Now I knowing nothing of Swiss Cuisine know not if this is even remotely Swiss, but it's what mom calls it, and her version was one of my favorites when I was growing up.

My version differs mainly in the fact that I don't dredge the steak in flour. This has two effects. A] it lowers the glycemic index, as white flour has a very high glycemic index, and

B] browning the meat takes less oil, since there is no flour to soak up more oil.

I'm thinking of experimenting with whole wheat pastry flour for dredging and thickening soups, but I'm worried about the texture. I"ll let you know what my findings are.

So, here's the recipe.

1 pound lean beef, I usually use eye of round, cut into thin fingers, about like stir fry meat.

1 onion, cleaned, cut in half from root to stem end, then sliced from root to stem end in 1/4 inch wide strips

1 yellow or orange bell pepper, cored and cut into strips

� cup dry white wine

1 can sliced stewed tomatoes

1 scant cup of v-8 or tomato juice, I prefer the v-8

1 clove of garlic

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

about 1/4 tsp plus a couple pinches of fructose, or � tsp of sugar if you are so inclined.

Olive oil

Bring a heavy Dutch oven, or deep skillet with a lid, to temperature over a medium high flame. When to temperature add enough oil to provide an even layer on the bottom. Immediately add the sliced meat in small enough batches that browning can be achieved, remove the browned batches and continue the process until all meat is browned. Drain pan, leaving any browning and meat bits behind, only the oil should be removed. Add the onions and the whole clove of garlic and saute over a medium flame, until translucent. Add pepper strips and continue sauteing just till some color starts to develop in the onions. Leave onions and pepper in pan, and deglaze the pan with the wine. When the brown bits have lifted from the pan, add the meat, tomatoes, and v-8. Simmer over medium low temperature for about 45 minutes. It should be well reduced. If it doesn't quiet taste right it probably needs to simmer another 10 minutes. Season with the salt, pepper, and fructose. Traditionally served over mashed potatoes. Sigh. Oh how I miss them. It's really good with whole wheat couscous though.

Variation: Don't bother if you don't have fresh basil. Add 1 tsp. thyme leaves, and 1 bay leaf at the beginning of the stewing process. In the last five minutes of simmering add 1/4 cup of a fine chiffonade of fresh basil leaves. ABSOLUTELY wonderful over whole wheat pasta with some nice, freshly grated Parmesan, and extra cracked black pepper. SUBLIME, I tell you!