Braised Pork Cube Steak with Rotel Tomatoes

Tonight was the night for another recipe experiment!  I had picked up a package of pork cubed steak and instead of simply frying it up with some mashed potatoes, I wanted to try something completely different.  

As you can tell from that picture, I went a Mexican route.  First, let's mix up the breading for the cube steak.

2/3 cup self rising flour

1 T. fajita seasoning

1 t. ground cumin

1 t. chili powder

1/2 t. salt

In a shallow dish or plate, mix the flour and seasonings together with a fork.  Press each piece of cube steak down into the flour to get into all the nooks and crannies.  Place on a plate as you bread the individual pieces.

Heat a couple of T. of vegetable oil in a skillet or a braiser over medium high heat.  Place a few pieces of cube steak into the hot oil and let each side lightly brown.  Don't crowd the pan.  Cook in batches adding a little more oil as needed.

I placed the browned pieces on the overturned lid of the braiser as I browned the remaining pieces simply to keep from dirtying another plate. 

While the cube steaks were browning I sliced a medium yellow onion and a green bell pepper.  I added a little more oil to the braiser and then tossed in the onion, pepper, and 3 cloves of chopped garlic.

I let the vegetables cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes.  Then I stirred in one can of Rotel tomatoes.  You can choose whichever flavor or heat level you'd like.

Next pour in one cup of beef or vegetable stock.

Now add the pieces of browned cube steak back into the braiser and nestle the pieces down into the liquid.

Reduce heat to low and cover.  Let the meat and vegetables braise for 25-30 minutes.  

The meat should be fork tender.  The vegetables should be soft, but not mushy.  Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley or cilantro and serve immediately.

I served the cube steak and veggies over taco flavored rice.  You could certainly use yellow rice if you prefer.  A side of seasoned black beans completed the meal.