Queenie’s Smothered Steak

Pour buttermilk into a medium-sized bowl. Add meat and toss gently to coat each piece. Combine flour, salt, and pepper in a zip-top plastic bag. Remove meat from buttermilk and shake off excess liquid.

Add meat to the bag, close the top, and shake to coat meat with flour. Set aside. Add olive oil to a cast iron skillet set over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic, and sauté until onion becomes translucent, approximately 4 minutes. Remove vegetables and set aside.

Return skillet to medium-high heat and add meat in one layer. Brown on one side, turn and brown other side, approximately 3 minutes per side. Remove meat from the skillet. Keep it warm while you make the gravy.

Cream Gravy

Combine flour and milk in a jar with a lid. Shake jar until blended. Pour mixture into the skillet in which meat was cooked, and use a wooden spoon to scrape and loosen the bits of debris stuck to the bottom of the pan.

Add vegetables and steaks back into the pan. Cook over low heat until gravy thickens and takes on a creamy beige hue, about 20 minutes. Do not allow the gravy to scorch. Season with salt and pepper.