Steak Pizzaiola

A no-nonsense dish to make, it comes out tasty every time. Steak alla pizzaiola literally means "pizza maker style meat" because of the tomato sauce and cheese on top of the beef cutlets. It cooks together into a nice, heart-warming meal! Steak pizzaiola has been popular in Italy for years but was made famous in other places by the popular TV show, Everybody Loves Raymond.

It isn't so much a recipe as directions, since Italians like to cook "all'occhio" (by the eye). Don't worry - you can do it!

CARNE ALLA PIZZAIOLA

You'll need: about a pound of canned or fresh tomatoes, chopped; a bit of onion and garlic, minced; red wine; oregano; red chile flakes; veal or beef cutlets; mozzarella cheese.

In a large skillet, add about a tablespoon of olive oil and saute some minced onion and garlic until soft. Add a splash of red wine and let cook a few minutes, then add the chopped tomatoes, a pinch or two of oregano, a little red chile flakes, and salt and pepper. You can also add a few basil leaves, torn up, into the sauce. Bring to a simmer, then put the meat cutlets into the sauce. Cover and cook about ten minutes, turning the meat once. When the sauce is thick and fragrant and the meat is cooked, put the cutlets in an oven-proof pan and sprinkle on a little mozzarella, chopped. Put it under the broiler until the cheese melts. Place the cutlets on a plate with some additional sauce from the pan. Be sure to have some good crusty bread to sop up the sauce with!

You can snazz it up a bit, too, if you like but adding other traditional "pizza toppings" like mushrooms, green peppers, or olives to the sauce.