One day I ended up having unexpected guests over. Panicky, I looked in the fridge only to find I had some potatoes, salad and a few slices of yesterdays left over steak. As we chatted at the table and dinnertime was getting closer I was thinking of what I could have cooked quickly and easily. Luckily an old recipe my grandma used to make popped in my mind.

I excused myself and headed towards the pantry where I had a collection of recipes. I found my grandmas old recipe book that I kept preciously for many years.

My grandma called them “pizza cutlets” a variant of the authentic steak pizzaiola. The recipe is pretty easy, you can use fresh steak from scratch or simply use left over meat. The name derives from the fact that the steak resembles a pizza when ready because it shares the same basic ingredients. Some Italian restaurants nowadays even serve this recipe on their menu. Here is the recipe for a quick, easy but yet satisfying meal:

STEAK PIZZAIOLA GRANDMA STYLE

Ingredients for 4 people:

4 steaks thinly sliced or veal cutlets
2 eggs beaten
1 cup bread crumbs
1 can tomato sauce
4 slices fresh Roma tomatoes
4 round slices mozzarella cheese or provolone cheese
salt
pepper
extra virgin olive oil
parsley
basil

Directions:

Dip steaks or cutlets in beaten eggs. Then pass in breadcrumbs. Salt and pepper to taste each side. Fry in extra virgin olive oil once hot in a large frying pan. Fry both sides ensuring the slices are well cooked. Put aside keeping warm.

In the meanwhile, warm up the sauce in a saucepan. Season accordingly.
Place sauce on each cutlet. Add on top of each slice a slice of Roma tomatoes. Finally,top each cutlet with a slice of mozzarella or provolone. Put quickly in the oven a few minutes or under grill until the cheese is nicely melted. Garnish with parsley, basil and serve piping hot. Buon Appetito!

Most steak pizzaiola are made by simply frying the steak. My grandma added her special touch by passing the slices in eggs and breadcrumbs. I think this is what made her recipe unique and tasty.

I served this dish that night with a side salad and some home made fries. Even though this dish was made out of left over meat, everybody seemed to like it. There ultimately was really no need to worry about the outcome. The portions were luckily sufficient and fulfilling. Now, I always leave some extra meat slices in my freezer for unexpected guests or for a quick meal when nothing else seems available.