Pistou Pork Salisbury Steak with Steamed Broccoli (Paleo, AIP)

September greetings! It doesn’t feel like fall here in Minneapolis at the moment, but that doesn’t mean I’m not craving fall comfort foods.

The appetite knows, even if the weather does not.

I’m typing this post while watching the Vikings at my boyfriend’s house. Football, farmers markets, braising, roasting vegetables, writing…these things all go together to make verrrrry good Sundays in my book.

I’m a fan of pork on Sundays too, especially heading into fall. These Salisbury steaks are so easy to make and bonus: you end up with some pesto on hand as well. In fact, double-bonus, because you can mix the “steaks” ahead of time and cook them a few days later. I paired them with simply steamed broccoli here, but of course…mashed potatoes…yeah. That’s a TV dinner situation, except healthy and delicious.

Make ahead dishes consume my mind these days. As I mentioned a couple of posts back, I’ve been wildly busy launching my paleo/gluten-free/AIP & Whole30 adaptable meal planning business, Project Vibrancy Meals.

I officially opened the website on September 1, which is HUGE for me, the culmination of years of sharing recipes here, teaching cooking classes, addressing my own health issues, and coaching some of you.

I’ve shouted it out to you a few times because without you, there would be no Project Vibrancy Meals. Your feedback on and sharing of my recipes have been everything and I’m very grateful.

I dove into developing fully formed meal plans – not just stand-alone recipes – because I had so many people say, “Just tell me what to cook!”

I know how busy you all are and also how important it is to you to eat nutritious and DELICIOUS meals, so this resonated with me. I always try to leave you with ideas for stretching recipes into more than one meal, so it made sense to me to take that to the next level and include a shopping list and a plan for using all the food.

For me, the best way to put easy meals on the table most days of the week involves cooking quite a bit of food on Sundays so I have fast meals all week long. This strategy – called batch cooking – requires a commitment one day a week but man, the payoff is so fantastic.

If you’re interested in seeing if batch cooking is for you, here’s a link to a free Project Vibrancy Meals meal plan. It gives you a sense of how it all works – and also a sense of how beautiful and detailed these meal plans are. Like truly beautiful, thanks to my dear friend and designer Kim Kalina of Green Olive Design. I don’t know if you’ve tried out other meal planning services, but I am confident that Project Vibrancy Meals provide more detail, instruction, creativity, flavor, and beauty than anything else out there.

I hope you agree.

If you follow the autoimmune protocol or Whole30, there are detailed instructions for you too, in the shopping list and every recipe.

I chatted the whole shebang with Stephanie March on The Weekly Dish on Saturday, September 9, and got some great email questions. Have a listen if you’re a podcast fan!

Soooooo, that’s what’s new with me. Between Project Vibrancy Meals and the Healing Green Broth 30-Day Challenge, things are hopping! Woo hoo! I’m in recipe development super mode and I’m having the time of my life spreading the joy of cooking healthy recipes all over the place, ha.

This Salisbury steak recipe appears in one of the plans – pure comfort food but healthy too, I think you’ll love it.

Happy September and back-to-school and all the good things. Let’s get cooking!

xoxo Stephanie

Pistou Pork Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy & Steamed Broccoli (Paleo, AIP)
Serves 4

Note: Use extra pistou to swirl into soups (including Healing Green Broth); toss with pasta; stir into hot rice or cauliflower rice; stir into yogurt for a savory sauce/salad dressing; mix with mayo to spread on sandwiches or to make chicken or tuna salad; spoon over fish. It’s great stuff to have on hand!

For the pistou:
2 cups fresh basil leaves
3 tablespoons toasted pepitas or sunflower seeds (skip for AIP)
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon sea salt (more to taste)
Several grinds of black pepper (skip for AIP)
3 tablespoons olive oil
2-3 tablespoons water

Add all ingredients except water to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until a paste forms. Add 2 (or more) tablespoons of water and process to a smooth sauce. Taste and add more salt if needed.

Set 1/4 cup of the pistou aside to make the patties, below.

Transfer the remaining pistou to an airtight glass container. Press a piece of plastic wrap onto the surface of the pistou – before putting on the lid – to keep the pistou as green as possible. Refrigerate.

For the steaks and mushroom gravy:
1 cup chicken or pork broth, preferably homemade
6 teaspoons arrowroot starch, divided (skip for Whole30)
1 pound ground pork
4 tablespoons Pistou (recipe above)
Sea salt
Several grinds black pepper
1 scoop collagen (optional)
3 teaspoons olive oil (perhaps more)
6 ounces button mushrooms, quartered (substitute sliced wild mushrooms)
Sea salt
1 tablespoon sherry or madeira wine (substitute lemon juice for AIP/Whole30)
Freshly ground black pepper (skip for AIP)

For the broccoli:
1 head broccoli, cut into 1-inch florets

Make the steaks and mushroom gravy:

In a small bowl, stir together broth and 4 teaspoons of the arrowroot starch. (If the broth is homemade, it’s fine if the broth is still thick from being chilled.) Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine pork, pistou, and remaining 2 teaspoons of the arrowroot starch. Using your hands, work pistou and seasonings into the pork until evenly distributed.

Form mixture into 4 oval patties about 1/2-inch thick. 

Add oil to a 10-inch, heavy skillet and set over medium heat. When oil is hot, add pork patties to the pan. Fry for 4 minutes, or until golden brown on the bottom. Flip patties and fry for another 4 minutes or until just done (no longer pink in the center). Transfer patties to a plate and keep warm.

Return pan to heat and add mushrooms (and a bit more olive oil if the pan seems dry). Sprinkle mushrooms lightly with salt and sauté until golden brown, about 7 minutes.

Add sherry (or lemon juice for AIP/Whole30) to the mushrooms and cook until evaporated, about 2 minutes.

Add broth mixture to the pan and cook until thickened. Remove broth from heat and season with salt and pepper (skip pepper for AIP). Add pork patties to the pan, spooning mushroom sauce over them, and keep warm.

Make the broccoli:

Add 1/4-inch of water and 1 teaspoon of salt to a large sauce pan. Bring water to a boil, then add broccoli to the pan. Cover and steam broccoli for 2 minutes. Uncover and test for doneness – the goal is tender-crisp broccoli. Cover and steam for 1 more minute if needed.

Use tongs to divide broccoli among 4 plates. Add pork patties to the plates, spooning mushroom sauce over them. Serve immediately.