Foodie Friday: Salisbury Steak

Image from Taste of Home

If you are a child of the seventies or early eighties, you probably remember Salisbury steak TV Dinners. Eating a TV dinner was a rare treat when I was a kid. The meals came in tin foil compartmentalized trays that you popped right into the oven, and in 20 minutes or less, you had a yummy hot meal...or at least that is how I remember it. We didn't have TV dinners very often, probably because they were just processed garbage filled with preservatives, and truth be told, they really weren't that good. However, as a kid, I thought these one-stop meals were delightful.

My TV dinner of choice was always Salisbury steak with mashed potatoes, mixed vegetables, which I never ate, and apple-cranberry cobbler for dessert. I can still taste the apple-cranberry cobbler. The Salisbury steak always had at least one bite filled with disgusting gristle hiding in it, but the taste of the fake and probably chemically created wood-grilled flavor made it all okay. Don't judge; I was five and thought this was the most amazing creation ever known to man. Today, I wouldn't let The Bean eat this garbage unless we were starving, but things were a lot different in the seventies.

Lately, I have been craving Salisbury steak. Rather than buying chemical-filled, processed, preserved, frozen meals with enough preservatives to survive the end of time, I made my own. I must admit, the homemade version was much better and better for you than the TV dinner variety. It was so popular with my gang that Jordan's boyfriend took leftovers home. Even better, this meal was ready to serve in thirty minutes or less.

I had everything I needed in the pantry and freezer; it was a straightforward recipe I found on the Taste of Home website, and a big bonus, I didn't find a grey-looking green bean hiding in my gravy. If you remember TV Dinners, there was always at least one cross-contamination in the food compartments. The absolute worst was finding a rogue pea in your apple-cranberry cobbler. I served my homemade Salisbury steak with extra-wide egg noodles because Pook-A-Dook, Jordan's boyfriend, doesn't like mashed potatoes. I included a side of garlic green beans to round out the meal. Now, I need to get my hands on that apple-cranberry cobbler recipe from the TV Dinner people, and my little world would be complete. This meal is definitely a throwback to the seventies, but it is easy and delicious.

Salisbury Steak

(Taste Of Home)

Ingredients:

• 1 large egg

• 3 tablespoons crushed butter-flavored crackers

• 1 tablespoon finely chopped onion

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

• 1/4 teaspoon rubbed sage

• 3/4 pound ground beef

• 1 can (4 ounces) mushroom stems and pieces, drained

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• 1-3/4 cups water

• 2 beef bouillon cubes

• 1/4 teaspoon browning sauce, optional

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, combine the egg, cracker crumbs, onion, salt, pepper, and sage. Add the beef and mix well. Shape into two patties.

   
   

2. In a medium skillet, cook patties until browned, 4-5 minutes per side; drain. Remove to a platter and keep warm.

   
   

3. In the same skillet, saute mushrooms in butter for 2 minutes. Stir in flour; blend well. Add water and bouillon; cook and stir until smooth and thickened. Stir in browning sauce if desired. Return patties to gravy and cook, uncovered, over low heat until heated through, about 10 minutes, turning occasionally. If desired, sprinkle with parsley.

   
   
   
   
   
   

   This weekend is supposed to be filled with on-and-off rain showers. However, if you have electricity, which, unfortunately, a large portion of our area still does not, I recommend making this seventies comfort food to warm your belly and feed your soul. If you don't have electricity, I encourage you to come to the farm from 10 to 2 and enjoy a Rocket Burger, hot sausage sandwich, or a walking taco from Frank's Red Rocket. If you haven't showered in a few days because you are out of power, there is no judgment here. Pull on a baseball cap and rubber boots and enjoy Springtime at the farm. Sadly, Sutton's Sweet Treats lost all their ice cream due to the power outage. They cannot attend our event, but I intend to invite them to our fall event.

   
   

4. Until tomorrow, stay safe and be smart. We hope to see you here bright and early tomorrow morning, and keep washing your hands.