Swiss Steak Without Tomatoes

Season the flour with salt and pepper. Using a meat mallet or the edge of a heavy saucer, pound it into the meat. Sprinkle flour on it and pound away. When the steaks are less than an inch thick, brown them in the oil or fat in a large heavy frying pan. Cast iron is best.

Add the onions and about 3/4 cup of boiling water, cover and allow to simmer for up to 2 hours, adding boiling water if needed. The flour and the pounding help to tenderize the meat, and makes a fantastic gravy. You can add more flavoring to the flour, like garlic powder, dried parsley flakes, dried thyme or rosemary or whatever.

This can also be done in the oven in a large heavy casserole pan. Do the same as above, but bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 1 1/2 hours.

cook's notes

When I first had Swiss Steak with tomatoes in it, I wasnt sure what it was. Im kind of winging it with this recipe, but its the way my grandmother made Swiss Steak. My sister and I called it pounding steak.