riacmt@ubvmsa.cc.buffalo.edu (Carol Miller-Tutzauer) (05/14/91)
Grillades & Grits -- Copyright 1991 by Carol Miller-Tutzauer ----------------- Description: Grillades (pronounced GREE-awds) consists of thin slices of meat (can be beef, veal, or pork) browned then cooked in a "stew." There are many versions of them, from a more "country-style" (my recipe below) to quite sophisticated versions (like served at Brennan's, New Orleans). If you have ever had "swiss steak" then the flavor and cooking technique is similar. The country-style version below is much more gravy-like, while in the finer restaurants in the city, they tend to be richer and more tomato-based. Serve on good, long-cooking (!!!!!) grits. (Instant grits will turn to concrete on you.) I also prefer using pork because I believe the result to be much more flavorful. 1 lb thinly sliced pork (loin is good) flour, about 1 cup or less total vegetable oil, about 1/2 cup or less total 1 medium to large onion, chopped coarsely (about 1 cup or more) 5 cloves garlic, minced 2 medium tomatoes, chopped coarsely (about 1 cup or more) 4 cups (approximately) chicken or pork broth (or water) 1 T Kitchen Bouquet or other darkening liquid (optional) Salt Freshly ground black pepper Cayenne Pepper (red pepper) Tabasco Sauce (or other hot sauce) Hot cooked grits (long-cooking type, not instant or quick-cooking) Chop onions and set aside. Do the same for the garlic and tomatoes, setting each aside in a separate dish. Take thinly sliced pork and if any pieces are significantly larger than 2" x 4", cut into smaller pieces. Lay the pieces out on a working surface and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper. Turn pieces over and do the same to the other side. In a shallow bowl, put about 1/2 cup flour. If desired, mix in some ground black pepper and cayenne pepper. Move the meat pieces to a plate. Take meat pieces along with dish of flour to a work surface next to or near your stovetop. Take a cast iron dutch oven (preferably) and heat over medium to medium-high heat. When hot, add about 1/4 c vegetable oil. Take meat pieces, dredge (lightly coat) in flour, and brown in the oil over medium heat. You will not be able to do all of the meat at once, so just brown several pieces at a time and remove to a plate as they are done. Continue until all meat pieces have been browned and removed to a plate. You may have to add some more oil as you go along. DO NOT drain the meat pieces on paper toweling. When all meat has been browned, add about 1/4 cup flour to the pan drippings. If there is not enough oil to absorb the flour, add what is necessary. Cook the flour slowly (medium heat should be fine) until it begins to turn brown. (Note: You may stop browning the flour sooner if you use Kitchen Bouquet or other browning sauce. Light brown will be fine in this case.) Now add garlic and saute briefly until fragrant. Immediately add onion. Continue stirring. This will become a big "glue-like" mess, but that's OK. Cook for about 1 - 2 minutes, or until onions begin to get tender. Now add tomatoes and saute for another minute. Add broth or water, stirring well to mix vegetable mixture with liquid. Return meat pieces (and any juices on plate) to dutch oven with stew mixture. Add Kitchen bouquet, cayenne pepper as desired (we add anywhere from 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon, depending on how spicy we want the dish), and simmer uncovered for about 30 - 45 minutes, or until meat is tender and sauce has thickened. If necessary, add water to keep from getting too thick. At the end of cooking time, season with salt to taste. In the meantime, cook the grits (they take about 20 - 30 minutes). To serve: Put a glob of grits on your plate, pour grillades on top, add Tabasco sauce, salt, pepper, and/or cayenne pepper as desired. Non-country-style grillades: More sophisticated versions do not use a roux (mixing and browing flour in the meat drippings). Instead, you would brown the meat pieces, saute the garlic & onions, add tomatoes and saute until they collapse. Add (approximately 1 1/2 cups) broth or stock (usually veal stock is used) and thicken with some tomato paste. Add cayenne pepper, salt, & black pepper (& Tabasco sauce) to taste. Simmer until meat is tender. Oh, yeah....fancier versions use veal instead of pork or beef and also use much less garlic. You can also play around with the spices (thyme, oregano, mustard powder, cumin, or whatever you think you would like). Grillades are also good on rice for dinner. We like them for brunches because we can cook them up a day in advance and simple rewarm them and cook the grits in the morning. *** Enjoy, -- Carol