CREOLE BEEF GRILLADES AND CHEESE GRITS

CREOLE BEEF GRILLADES AND CHEESE GRITS image

Categories Beef

Yield 6-8 servings

Number Of Ingredients 22

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Ingredients

For Beef Grillades:
1 teaspoon each: paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, thyme
1 3-pound beef shoulder, sliced into 1/2 thick cutlets
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup rendered bacon fat, or 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 large yellow onion, finely diced
1 stalk celery, finely diced
1 small red or green bell pepper, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups canned chopped tomatoes with juices
2 cups beef stock
2 springs fresh thyme
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Hot Sauce
2 scallions, green parts only), finely chopped
For the cheese Grits:
Coarse salt
1 cup stone-ground white corn grits
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons mascarpone or cream cheese
1/4 cup grated Edam or Swiss cheese

Steps:

Make the Beef Grillades: Mix the spices together. Season the beef with salt and pepper. Season the flour with the Creole spices and reserve 1/4 cup. Put the remaining 1 3/4 cups flour in a large, shallow bowl, and then dredge the beef in the flour, shaking off the excess. Heat the rendered bacon fat or butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the cutlets until golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side, making sure not to overcrowd the pan (you might have to cook in batches). Set aside the cooked cutlets on a paper towel-lined plate. Add the onions to the same pan, lower the heat to medium, and cook until the onions are a deep mahogany color, about 10 minutes. Add the celery, bell peppers and garlic and cook for another 5 minutes. Add a tablespoon of the reserved seasoned flour to the pan and mix well. Add the tomatoes and beef stock to the pan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the thyme, red pepper flakes, bay leaf and Worcestershire sauce; return the beef cutlets to the pan. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes, or until the meat is fork-tender. Discard the bay leaf. add hot sauce to taste and more salt and pepper as desired. To serve, put a heaping spoonful of Cheese Grits on a serving plate, top with 2 or 3 pieces of beef, and spoon the sauce over the meat. Garnish with scallions. Make the Cheese Grits: In a large saucepan over high heat, bring 5 cups of salted water to a boil while slowly whisking in the grits. Reduce the heat to medium low; cover and cook for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally and making sure the grits aren't sticking to the bottom of the pan; adjust the heat to low if the grits are cooking too quickly. Remove the cooked grits from the heat and stir in the butter, mascarpone or cream cheese and grated cheese. Season with sat to taste and serve warm.