This is one of those recipes that can go two ways. One is to use the boned sirloin and the other is to select cubed steak. Either will be good for a dish that you can prepare in less than an hour and have your diners say, “This is really good.”
The recipe is from a cookbook copyrighted in 1920 (that’s correct) and reprinted in the “new” edition in 1930. I’m pretty sure the copyright has expired, so I can use this recipe from the Modern Priscilla Cook Book without permission. We don’t know if Priscilla was a Baptist, but because the cookbook was printed in Boston — only a hop and a skip across the state line to Providence, R.I., where, in 1639, Roger Williams established the first Baptist church in America — we are going to make a Baptist connection.
I like old cookbooks. This one has a cloth cover over the hardback with instructions. It is washable, it says, and if it “becomes soiled, you can safely wash it with a damp cloth and a bit of Ivory Soap. The cover will come out as fresh and clean as when you took it from its wrapper.”
No plastic cover here!
The recipe says to use a 2- to 3-inch boned sirloin, which sounds more like a small roast than a steak. If you are using cubed steak or some other thinner cut, then you may want to decrease the baking time.
The cooking instructions say to place on a platter to serve. This was before our kitchens were blessed with “bake and serve” dishes, which is what I used when I baked this. The dish, complete with the mushrooms, went right to the table, where my little test group of diners gave it high marks.
Try this dish this weekend. You will thank Roger Williams’s almost neighbor Priscilla when you’re enjoying it for … Sunday Dinner.
Baked Steak
(Recipe from Modern Priscilla Cook Book)
2- to 3-inch boned sirloin, or 1½-pound cubed steak
Marrow or butter
Salt and pepper
1 lemon
1 green pepper, chopped
1 large Bermuda onion, sliced
1 cup catsup
Fresh or canned mushrooms, drained (optional)
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Place the steak in a baking pan. Spread thickly with the marrow or butter (or both) and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Add a layer of thinly sliced lemon and then a layer of the chopped green pepper. Cover with slices of the onion. Pour over all this the catsup.
Place in the hot oven and bake, allowing 20 minutes per pound, basting often. Pierce with a fork to test for tenderness.
Fresh or canned mushrooms may be added to the gravy in the pan 20 minutes before serving and placed about the steak on the platter.
Serves 6.
(Correction: In the April 11, 2013 “Sunday Dinner” column, we incorrectly stated that the Strawberry Bread recipe was submitted by Peggy Lollis; the correct name is Peggy Hollis, who originally received the recipe from her late daughter, Carol, who died in 1999. Also, Peggy’s great-granddaughter was listed as Carey; the correct spelling is Cari. We regret the errors.)