Cube Steaks Florentine

The pics of this meal do not do it any justice. (One of these days I will convince my darling hubby to invest in a nice camera.) As with a lot of foods, you just can't get them to look appetizing. You'll just have to trust me on this one.
I grew up eating quite a lot of cube steaks. They are a very economical cut of meat. Cooked properly they are melt in your mouth delicious. If you can just find other ways of making them! My mother for the most part was a single working mother with 2 small "keylatch" children. Mostly though, we always ate them in a gravy. Be it a white cream gravy or to switch it up a brown pan gravy. That was the only way I knew how to use them. So when I found this recipe for Cube Steaks Florentine I knew I had to give it a try. It is now my "new" favorite way to use cube steaks.

How did that children's nursery rhyme go? Roll it up, roll it up, put in a pan. Throw it in the oven... Yeah you pretty much guessed it. It's just that easy.

Like I said. Prettier in person and pretty awesome with some garlic-parsley potatoes. You'll just have to give this a try to see for yourself. I also used only 3 large cubed steaks and it was just enough for the two of us.

Cube Steaks Florentine

Adapted from Food.com 

Ingredients

1 (10 ounce) package chopped spinach, thawed and drained

1 cup colby-monterey jack cheese, shredded

4 ounces of softened cream cheese (my addition)

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (my addition)

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 -6 cube steaks

2 -3 teaspoons dijon-style mustard

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder


Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Spray 13x9x2 inch baking pan with nonstick spray.

In a medium bowl, combine spinach, cheeses and salt.
Mix well. Spread a cube steak with about 1/2 teaspoon of mustard, then top with an even layer of spinach mixture and press to flatten. Roll up, jelly roll style and set aside. Repeat for remaining cube steaks.

Place remaining spinach mixture into the bottom of the pan and place cube steak spirals on top.
Combine oil, paprika, pepper and garlic powder and spread over cube steaks. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes in preheated oven.
Uncover and bake for 10 minutes longer.
Makes 2-3 servings


I'm linking this up with:

Delicious Dishes-It's a Blog Party
Tidy Mom's-I'n Lovin It
Life as Mom's-Frugal Fridays
Naturally Me Creations-Who Made What?Weekends!
Designs by Gollum's-Foodie Friday
EKat's Kitchen-Friday Potluck
Good Cheap Eats-What's on your Plate
Mangoes and Chutney's-Fat Camp Friday
PrairieStory's-Recipe Swap Thursday
Quit Eating Out's-Saturday Swap
Grocery Cart Challenge's-GCC Recipe Swap
Whistlestop Cafe Cooking's-Friday's Favorites
Simply Sweet Home's-Friday Favorites
Coupon Cookin-Tasty Tradditions
Miz Helen's Country Cottage-Full Plate Thursday



 

Fathers Day for Michael

  Okay, I'll admit it! I spoil him, and yes I dote on him. Well, most of the time. Why you ask? Because he usually does the same with me. He almost always gives in to my every whim! Gotta love a man like that. So I made him a breakfast that he usually makes for me or at family and friends homes when we travel on vacations. This simple breakfast, which Michael has named "Breakfast Gumbo" and has been making for years, has many variations. It is really just a breakfast casserole  or scramble of sorts, with no special recipe or given set of ingredients. Yes, I served him breakfast in bed. Why not? He does this for me on many occaisions. Sometimes it's eggs benedict, or this gumbo, or just sunny side eggs on toast with bacon and home fries. Where is it written that only women can be served breakfast in bed?

  When confronted with "Honey, what would you like for dinner tonight?", I couldn't believe his request was Cube Steaks and Gravy. Okay, I do believe the meat and potatoes request, though I would have thought the request would be a great big juicy steak. What a surprise. Just a simple, old fashioned, southern dish? This is a favorite from my roots. My grandmother made it for my mother, who in turn made it for me, and now I have been making it for many years as well. So shall we begin?

Put each in a pie plate or vessel of your choice; flour, cracker

meal, and eggs for dredging your cube steaks.Lightly sprinkle steaks with salt,

pepper, and garlic powder on both sides. Dredge steaks, first

in flour then eggs, and then cracker meal. Set on waxed

paper lined plate as each are dredged. 

Heat 1/4 cup neutral oil (cannola) in a deep skillet and over medium high heat.

Brown on both sides. Remove from pan and set aside. Remove all but 2 tablespoons of oil 

from pan and whisk in 2 tablespoons of flour to make a rue. Cook rue until lightly browned,

then slowly add 2 cups of milk, whisking constantly to make a smooth gravy, scraping up any

brown bits on bottom of pan. Add in a tablespoon of worchestershire sauce, and salt and pepper

to taste. Return steaks to the pan of gravy. Cover and simmer over very low heat for 45 - 60 minutes.

Homestyle Cube Steaks and Gravy

from the kitchens of my mother and grandmother

Ingredients

1 1/2 to 2 pounds cube steaks or 1/2 inch round steaks (pounded with a meat mallot)

1/4 cup oil

2 beaten eggs

1 cup flour

1 cup fine cracker meal

2 cups milk

1 tablespoon worchestershire sauce

2 teaspoons garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Put each in a pie plate or vessel of your choice; flour, crackermeal, and eggs for dredging your cube steaks.Lightly sprinkle steaks with salt,pepper, and garlic powder on both sides. Dredge steaks, first in flour then eggs,and then cracker meal. Set on waxed paper lined plate as each are dredged. Heat 1/4 cup neutral oil (cannola) in a deep skillet and over medium high heat. Brown on both sides. Remove from pan and set aside. Remove all but 2 tablespoons of oil from pan and whisk in 2 tablespoons of flour to make a rue. Cook rue until lightly browned, then slowly add 2 cups of milk, whisking constantly to make a smooth gravy, scraping up any brown bits on bottom of pan. Add in a tablespoon of worchestershire sauce, and salt and pepper to taste. Return steaks to the pan of gravy. Cover and simmer over very low heat for 45 - 60 minutes.

Serves 6.

Notes: The gravy can also be made with the addition of either onions or mushrooms, or both together.
This is best served with sour cream mashed potatoes, though you can certainly serve it with rice or noodles.
 
 
 





Carla and Michael