EASY MICROWAVE PEPPER STEAK

Do you remember when your mom found a hundred different ways to feed your family on ground beef?  Maybe this was one of your family dishes.  The recipe calls for green, red, and yellow bell peppers. (FYI, red bell peppers are about the highest food in vitamin C.)  In my family, we often had only green from the garden.  When we got a microwave, it was so exciting how we could cook things in it.

1 lb ground beef
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp paprika
salt and pepper to taste
3 tbsp flour
1 1/4 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 medium red bell pepper
1 medium green bell pepper
1 medium yellow bell pepper
1 medium yellow onion, sliced and separated into rings

Crumble the meat into a large mixing bowl and stir in the thyme, paprika, about a teaspoon of salt, and some pepper.  Using your hands, mix well and shape into 4 patties about 1/4-inch thick.  We liked our patties oval shaped.  Place the patties on a microwave-safe rack (Usually called a bacon rack.) Microwave on high about 4 or 5 minutes or until cooked to desired doneness.  Turn the rack after 3 minutes if your microwave does not have a turntable.  Remove meat and keep warm; reserve 1/3 cup of the drippings.

Mix the flour into the drippings in a medium-size microwave-safe bowl.  Stir in the chicken broth (personally, I hate chicken and prefer vegetable broth) and the Worcestershire sauce.  Microwave on high 2 to 3 minutes or until the mixture thickens.  Stir after each minute.  Season with salt and pepper to suit your taste.  Add the bell peppers and onion rings.  Cover and microwave on high 5 to 7 minutes or until the vegetables are crisp tender.  Stir after 3 minutes of cooking.

To serve, place vegetables, onion, and gravy over the meat patties.

Yield: 4 servings