Comfort Food

Octamom posted about comfort food this morning. It made me think about whether or not I'd ever posted my absolute favorite, amazing, birthday requested meal on our blog. After a quick scan of previous entries I did not find our recipe for Swiss Steak.
When I was young I used to spend every summer in Idaho with my grandparents (we lived in Las Cruces, New Mexico at the time). Grandma was the best cook ever and she made so many wonderful dishes that utilized the homegrown tomatoes and peppers from Grandpa's garden (a small one acre patch that was divided between the east and west sides of their house). This recipe is very simple and easy.

Here is Grandma Canfield's recipe for Swiss Steak.

2 pounds cube steak
2 quart jars of stewed tomatoes
1 large sweet onion, sliced thin
2 large bell peppers, sliced thin
flour
salt
pepper

Dredge the cube steak in flour and brown in oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Smother the browned steaks with the tomatoes, onion, and peppers. Cover and simmer for about an hour our until the steaks are tender.

We always serve Swiss Steak with pan browned potatoes (I'm not sure why they're called that). You begin with several moderate sized potatoes (not tiny, not quite baking size either). Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise. Use a sharp knife to score the top of the potatoes with a diamond pattern. Brush the cut side of the potatoes with butter or oil and place them in a buttered or oiled pan cut side up. Sprinkle with kosher salt. Bake for about 40 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.

Steamed green beans with sweet onion slices are the preferred vegetable side dish to serve with the steaks. Peach cobbler usually rounds off the meal (we freeze sliced peaches when they are in season so that we have plenty to use throughout the rest of the year).