city chick cube steak inspired by the pioneer (a recipe)
The Pioneer Woman is one of the Internet’s greatest sensations. I totally get the draw with all those hot picks of her husband (The Marlboro Man) strutting in chaps coupled with sassy prose and pretty darn impressive food pics. But the recipes? Yikes! This is food for men who wrestle calves for a living, not urban chicks who click a keyboard for cash.
But I wanted to find a new recipe for the block of grass-fed buffalo cube steak I had sitting in my fridge and a Google search served up some Pioneer cuisine. I read through the original recipe and it sounded like just the sort of thing I craved… Except that each serving called for at least a half a stick of butter. I am not Paula Deen. I cannot cook this way. So I decided to trim down the cube steak to something your average American could eat every day without causing permanent arterial damage.
City Chick Cube Steak Inspired By The Pioneer
for step-by-step photos, refer to original recipe here (just beware the butter!)
1/2 c yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 medium yellow or orange pepper, sliced (this is not in the original recipe but adds some vitamin C, sweetness and a crunch)
pinch of salt
1 tbsp butter
1 lb buffalo cube steak
approx 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 splash Tobasco (go easy!)
1/4 c beef stock
salt to taste
1 c whole wheat penne pasta (this replaces the store-bought white buns)
serve with blanched haricot vert, green beans or wax beans tossed in flax seed oil, green garlic and a splash of red wine vinegar (optional but you should eat your greens!)
In a non-stick pan lightly coated with cooking spray, cook the onions until soft. Add the peppers and a pinch of salt and saute until the onions brown and the peppers begin to soften. Set aside.
While you prepare to cook the beef, you’ll want to start your pasta water simmering.
Cut the steak into strips against the grain so it looks like this http://www.flickr.com/photos/pioneerwoman/445207893/ (Told you she had great photos!)
In your non-stick saute pan, melt 1 tbsp unsalted butter-this is all the butter you will need for a delicious dish. (If you are following along, I skipped the steak seasoning, opting to finish the dish with salt to taste instead.)
In order to time the dish, you will want to add the pasta to the boiling water now and cook for approx 8 minutes.
Add the meat to the saute pan in a single layer and do not stir. Allow the meat to brown before flipping then brown on the other side. Then season with the Worcestershire and tobasco-now you can stir.
Return the pepper and onions to the pan and add the beef stock. Stir to coat and allow the mixture to simmer on medium to medium low heat while the pasta finishes cooking. Season with salt to taste. (Depending on the saltiness of your stock, you may not need salt at all at this point.)
To plate, divide the pasta between to plates. Top with about 1/3 to half of the beef mixture, depending on your hunger level. Make sure to drizzle with some of the pan juice. Garnish with haricot vert.
