Recipe: Swiss Steak (using canned tomatoes)

SWISS STEAK

1 (2 lb.) Beef chuck, boneless, about 1/2 inch thick*
Commercial meat tenderizer*
1/4 cup flour, unsifted
Salt (as desired)
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons fat or oil**
1 (16-ounce) can tomatoes
1 medium-size onion, sliced
1 stalk celery, diced

Cut meat into six servings, if desired. Treat meat with tenderizer. Mix flour and seasonings; coat meat with mixture.

Heat fat in a large frypan. Brown meat on both sides in frypan, turning once.

Drain off fat. Add remaining ingredients. Cover tightly and simmer until meat is tender, about 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours.

*If preferred, use 1 1/2 pounds boneless round steak or flank steak.

**If desired, trim excess fat from meat and heat in frypan to get fat for browning meat.

***Instead of using commercial tenderizer, have the butcher cube (like for cubed steak) the meat to tenderize it.

About Commercial Meat Tenderizers:
Meat tenderizers are usually available in powdered form. Some have seasonings added; others do not. These tenderizers should be used according to the directions on the label. Tenderizers work best on moist, raw meat and when distributed evenly over the meat and meat is pierced with a fork to allow penetration. Tenderizers work slowly on meats at refrigerator temperature and have little or no action on meats while they are frozen. Tenderizers act as meat warms from refrigerator temperature and in the first stages of cooking. Too much tenderizer may make meat mushy or crumbly, mealy, and dry.

Makes 6 servings
Source: Money-Saving Main Dishes, USDA Home and Garden Bulletin No. 43, 1979