This recipe is from our New Orleans Kitchen feature.
Grillades (pronounced GREE-ahds), perhaps the quintessential New Orleans brunch dish, are pounded thin slices of beef, veal or pork, typically inexpensive cuts like round steak that tenderize over low and slow preparation. The seasoned meat is cooked slowly in a rich roux-gravy, informed, of course, by the holy trinity. The meat must be spoon-tender, not melted away into the gravy, but swimming in all that goodness. Creamy corn grits are the perfect accompaniment, sometimes enhanced with gruyere cheese, garlic and of course plenty of butter. The ultimate comfort brunch specialty gets even better because its flavors only improve when prepared the night before the party.
Although its roots aren’t well defined, grits and grillades are a staunchly south Louisiana dish, unlike, say shrimp and grits which comes from the Carolinas. Chef John Folse posits one origin theory on his website jfolse.com. The Cajun chef believes that the dish originated when the country butchers preparing the boucherie sliced fresh pork into cutlets and pan-fried them with sliced onions. The cooking likely took place in black iron pots over boucherie fires. The grillades were then eaten over grits or rice throughout the day.
Chef Scot Craig’s traditional recipe for the brunch specialty is sometimes a special at Katie’s, his family-owned brunch spot in Mid-City. So popular that lines out the door aren’t unusual, Katie’s doesn’t take reservations, but the wait is worth it.
Recipe courtesy of chef Scot Craig, owner Katie’s Restaurant and Bar.
Grits and Grillades
Chef Scot Craig’s traditional recipe for the brunch specialty is sometimes a special at Katie’s, his family-owned brunch spot in Mid-City. So popular that lines out the door aren’t unusual, Katie’s doesn’t take reservations, but the wait is worth it.
Ingredients
2 cups grits
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 clove garlic, chopped
4 Tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1/4 green bell pepper, chopped
1/4 red onion, chopped
1 Tbsp tomato, cut into small cubes
1 Creole seasoning
1 cup beef stock
1 cup veal stock
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup flour, plus more for dusting
4 (4-ounce) pieces veal, pounded 1/16-inch thick
Directions
- Cook the grits according to package directions. Keep warm.
- Bring the cream and garlic to a boil in a stockpot until the cream rises. Add the butter and whisk until creamy. Add the peppers, onions, tomatoes and Creole seasoning to the pot and simmer until soft, 15 to 20 minutes. Add the beef stock, veal stock, tomato sauce, red wine and 2 cups water and bring to a boil.
- Meanwhile, in a frying pan, whisk together the olive oil and flour and cook until it becomes dark brown to make a roux. After the ingredients in the stockpot begin to boil, add the roux and whisk until the sauce thickens. Cook on low, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes.
- Dust the veal with flour. Pour 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large frying pan and sauté the veal until golden brown, about 90 seconds per side. Take the veal out of the pan and cut into strips. Place 1/2 cup grits on the bottom of a large bowl. Add the veal strips and sauce.
