Pepin's Salisbury Steaks with Vegetable Sauce

 Years ago my son told me, "food is all about the sauce." Of course, food to him at the time was chicken nuggets and he was all about dipping them in some ranch.

He wasn't wrong. Most of the time food is, in fact, all about the sauce. Take Pepin's Salisbury Steaks with Vegetable Sauce. It really does become all about the vegetable sauce, which is rather unique because most Salisbury Steaks are covered in a traditional brown gravy. Instead, Pepin likes to kick it up a notch by making a vegetable sauce with carrots, onion, soy sauce, tomato paste, water and Tabasco sauce. It is a lightly flavored tomato sauce that is very veggie-forward. The carrot is prominent and lends a fresh flavor to the Salisbury Steaks.

It doesn't stop there. This is not just a ground beef patty. These Salisbury Steaks are packed with flavor: chopped onions, chopped celery, garlic, eggs, fresh breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, and two whole cups of chopped apple! Who would ever think of putting apple in Salisbury Steak, but it works! The apple kind of melts into the Salisbury Steak delivering a subtle sweetness that pairs well with the carrot vegetable sauce. 

We really enjoyed this unique twist on the traditional Salisbury Steak. It was a lighter, more veggie-forward, fresher tasting version and I would recommend it if you were in the market for a recipe such as this. I have yet to try it, but Pepin says the leftover Salisbury Steaks make very good sandwiches the next day.

 

 Salisbury Steaks with Vegetable Sauce

Adapted from Essential Pepin

by Jacques Pepin

Serves 6

Steaks

3 tablespoons canola oil

1-1/2 cups chopped onions

1-1/2 cups minced celery

2 apples, such as Rome Beauty or McIntosh (about 1 pound)

1-1/2 pounds ground beef

2 large eggs

2-3 garlic cloves, crushed and finely chopped (1 teaspoon)

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon salt and black pepper

3 slices firm white bread, processed to crumbs in a food processor (1-1/2 cups)

Sauce

1 cup peeled, coarsely chopped carrots

1 cup coarsely chopped onion

2 cups water

1 tablespoon dark soy sauce

 1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons tomato puree

1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

For The Steaks: Preheat oven to 400F. Heat the oil in a large saucepan. When it is hot, add the onions and celery and cook over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes, until slightly softened. Meanwhile, core but do no peel the apples. Cut them into 1/2" pieces. (You should have 2 cups.) Add to the onion and celery mixture and remove from the heat. Put the meat in a large bowl, add the onion-celery-apple mixture, eggs, garlic, salt and pepper, and mix well. Add the breadcrumbs and mix well to incorporate. (Fresh bread crumbs are best for this recipe; if substituting dry crumbs, use only 3/4 cup). Dampen your hands with water and form the mixture into 6 large patties (each weighing approx. 8 ounces). Arrange in a large roasting pan so there is a little space between the steaks and bake for 20 minutes.

For The Sauce: Put the carrots, onion, water, soy sauce, salt, pepper, tomato paste, and Tabasco in a saucepan and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and boil gently for 5 minutes. Keep warm. When the steaks have cooked for 20 minutes, remove them from the oven. They will probably stick to the bottom of the pan, so you will easily be able to incline the pan and pour off most of the accumulated fat. Spoon the sauce over and around the steaks and return them to the oven for 15 minutes and serve.

Let's Get Saucy @ IHCC!