And the Valley Cooks: Grits & Grillades

Tailgates do not live on jambalaya alone. Day games, sadly are a thing — and a regular reality for some schools! So maybe your tailgate is starting in the morning. Brunch tailgate!

Grits and grillades — thin slices of meat (*pronounced gree-yahd*), pan fried and then cooked low and slow in a rich gravy and then served over grits, are a Louisiana staple. They’re also one of the great in-state dishes that has any number of varieties. Some use beef, some use pork and I’ve even heard of using chicken thighs in some instances.

Some go with the brown gravy, but here I’m using more of the Creole style, which includes tomatoes.

Ingredients

1 lb beef round steak, cut into 1-in. pieces
1 large onion, diced
1 large bell pepper, diced
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 28-oz can, crushed tomatoes
¹⁄₂ cup chicken stock
¹⁄₄ cup red wine (optional)
¹⁄₄ cup Worcestshire sauce
1 tsp ground thyme
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
salt & pepper to taste
¹⁄₂ cup all-purpose flour
¹⁄₂ cup vegetable oil

6 servings of grits, to specifications (I used basic instant grits, seasoned with salt and pepper and made with some milk and a little bit of heavy cream)

Instructions

1. Place oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.

2. Dust your steak pieces in flour, and brown in oil on all sides until golden brown. Remove from the pan.

3. Scrape the bottom of your pan well to loosen any particles sticking. Add the leftover flour that you used to dust the steak to your pan and blend well until a dark brown roux is achieved.

4. Once you hit your color, add the diced onion and bell pepper and saute until wilted. After about five minutes, add in the minced garlic and saute for another two or three minutes.

5. Add the can of tomatoes, paprika, thyme and garlic powder and stir well to incorporate. Increase heat until the mixture starts to simmer, then add the chicken stock, Worcestshire and wine. Then return the steak to the pot.

6. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer for approximately one hour, or until the steak is fork tender. This will serve six well over grits.