Pepper Steak

I had a taste for beef so I went directly to the Angus beef counter.  The butcher pointed out two pepper steaks he was about to mark down to clear. Half price is a good deal in my eyes, I'll take them! Vegetables are expensive right now so the only reasonably priced greens was zucchini, which Fern doesn't particularly like. If I sear them and put them in some kind of ratatouille he won't complain, loudly

I got out potatoes, 2 carrots, a stick of celery, a diced onion, 3 cloves of garlic and the leftover half can of tomato paste.  I also added the fresh snow peas from the deck. I started by readying the potatoes and getting them going.  Next, sweating the onion and then adding the garlic. When the sharp aroma was off the garlic I added the carrots. A bit later in went the celery.  When all was sweated I took it out of the pan. 

I  put the two steaks in the hot well oiled pan the zucchini was fried in and left them to sizzle. A teaspoon of flour and two teaspoons of oil in the sauce pan.  Heat till bubbling to cook off the raw flour taste, then add the garlic and sweat it.  Add chicken stock while whisking to smooth out lumps. Add the half can of tomato paste.  The flour will thicken as the sauce cooks so more stock will probably be needed. Add the cooked vegetables and the snow peas to the tomato sauce and taste.  Add more salt and pepper as needed.

I served my steak on my ratatouille which didn't seem to make much difference either way. Fern liked the zucchini done this way so overall it was a good meal. I would prefer to season my own meat next time.