Soul Food · Authentic-ish Soul Food
Smothered Cube Steak
298 kcal a serving, against 506 for the traditional version. That is 208 kcal off, or 41%, with 35.1g of protein. Serves 4. 1 hour.
What the traditional version is
Traditionally, cube steaks (thin, machine-tenderised beef) are dredged in seasoned flour, fried in beef dripping until crisp, then simmered in a thick brown gravy made by cooking flour and onion in the pan fat, building the sauce up with beef stock. It's served ladled over the steaks, with mashed potatoes or rice. There's nowhere to hide: the meat and the gravy make the dish.
What changed, and what each change costs
15% fat beef cube steak for 5% fat beef mince, shaped into patties
Most cube steak sold in Britain is just coarsely beef mince, tenderised by machine and usually fairly fatty. I use 5% fat mince and press it into rough patties. It's plenty tender after simmering and the lower fat slashes the calories.
What it costs you. You lose some beefiness and richness. If you want that old-school, almost greasy juiciness, this won't do it, but you won't need a lie-down after eating.
Pan-frying in 40g oil or dripping for 12g olive oil
A steak fried in a shallow puddle of fat is hard to beat for flavour, but if you just brush the patties with a whisper of olive oil and use a non-stick pan, you can still get a bit of browning on the outside.
What it costs you. Crust is lighter, less flavour from the pan, and you lose the background beef-dripping taste the original does so well.
Thick roux gravy for a cornflour-thickened sauce
A proper gravy here starts with a dark roux: flour cooked in beef fat until it smells toasty. I bin most of the flour and thicken with a cornflour slurry instead, which means fewer calories but less of that nutty, caramelised flavour.
What it costs you. The trade-off is obvious: the sauce is less lush, and nobody will be tricked into thinking there's a real roux. Still, it's plenty tasty when you boost the onions and season properly.
Less salt and a bit more onion for flavour
With less fat, you need to work harder for savoury depth. More onion ups the natural sweetness and body of the sauce, so the beef comes through.
What it costs you. The sauce is a touch lighter, but you won't complain unless you're a cube steak purist (and if you are, I can't help you).
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 506 | 298 |
| Protein | 32.1g | 35.1g |
| Fat | 32.8g | 10.7g |
| Saturated fat | 10g | 3.8g |
| Carbohydrate | 18.8g | 13.8g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 6.3g | 11.8g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish Soul Food prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. gluten.
The method is in the book
This version clocks in leaner, with a lot more actual beef per bite and much less hanging around in the gravy. If you're here for roux, just make the original and don't let anyone tell you off. But if you want a midweek dinner with a proper old-school feel, the onion-rich sauce holds its own. It's not the gravy you remember, but it clings to the beef, and you can eat a plateful and still function afterwards.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish Soul Food, along with 52 more. It is not out yet. The swap kit is free in the meantime.