New Orleans Style Grits and Grillades.

Thomas Hospital hosts a "Cajun Cookoff" each year where the various departments form cooking teams who prepare a Cajun dish. These dishes are then judged, and then sold as a fundraiser for charity. This year's cook-off was a few days ago, and this recipe was requested by many people.

New Orleans Style Grits and Grillades

The term “grillades” comes from the French word for “grill,” but the dish itself is pure New Orleans. It seems to have originated from the farms where pigs were slaughtered and tiny slivers of the pork were then “grilled” in cast iron skillets, seasoned and served to workers throughout the day. It is used for breakfast or supper in all rungs of the social ladder.

3 lbs. pork tenderloin, cut into bite-size cubes or strips
1 cup flour
2 tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. salt
1 cup butter
4 TBSP olive oil
1 cup diced onion
1 cup green pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 14 oz. can petite diced tomatoes
4 TBSP fresh parsley, snipped
1 tsp. ground thyme
1 cup dry red wine
1 13 oz. can beef broth
2 tsp Luzianne Cajun Seasoning

Put the flour, salt and pepper in a large plastic Ziploc bag. Add the pork, all at once, and shake to coat. Melt the butter in a large, non-stick skillet. Add the oil and heat. Add the meat, half at a time and brown on all sides. Remove from skillet and set aside.

Reduce the heat and add the onion and bell pepper to the same skillet and sauté until tender.
Add the garlic and sauté briefly. Add remaining ingredients and stir well. Return the pork to the skillet and stir. Simmer, uncovered, over a low heat for 1.5 hours, stirring occasionally.

Serve over Southern Cheese Grits Casserole.