This is a hearty and delicious Italian dish perfect for a cold Sunday
- Carbohydrate 18.624065624986 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 10.7374824999966 g
- Fiber 4.46754996812241 g
- Protein 3.7941843749833 g
- Saturated Fat 1.49767331249978 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (414g)
- Sodium 299.594999999979 mg
- Sugar 14.1565156568635 g
- Trans Fat 0.455239124999355 g
- Calories 171 calories
Step-by-step
- In a heavy skillet, brown meat well on both sides and remove. (Dry meat well beforehand to avoid steaming and splattering).
- Lower heat and brown garlic and onions gently in same pan. Simmer until limp.
- Add tomatoes and seasoning to pan and cook slowly, stirring occasionally for about 15 minutes.
- Add steak (and juices) back to pan. Cover with sauce and cook steak for about 10 minutes on each side.
- Partially cover pan and make sure heat is at low simmer and cook steak until it is tender (keep checking - if sauce thickens too much, add a little water to restore desired consistency).
- Serve with mashed potatoes (our family favorite) or with polenta (a very Italian touch).
Thick slices of beef braised in a savory, garlic-scented tomato sauce yield a tender texture and a deeply concentrated flavor profile. Two primary errors compromise this preparation. First, moisture on the surface of the meat prevents proper searing. Pat the beef completely dry with paper towels before it hits the hot oil. Wet protein releases water into the pan, causing the surface to steam rather than brown via the Maillard reaction. Second, rushing the braise leaves tougher cuts like chuck steak chewy. Tough connective tissue requires extended, gentle heat to break down into gelatin. Lower the temperature to a bare simmer after adding the tomatoes back to the vessel. Partially cover the pan to retain moisture without boiling the meat violently. Maintain this low heat for roughly twenty minutes per side until the fibers yield easily to pressure. Judge doneness entirely by tactile resistance rather than an internal thermometer. A fork should slide into the thickest part of the steak with zero drag when the connective tissue has successfully converted. Crushed tomatoes provide the ideal moisture level for this prolonged simmer, but purée introduces too much thick starch that burns easily on the bottom of a heavy skillet. If the sauce reduces too quickly and threatens to scorch, stir in two tablespoons of water at a time to restore the proper coating consistency. Standard accompaniments include boiled polenta or smooth mashed potatoes to absorb the excess savory liquid.
