with Chipotle Praline

Sweet Tea, the real “thang”

Image:Marye Audet (c) 2008

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Sometimes I feel that I have no time to cook. I really hate that because I love cooking but my life right now is just so busy that cooking seems to take a back seat.  I know I have been scarce in visiting your blogs…blame it on a huge amount of writing assignments and Chris being home…both good things!

Even my photography seems to be BLAH.

I have midwestern roots.  Yeah I do. I know,  know..I don’t say “pop” or “prit-neer” abd U do say y’all.  I admit it.

But I know that a salad can be jello with bananas,  marshmallows, and whipped cream and served as a side dish with any meal, o.k.? Not only do I know that salt rising bread makes the best toast EVER I happen to have an addiction to pickled ring bologna.  I know where Lapeer is and I have eaten Howell melons.  So..there.  I have even eaten fish at Whiteys, which probably doesn’t even exist any more.

Now, one of the main things about midwestern cooking is the ability to mix anything with macaroni and beef and call it a casserole. Stop laughing. You know I am right.

I have kale growing really well in the garden. It seems to be one plant that can withstand anything Texas can throw at it.  It is very good for you, lots of iron.  It can taste strong unless it is cooked with other foods that can handle the flavor.  Onion, garlic, olive oil, and a good sprinkle of sea salt all help the flavor to calm down and be perfect. It is a great addition to this filling meal.

Best of all? It is done in less than 30 minutes..Oh yeah!  It is not gourmet, it is not something that is going to make people oooh and ahhhh…but it is good and wholesome  comfort food.  Guess what else? You can use it for OAMC. It makes a great freezer meal.

This is my entry into  Presto Pasta Night.  Kevin at Closet Cooking is hosting this event this week!  You know what that means..yeah..fantastic images!
In the grand tradition of my ancestors I present to you:

Macaroni, Kale and Beef Casserole

2 lbs Macaroni, cooked and drained

2  lbs good ground beef

1 onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped,

A good size bunch of kale, washed and chopped

3 Tbs Worcestershire sauce

Cubed mozzarella, or cheese of choice, as much as desired

Sea salt and cracked pepper to taste

Brown beef, onion, pepper, kale, and garlic in a large frying pan.  Stir constantly and salt and pepper to taste as the meat is browning.  Stir in Worcestershire sauce, macaroni, and cheese. Warm through.

Serves 12

Image:Marye Audet 

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