End of March and it’s cold and rainy in New York City. Even though I cannot wait for spring and summer produce (and the correlating lighter meals that I plan to create), I am still craving hearty comfort food. Add to this craving a sincere pleasure in cooking all day long on lazy Sundays, and you get a grillades and grits.

I had been planning to do a lamb-based dish in honor of Palm Sunday, but when I went to my neighborhood butcher, I discovered they were out of stock – waiting to receive the big shipment for Easter Sunday, I suppose. Looking around at the other cuts of meat, ranging from free-range chicken to pork belly and tenderloin, my eye was drawn to a bowl of beef chuck toward the front of the display. At $10.50/lb., it was right in my price range for the day. I had the butcher give me a pound of the grass-fed meat – enough for dinner for two and lunch the next day.

Thus inspired, I gave my daddy, the meat master, a call and asked him how exactly one goes about preparing grillades. He consulted his John Folse (the Encyclopedia of Cajun & Creole Cuisine) and listed off the ingredients, while I tried to memorize them on my way to the store. I had most of the things I needed, just had to grab a red pepper, garlic powder, a can of crushed tomatoes, and a jalapeno. Then, within an oven-friendly pot, you brown the meat and set it aside. You bring up the roux; add the veggies, then tomatoes, red wine, stock, and the herbs. Bring to a boil and throw into a 350° oven for an hour and a half to two hours.

the ingredients

The key to good grillades, he underscored, is the roux. Unlike a gumbo, the roux for grillades is darkened, which means you cook it longer, without letting it burn. I did not realize how time-intensive the process of bringing up a roux was. After browning the garlic-powdered meat and chopping the vegetables, I added 1 part olive oil and 1 part flour to the jus of the meat. I stirred it together over medium heat…for 45 minutes. For 45 minutes, I stood over the heat of the pot, scraped down the sides, made sure it didn’t boil or burn, and caressed it into a happy and healthy roux.

Finally, when it turned a healthy shade of medium brown, I added chopped onion, garlic, red bell pepper, and celery to the roux. Dad had warned that the new additions might make the smooth roux slightly clumpy, but I didn’t end up having that issue. I let the veggies simmer for about 10 minutes, still stirring continuously, before adding stock, crushed tomatoes, jalapeno, and red wine (I used a delicious Cahors, which I ended up drinking with the meal as well – the right amount of leather, liquorice, blackcurrant, and earth). I let this come to a soft boil before adding thyme, more garlic powder, salt, pepper, 3 bay leaves, and some freshly chopped basil. I gave it a stir and popped it into the oven for 2 full hours.

When the time came to serve the grillades, I prepared the grits. Mom had sent me home at Christmas with a package of stone ground cheese grits from South Carolina that were surprisingly quick – boil the water with a tablespoon of butter, added the contents of the package, reduce heat, and simmer for 12-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. When they were ready, I plated the meal, grits topped with grillades meat and jus. I was so excited that I forgot the parsley garnish, not that I missed it.