Swiss Steak

Winter has settled in here in New Zealand.  This meal is one of my favourites on a cold night.  It is a slow cooker recipe, but there are a few extra steps involved.  It may seem like a bit more of an effort, but it is worth it!  My children aren't usually steak fans, but they really enjoy this meal.  The meat is so tender, it just falls apart.  Another reason I like this meal is because it does not use tomatoes.  My son can't eat nightshades (tomatoes, potatoes, capsicum, etc.), so this meal is awesome because we can all eat the same thing!  I can put it on first thing in the morning and all I have to do is cook the vegetables when it is time to eat.  My husband had his gravy over mashed cauliflower, I had mashed potato, and the children had mashed pumpkin.  YUM!!!

The original recipe can be found here.  The recipe below is my adaptation to make it gluten free and diary free.

Slow Cooker Swiss Steak
Ingredients:
Oil for frying
200 grams Mushrooms, sliced thin (use more or less depending on what you have)
Salt and Pepper
500 grams Blade steak (Topside works well, too.  Rump steak gets too dry in my opinion.)
1 onion, chopped
Couple sprigs fresh time (or 1 teaspoon dried herbs)
1 cup stock (chicken or beef work fine)
1/4 cup cold water
2 Tablespoons cornflour
1/2 cup coconut cream
Salt and Pepper to taste

Method
1. Heat some oil in a large frying pan.  Fry mushrooms for about 5 minutes.  Put mushrooms in bottom of slow cooker.
2. Add a bit more oil to pan.  Season each steak with salt and pepper.  Sear steaks for a few minutes on each side.  Just until you get a bit of colour (1-2 minutes).  Place steaks on top of mushrooms in slow cooker.
3.  Add a bit more oil to the frying pan.  Add onion and saute for about 5 minutes.  Add herbs and stock.  Bring stock to the boil.  In a measuring cup, mix the cold water and cornflour.  When the stock has come to the boil, whisk in the water and cornflour mixture.  Stir until thickened.  This should only take about a minute.  Add some salt and pepper to season.  Pour gravy mixture over the top of the steaks in your slow cooker.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
4.  About 20 minutes before you are ready to eat, take the steaks out of the slow cooker.  Cover to keep warm.  Stir the coconut cream into the gravy mixture in the slow cooker.  Turn the slow cooker onto high and leave the lid off.  Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.