Swiss Steak

Ingredients

• One 2 to 2 1/2 pound round or top round steak, about an inch thick
• A couple tablespoons of flour
• Salt and pepper
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 2 cups puréed tomatoes, canned or fresh
• 2 teaspoons each of fresh thyme, sage, marjoram, or 1/2 teaspoon each of dried

Directions

1. Press the flour over both sides of the steak, then season with salt and pepper. In a wide, shallow pan with a cover, warm 2 tablespoons of oil over medium high heat. Lay in the steak and let it brown for approximately 10 minutes per side.
2. Lift the steak out of the pan and keep it nearby. Add the onions and garlic, along with another tablespoon of oil. Let them cook for 3-5 minutes, scraping the browned bits from the pan with a metal spatula and folding them into the onions. Stir half of the herbs into the onion mixture.
3. Put the steak back in the pan so it sits over the onions. Tuck the onions around it and scatter some over the top, because the steak can handle a little blanket. Add the remaining herbs over the steak, then pour in the 2 cups of puréed tomatoes.
4. Set a tight fitting lid on the pan. A domed lid is the better choice if yours fits, since it helps move the steam and cooking juices around so the steak stays moist.
5. Bring the steak and tomato purée to a simmer, then turn the heat down as far as you can while still keeping a very gentle simmer. On an electric range, the warm setting works; with a high BTU gas range, you may want to raise the pot on balled up foil so it sits farther from the heat. Cook for 1 1/2 hours.
6. While the steak cooks, you can lightly pre-cook any vegetables you plan to serve with it. For example, steam 4 small russet potatoes, peeled and quartered, and 2 carrots, quartered lengthwise and cut into 2 inch pieces, for 5-10 minutes. Other vegetables, like green beans, are fine too, and skipping vegetables altogether is fine too.
7. Once the steak has cooked for 1 1/2 hours, take off the lid, flip the steak, and add the potatoes and carrots. Cover the pan again and let the steak and vegetables cook for another 30 minutes.
8. That quick head start on the vegetables matters because the steak is barely bubbling along over very low heat. If you cook the vegetables a little first, you get a much better say in how done they are.
9. After 2 hours of total cooking time, the steak should be ready. Check it with a fork; the meat should feel quite tender. Move the steak to a carving board and slice it, or use smaller individual steaks from the start. Spoon the sauce over the sliced steak.