Civil War Recipe Tutorial:

Tomato Steak


Original Recipe:

Take two pounds of beef; cut it in small strips, and put it into the pot with seven medium-sized tomatoes. Stew it very slowly. Add a dessert spoonful of sugar, salt, a little clove, and, just before you take it up, a dessert spoonful of butter. If you have tomato catsup, add a little, and if you like chopped onion, that also. Very tender beef is, of course, to be preferred; but that which is tough becomes more palatable in this than in almost any other way. This dish is quite good, if not better, heated over the next day.

Source:

Mrs. Cornelius: The Young Housekeeper's Friend; Taggard and Thompson, Boston, 1863

Modern-Day Adaptation:

We used a 3/4-inch thick piece of sirloin (bought largely on the basis of our favorite sticker, "Marked Down for Quick Sale") which turned out to be an excellent choice although other, cheaper cuts would do just as well. As the test-cooking event took place not only in winter, but in the Great Tomato Shortage Winter of '04, canned tomatoes were used in place of fresh, and worked admirably. Having no period "tomato catsup" on hand (the modern product of that name is a different thing altogether) it was omitted. Beyond that, we followed the recipe precisely.

Results:

All diners were happy. The meat was tender as Mrs. Cornelius promised; the sugar and butter tamed the acidity of the tomatoes which might otherwise have caused dyspepsia when eaten in such quantities. A heavy pan is helpful (we used cast iron) in preventing burning of the food when it is cooked for such a long time. Fans of the "slow food" movement should adopt this dish as a mascot. Rating: 8 out of 10. Side benefit: wonderful aromas permeate the house for hours.