Grillades & Grits

This recipe was featured in my newsletter dated March 14, 2007.

Grillades & Grits
by Chip Desormeaux

"Grillade" /gree-YAHD/, is a French term for grilled or broiled food. The Cajun grillades in this dish aren't grilled at all but pan-seared before being stewed for a few hours. This is a good example of Cajuns taking an inexpensive cut of meat and turning it into something spectacular!

2½# top round steak
salt & pepper
1½ c. +¼ c. flour
1 tbs. Cajun seasoning (optional)
¼ c. canola oil
2 med. onions, chopped
½ green bell pepper, chopped
4 ribs celery, chopped
1 tbs. chopped garlic
1 tbs. low sodium beef base
1 tbs. Worcestershire sauce
1 c. diced canned tomatoes
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. thyme (optional)
½ c. red burgundy wine
1 tsp. Tabasco (red or green)
2 bunches green onions, chopped
uncooked grits
milk

Click to view larger image.

Slice the round steak into little ½-inch thick steaks, about 4x4 inches or so. Between two sheets of plastic wrap, pound the steaks heavily with a mallet on both sides to tenderize them. Season with salt and pepper then dredge in flour on both sides. Set aside. (You can season the flour with "Cajun" seasoning if you like that kind of thing.)

Prepare your onions, peppers, celery and garlic in a large bowl and set aside.

Set a large Dutch oven over a high flame. Make a roux by adding ¼ c. oil and heat until smoking. Have your bowl of chopped veggies handy.

Immediately add ¼ c. of flour and stir constantly until the flour turns a reddish brown. Don't leave it alone or the mixture will burn if it sits unstirred for too long. As soon as your roux is the right color, add the veggies and stir to combine off the heat to stop the browning process.

Stir in the remaining ingredients (beef base through green onions) plus about ½ cup of water and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and cover.

Meanwhile, set a heavy cast iron skillet over a high flame with a couple tablespoons oil. Once the oil begins to smoke add two or three pieces of meat and brown on both sides. (About 2-3-minutes per side; if you do this correctly, you should end up with some blackened bits on the bottom of the pan by the second or third batch.) Continue with all the pieces of meat, setting each batch aside on a plate as you work. Add oil as necessary.

Fish out the bay leaf from the Dutch oven and add the meat, along with any juices that accumulated. Stir from the bottom up to combine thoroughly. Cover and simmer for about an hour, stirring every 10-15 minutes, scraping up the bottom. (Three hours will make it fork-tender.)

Prepare grits according to package directions, using one-third milk and two-thirds water and lots of butter! Serve the grillades (the beef) over about 1 c. of grits and top with sauce. Serve with green beans sautéed in butter and seasoned salt (par-boil them first).

Serves 4-6 generously.

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Grillades & Grits Recipe