Southern Smothered Steak

This recipe comes from one of my favorite cookbooks, Southern Light Cooking, by Robert Pierce. It is one of my favorite comfort food dishes, and I'm never disappointed with the results.

• Ready In: 1 hr 5 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1  lb  lean top round steak, well trimmed
• 1⁄4 cup flour
• 1  tablespoon  vegetable oil
• 2  onions, thinly sliced
• 1  cup beef broth (*see note below)
• 1 (16 ounce) can whole canned tomatoes, drained and chopped (**see note below)
• 1  bay leaf
• 1  tablespoon dried parsley
• 1  tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1  tablespoon lemon juice
• 1⁄4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt (*see note below)
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

1. Cut steak into serving size pieces.
2. Dredge in flour, shaking off excess.
3. In a large non-stick skillet, heat the oil over med-high heat.
4. Add steak and cook, turning often, until browned, about 4-5 min.
5. Remove to plate and set aside.
6. Add the onions to the skillet, and cook stirring often to scrape up those brown bits from the bottom of the pan, until the onions have begun to soften.
7. Add all the remaining ingredients to the pan and mix well.
8. Return the steak to the pan.
9. Cover and turn heat to med-low, simmering 45 to 1 hour until the the steak is tender and the sauce has thickened.
10. Remove the bay leaf and skim any unwanted fat from the pan (probably won't be any if you use the recommended amount of oil and lean, trimmed meat).
11. Spoon the sauce over the meat to serve.
12. Excellent served with either home-made mashed potatoes, or over rice.
13. This dish freezes and reheats well and can easily be doubled.
14. *Note1--For added flavor and less sodium the author recommended substituting dry red wine or beer for the beef broth.
15. I use a low sodium beef broth myself.
16. If I were to use regular beef broth, I would definitely cut back on the salt recommended to 1/4 teaspoon.
17. **Note2--Make sure you drain your tomatoes.
18. You don't want a watered down sauce.
19. You could also use 2 large ripe tomatoes chopped instead of the canned, but why bother?