Grillades

Serving brunch?  You will need a Grits and Grillades recipe if you want to do it the "New Orleans" way. This is not the veal steak "Grillades".   It is just a lean cut of beef (round steak) simmered in a delicious gravy.

See how the meat is so tender it's falling apart?

Ingredients:

• 4 lbs. of round steak cut into ½ inch strips
• 1 lb. of bacon
• ½ C. vegetable oil
• ½ C. flour
• 2 C. of chopped onions
• 1 C. of chopped bell pepper
• 1 C. of chopped celery
• 6 cloves of mined garlic
• 1 bunch of green onions finely chopped
• ½ C. of fresh parsley finely chopped
• 2 T. Worcestershire Sauce
• 2 T. Crystal or Louisiana hot sauce
• 1 T. salt
• 1 T. Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning
• 1 t. thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 can crushed tomatoes
• 1 can Rotel tomatoes
• 1 C. beef broth
• 1 C. red wine

Directions:

1.    Fry bacon in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until crisp and remove from pot

2.    Brown round steak in the bacon fat and remove from pot

3.    Make a dark roux with oil, flour, and drippings from browning the meat. This starts as a brown color because of the meat drippings.  Be careful to cook the roux long enough, at least 15 minutes.

4.    Add onions, bell pepper, and celery and cook until limp

5.    Add garlic and cook for 1 minute

6.    Add meat, crumbled bacon, and all of the other ingredients to the pot

7.    Cook on a low heat, covered, and stirring occasionally for about 4 hours

8.    When the meat looks like it is starting to fall apart and the gravy starts to thicken up “It’s DONE”

Tips and Tricks:

·        I’ve tried cooking this in the crock pot and I didn’t have success.  I have friends who say it can be done.

·        I usually start this the night before I am serving it.  I cook it for about 2 hours and then put it in the refrigerator.  The day it is being served I cook it for the additional 3 hours.  You know the theory on the flavors getting to “marry” in the refrigerator.

·        This is great with grits.  I make a Garlic Cheese Grits to serve with this.  Follow my link to get the recipe.