GRILLADES

Grillades

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon Crisco oil

2 pounds veal round, cut into 2-inch squares

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 cup all-purpose flour for dredging

5 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1-1/2 cups finely chopped onions

3/4 cup finely chopped celery

1/2 cup finely chopped bell pepper

1 pound fresh tomatoes, finely chopped

1-1/2 cups veal or chicken stock

4 tablespoons prepared roux 

First, in a heavy 12-inch skillet, mix the butter and the Crisco oil together and bring it up to medium heat on the stove.

In the meantime, sprinkle the pieces of veal with the salt, black pepper and cayenne, rubbing the seasonings well into the meat with your fingers. Then vigorously dredge the veal in the flour and thoroughly brown it in the butter/oil mixture. When it's "just cooked" (which takes about a minute or so on each side), remove it from the skillet and set it on paper towels to drain. (Take special care not to overcook the meat or it will tend to dry out.)

At this point, using the drippings in the pan, saute the garlic, onions, celery and bell pepper until they become soft and tender.

Finally, put the meat back into the pot, stir in the chopped tomatoes and the veal stock, and simmer the dish covered for about an hour or until the veal is tender.

About 10 minutes before you're ready to eat, thicken the sauce in the skillet by stirring in the roux a little at a time. Then serve your grillades piping hot...over hot buttered grits.

Chef's Note: If you want to cut back on the amount of fat in your diet, instead of using a prepared roux to thicken the sauce stir in a little cornstarch and water mixed together and cook it a low boil for about a minute or so. About 3 heaping tablespoons of cornstarch in 1/4 cup of water should be more than you need.

Grits and grillades (pronounced gree-yahds) is a classic old Cajun and Creole breakfast which tastes best when served with 2 eggs fried over-easy.