Carefree Cooking

Steved Beef with Gravy

I haven't been buying simering steak for a while since I don't really know how to cook it. The first time I bought it, I cooked it like a steak, and the texture wasn't right. I guess I should have really looked at it's name. Simering implies that the beef needs to be cooked in low temperature for a long time. So I got this steak again and decided to try something different. This time, it came out delicious. So I want to share this recipe with everyone. I think it should work with any tough cuts of meat.

Here's what you'll need:

1 pack Simering steak (usually comes as one slice, haven't seen this sold in bulk here in Vancouver).
1 onion, chopped
Several pieces of garlic (depends how much you like garlic)
Whole peppercorn seeds
stock (fresh is better, or bullion is acceptable)
Oil

Pour some oil on the pan and pan sear the steak on both sides. After the sides are brown, put the chopped onion and garlic. Add the stock (I used bullion since I didn't have any home made stock) into the pan until it covers the beef. Add the peppercorn. When the liquid starts to boil, turn down heat to simmer and cook for 1.5 hours or until the liquid is less than half the amount before. Make sure you cover the pan during the cooking process.

After around 1.5 hours, the meat should be very tender. If not, cook longer. Once the meat is ready, take it out of the pan and set aside to rest. To make the gravy, pour all the liquid (including onions, garlic, and peppercorn) into a blender and blend for 10-20 seconds. Be careful when blending since the liquid is hot. Blend at the highest speed for 10-20 seconds. The liquid should turn into gravy (it will get very thick). Taste the gravy and add more water if it's too salty, or add salt if it's slightly bland. Pour into a gravy container or pour directly on top of the meat.

I didn't get a chance to take a picture, but trust me, this one is tasty. I can just imagine redoing this recipe on ox-tail. Hmm....yummy.

posted by carefreecooking @ 9:35 PM