When it’s cold outside, I like cooking things that take time. Perhaps it’s because I’m stuck indoors all day anyway.

In any case, I don’t mind filling the house up with the aroma of a dinner that has been simmering on the stove for several hours.

Soups, chili, stew, roasted meat — all of them can fill this bill.

One of my favorite wintertime meals is some variation on Swiss steak. I say “some variation” because I don’t make it exactly the same way twice.

While sameness is the whole point of comfort food, it’s possible to experiment enough to keep things interesting without losing sight of your original objective.

To make this Swiss steak on top of the stove, you’ll need a Dutch oven-style pot or a deep skillet (at least 3 inches) with a lid. The actual cooking time is about 3 1/2 hours.

If you want to turn this into a one-pot meal, you’ll need the Dutch oven. Simply add some carrots and potatoes, prepared as you would for a pot roast, for the last hour of cooking. Arrange the vegetables on top of the simmering meat, and turn them periodically to baste them in the gravy.

This recipe calls for more garlic than most people might use. Remember that the garlic will mellow while it simmers with the meat and gravy, so don’t be afraid of overpowering other flavors.

Swiss steak revisited

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2-3 pounds bottom round steak

olive oil

4 tablespoons flour

salt and pepper

4 cloves garlic

1 large yellow onion, cut into small pieces

1 green pepper, seeded and cut into small pieces

1 poblano or Anaheim chile, seeded and chopped (optional)

6-8 ounces mushrooms, sliced

1 beef bouillon cube or 1 tablespoon beef bouillon paste

1 bay leaf

Cut round steak into serving-size pieces and trim the fat. Place flour in a bowl, season it liberally with salt and pepper, and stir with a fork. On stovetop, heat olive oil in a deep skillet or Dutch oven over low heat. Press garlic into oil and saute it. Leave cooked garlic in skillet. Dredge pieces of meat in seasoned flour and brown them on both sides in the oil. Reserve flour.

With burner at lowest setting, layer browned meat in the skillet, topping individual pieces of meat with pieces of onion. Arrange peppers, mushrooms and remaining onion on top of meat.

Dissolve bouillon cube in 2 cups of boiling water. Place 1 tablespoon of the reserved flour in a small bowl, add 1 tablespoon of water and whisk to make a smooth paste. Add paste to bouillon, stir until well-blended and pour over meat and vegetables in skillet. Add bay leaf and cover.