The topic for this month’s column is a little old-fashioned and can possibly even be described as “mysterious,” but I think we can learn a thing or two about budget-friendly foods from those old-fashioned ancestors of ours. That’s right, folks: the focus of this month’s column is the cube steak. This little cut of meat is trendy, budget-friendly, readily available, and sure to bring you back to some childhood memories. Whether these memories are good or bad—and it seems that most people have a response that is strongly one way or another—hopefully you will give this little steak a second chance.

I can honestly say I don’t think I had ever before in my life brought a cube steak into my kitchen until Brennus, the Co-op meat department manager, suggested it be the focus for my column this month. Since I am always up for a challenge and something new, I seized the opportunity to find out a little more about this mysterious steak.
It turns out that cube steak is simply a top or round steak (a cheaper and characteristically tough cut of meat) that has been run through an electric tenderizer. This tenderizing method is clever in that it ensures that consumers make use of the whole beef cow, which is helpful for small-scale grass ranchers who have tiny profit margins.

In my research into this steak, I found that they can be prepared in a myriad of ways; they are renowned as a breaded and fried delicacy, can be pan-fried in something as simple as butter and herbs, served as a sort of upgraded hamburger, doused in relish or gravy, or even incorporated into the ever-famous Midwestern “hot dish.”

I wanted to prepare my steak in a slightly more healthy fashion, without losing sight of the traditional comfort food appeal. As a result, I chose to cook it in red wine gravy and serve it over brown rice, in a style similar to a Salisbury steak minus the mashed potatoes. As luck would have it, this turned out to be a quick, easy, sure-to-please meal that even the kids will love. I can’t believe I have been missing out on this for so long.
 
Cube Steak in Red Wine Mushroom Gravy
Ingredients
3/4 pound cube steak
4 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons oil
1-1/4 cup beef stock
1/3 cup wine
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 red pepper, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons butter
cooked brown rice
 
Preparation
Combine flour, oregano, garlic, salt, and pepper, then cut cube steaks into three equal-sized sections and coat each in the flour mixture (reserve the remaining flour).

Heat the oil in a large skillet. First brown the mushrooms, remove from the skillet, then brown the floured steaks on each side. At the same time, melt butter in a separate skillet, and lightly brown the remaining flour.

Add water, wine, mushrooms, and pepper. Simmer until steaks are tender (approximately 20 minutes), add browned butter and flour and cook until gravy thickens. Serve steaks and excess gravy over brown rice. This recipe serves three; increase steak size by 1/4 pound to add additional servings.
 
 If you have any questions, comments, or personal anecdotes about cube steak or the recipes you grew up with, please send them to This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it .