Behold The Power of Beef, Sauce and Noodles-Chopped Steak!
When I think of a hearty meal a few things come to mind – beef, sauce and noodles! These three things play so nicely together. Think about all the ways these come together in the food world – swedish meatballs, beef paprikash, salisbury steak, even spaghetti and meatballs! Each one carries a food perspective that leads down different, but delicious paths. It is a powerful reminder that using new perspectives and inspiration is the cornerstone of creating new things whether it be a new dish or a new experience. New perspective gives us new direction and that will lead to WOW moments never experienced before.
For me, when beef, sauce, and noodles intersect to create the classic Chopped Steak my interest is peaked. I remember many meals out with my family where I witnessed Chopped Steak being chosen over dishes that were much more refined. I am not sure why and I never really asked. I just chalked it up to one of those questions that can’t really be answered like why are sandwich cookies more popular? or Why are some bugs pretty and some not? I have concluded subjectively that it is just the power of Beef, Sauce and Noodles! I am ok with this.
As a classic, it means that even chopped steak can be a spring board to new things. Here is how I do my Chopped Steak with Mushroom Gravy On Buttered Noodles.
Chopped Steak with Mushroom Gravy On Buttered Noodles
First, a word about the chopped steak. A lot of chopped steak recipes call for a lot of additions like bread crumbs, eggs, etc. I am a bit of a purist, especially if the beef available is of good quality. Sometimes I just add salt and pepper while other times I might add Worcestershire sauce and a little minced garlic or onion. There is lots you can do here, too. Even using a little steak seasoning would be nice. Like I said, if the beef is good, I see no reason for lots of fillers. Sure, you could argue moistness, but I tend to use meat that is slightly less lean, and I can be gentle in the cooking so I don’t dry out the meat. After creating the patties, I pan fry them in butter, this helps!
I serve my chopped steak on buttered egg noodles. Any brand will do. Use your favourite noodle.
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1 small shallot, finely chopped
- 1/4 pound button mushrooms, sliced
- ¼ pound shitake mushroom
- 2 cups low sodium beef broth (consommé could work, too)
- 1 cup cream
- salt and pepper
- In the frying pan melt the butter in over medium heat.
- When the foam subsides add the shallot and cook until softened but not browned.
- Add the mushrooms. Toss the mushrooms in the butter then allow the mushrooms to brown.
- Add the beef broth and increase the heat so the the broth comes to a simmer. Reduce by about ½.
- Add the cream. Continue simmering and reducing until the sauce is thick and creamy about 10-12 minutes. If it sticks to the back of a spoon, you are there. It could take a bit more or a bit less depending on how rapid your simmering is.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
There is More We Can Do with Chopped Steak
There are lots of new directions we can take chopped steak. What if we were to go meatless? If we use tofu,but give it some meat cues and give it a crispy crust it would be a winner.
| Replace the meat patty with a slice of firm tofu (Or consider a large Portabello mushroom). | Season the tofu with Montreal Steak seasoning or steak sauce (think marinade) | To go vegan skip the butter and cream and use appropriate substitutes like soy margarine and almond milk | Crisp the tofu by pan frying on medium heat | Consider a whole grain noodle. |
We could take this up a notch by changing the sauce to something a bit more refined. What if we used a hollandaise sauce but added the mushrooms and a dash tomato. This would really be a sauce Choron with mushroom (Hollandaise+Tomato=Sauce Choron – great on meat!)
| Make the mushrooms as above let cool | Make a hollandaise sauce | Add a tablespoon of tomato paste and the mushrooms to the hollandaise | Top the meat with a few roasted asparagus | Spoon sauce over meat. Consider a whole grain noodle. |
There is so much to do with chopped steak. The classic combination of beef, sauce and noodles is delicious and unlimited and there is still more WOW moments that can be created!
Keep Eating! Keep Innovating!
How would you make these Chopped Steak recipes your own? Let us know in the comments or on Facebook.
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