” The only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking you’ve got to have a what-the-hell attitude.” ~ Julia Child

Well what the hell I have decided I am going to share the Minute Steak Recipe I took from Grandmas Recipe Box.  Despite the fact it was one of the worst things my Mom and I have made since I started stirring cookie batter  for her in the kitchen as a child.

The Disaster that was the Minute Steak Recipe.

This year during my moms visit  she has helped me get Tripping Vittles further along my dream path, we have also traveled and cooked together in turn making some really great memories and some super tasty food.

This Minute Steak Recipe was NOT a tasty meal, it was funny and gave us much to ponder but it was not our finest mother/daughter cooking moment.  I knew we were in Trouble with a capital T when my mom said  that the smells coming from the pan were nothing like the smells she remembered from her mother’s kitchen,  I think something about dirty feet may have been uttered, I believe this was her way of saying this is disgusting and we maybe in trouble.

Family

I have waxed poetic about my mothers and grandmothers cooking. There is a strong driving force in Tripping Vittles to share their recipes and to find the origins of what made them such great cooks. How cooking has taken root in my mother’s side of the family and how all families have a history of food and how  it can bring us together.

My cousin who I idolized took cooking classes at the community college, when it was time for family get together I always looked forward to her bringing a dish  because I knew it would be awesome.  We have a fast food maven in the family one who rocked at Burger King and McDonald’s, she even has the awards to prove it.  She now works for the Minnesota Twins Concessions and Meals on Wheels.  Following in our footsteps is the next generation where we have a full-blown chef in the family, one who has cooked at the James Beard Houses Kitchen.

How We got to Grandmas Recipe Box

I was drawn to kitchens and restaurants starting with  my very first job at a York Steak House, sucked into this world of food and never wanting to leave until I draw my last breath.

All this food history in our family and my passion to learn about the history of food is what brings me to Grandmas Recipes, stored in the metal box I keep above my refrigerator are my mom’s side of the family food memories.  It is a treasure trove of recipes from  the past, present and future, a place in my mind where there is no bad or nasty recipe, they are all master pieces. Until they aren’t.

Reality is they can’t all be winners

The fact is not everything my grandma made was amazing and awesome. Some things apparently were downright nasty, gross and a bit vile. We will file The Minute Steak Recipe under the Gross group but don’t worry that does not mean I will not share it with you,  even when it is gross it’s still fun.  A what- the- hell attitude goes for creating great food and it should also extend to producing and eating bad food.

The Recipe

Lets take a look at the Minute Steak Recipe and see what a gross meal looked like back in the 50’s or right here in the year 2017.  On a side note there may also be indications of a recipe gone bad if that recipe has aliases.  Those aliases for the Minute Steak are often times Swiss Steak or Cube Steak, please be on the look out for these as they may be a hazard to your taste buds.

A Promising Start

Grandmas Recipe Box: Minute Steak Recipe

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• Author: trippingvittles

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Description

A recipe for Minute Steak may also be known as Swiss or Cube Steak.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 2 Minute Steaks about 4 oz each
• 1/2 cup melted Margarine
• 2 medium Onions sliced into rings and separated
• 3 Tablespoons All Purpose Flour
• 1 can Beef Consommé or Beef Broth
• 1 cup Dry White Wine
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1 1/2 Tablespoon Vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon Pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley *optional
• Rice or noodle base *optional

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Instructions

1. Brown steak in margarine and remove from pan
2. after steaks set aside add onion to pan and cook until tender
3. when tender sprinkle with flour stirring to coat onions
4. when coated slowly add consommé and wine stirring the  until slightly thick
5. stir in vinegar, salt and pepper
6. place steak back in pan cover and simmer for 20 min until steak is tender

Notes

Serve as is or over a bed of rice or noodles sprinkle with parsley.  Side bar….I would opt for noodles buttered tossed with parmesan cheese and maybe some hot sauce because you will need help making this go down.

That said I think with a little tweaking this could become a delightful meal by adding mushrooms to the onions and leave out the vinegar .  We did not cook this in a  cast iron pan but I may try that also and brown the onions a little more for a more carmel color and  sweet flavor.