Sunday Gravy with yeah right: Let’s Get Smothered!

Good morning DFO!

It’s damn good to be back. 

We’re at the “Acceptance” portion of the offseason grieving process now. Season is over, man! I understand that now! Doesn’t mean I have to fucking like it but I ACCEPT!

As an equal opportunity sports fan let’s hope that baseball pulls their heads out of their collective asses in time to not fuck up the entire upcoming season.

Fuck that we have FOOD!

We return again to our southern food roots today with another delicious, scratch-made venture into the “soul food” realm. Many of you should be familiar with todays style of “smothering” a protein. Some of you probably remember when we made smothered steak – check out our previous effort from back in the before times of 2019.

Fucking UNHOLY deliciousness right there.

In addition to smothered steak, there’s also smothered pork chops, smothered chicken and well, you get the idea.

This technique today involves some diced veggies and herbs and a stock that’s slow simmered over a protein (or two!) and roasted until tender and delicious. The smothered dish is then served over a healthy serving of starch and plated for your calorie filled enjoyment!

That’s exactly what we’re going after today.

To show you the adaptability of this recipe, that link to the smothered steak is an entirely different recipe for smothering than todays recipe. Primarily because I wanted to “beef up” the smothered steak…

Here begins the lesson.

Have you ever been confused about what’s Creole cooking vs. what’s Cajun cooking?

That’s alright, it is indeed easy to confuse the two. Some folks believe that in New Orleans the cooking is ALL Creole cooking, a cuisine more deeply rooted in African or Caribbean tastes and techniques, while the crazy swamp-dwelling denizens or “Acadians” living out in the godforsaken wild of Louisiana claim the culinary term “Cajun” for themselves.

Take todays meal as an example.

It starts with this.

You regular readers and the culinary-advanced among us know that this is the makings of a mire poix. Textbook French cooking technique.

The Acadians, who later became the Cajuns hailed originally from Eastern Canada. Hence the French influence.

Which, short story long, means we will be using a Cajun cooking technique today.

The art of “Smothering” a protein is deeply fucking Cajun and deeply Southern.

I can personally vouch for it being goddamn delicious.

This is the good shit and the basic roots of what Sunday Gravy is all about. 

The reason we are doing two proteins today is to show off the versatility of the preparation as well as having the end benefit of consuming two different types of meat!

Did a younger yeah right who loved smothered steak but was lacking in the culinary skills department, season some sirloin steaks with salt, pepper, dredge in flour, brown the steaks, cover with a can of cream of mushroom soup and slow cook in the oven for a couple of hours only to serve the whole thing over mashed potatoes?

Reader? You goddamn well know that’s the truth.

All of my shit is self-taught, strait up trial and error business and it all traces back to my overall love of food.

Let’s get going on this here motherfucker shall we?

We shall.

Dice up your mire poix like so.

Celery.

Most of you out there can explain by now why the fine mince. Obviously, we’re doing a shorter cooking time than a longer, slower braise.

Do the same with the onion. 

Repeat with the carrots.

Now put the final mince on the garlic.

The inspiration for this dish was simply having a couple of leftover pork chops in the freezer. Knowing full well that 2 skinny ass pork chops was not enough for a proper meal I decided to add an additional protein.

I’ve been on a full-on thigh and leg kick when preparing/consuming chicken lately and I don’t see that shit changing anytime soon.

Since “smothering’ is a true Southern technique, we’re saying “Fuck the calorie concerns” and we’re going real butter for our sauté action. Not just any butter either. I’ve been using European style butter lately for its higher butterfat content.

Somewhere in Hell Paula Dean nods knowingly.

Let’s get that pork up in the pan first. Dredge with flour first then into the hot pan.

Simple seasoning today. Salt, pepper and “Essence.” Some folks use only cayenne instead of essence but I like the addition of the other spices found in the essence. Thyme and dried oregano for instance.

Next take out your chicken stock. Remember last week when we did enchiladas and I got a free batch of chicken stock when prepping the chicken?

This shit is that shit.

You can practically see it jiggle!

Give the pork chops a turn. These are thin cut so it’s just a few minutes per side.

Nice!

Let’s do the same browning process with the chicken next.

Same seasonings, 5 minutes per side and then give them the flip.

Oh hell yes. Think of the possibilities with this shit.

After the meat has been removed from the pan we will put a quick brown/wilt on the diced veggies.

These will go for about 5 minutes or so until the veggies are translucent. Season with a little salt and pepper. When the veggies are translucent add in the garlic for just a few seconds.

We’re going to need 3 cups of that homemade stock for this dish. Let’s see how much stock we had on hand.

Fucking bingo! Exactly 3 cups of stock.

Serendipity graces us once again.

Add the stock to the pot.

Then bring to a simmer.

Let this simmer and reduce down for say 15 minutes or so. In addition to making a thicker gravy it will intensify the flavors in the sauce.

Now add the browned proteins back to the pot.

Cover with a lid and then get this baby into a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes to an hour.

What’s going to happen during the time in the oven, the flour that coats the pork and chicken will use its magic coagulating powers and start to make this shit into a motherfucking GRAVY!

And if I’m not mistaken that’s why the fuck we’re here in the first place.

Next, cook some damn rice.

Of course you could serve this over potatoes or noodles or various other starches of your choosing but there’s something singularly satisfying about rice and gravy.

Sure, cook some corn too.

When the rice is done slap some on your plate.

Now scoop up that meat and gravy and smother that shit!

Check it out! Shit yes that’s some homemade garlic bread from scratch. I figure after last season you’ve probably seen enough homemade bread making for this lifetime.

I ate the pork chop first because, well it’s pork.

Holy fucking shit!

That was followed by a plate of the smothered chicken.

Get in real close why don’tcha?

The smothered chicken thighs were outstanding. That thigh meat was cooked perfectly and it tasted like…CHICKEN!

Both meats were dynamite. The slow braising and the smothering allow the seasonings to seep all the way through the meat. Yet still, there was a definite difference between the pork chop and the chicken.

I would eat the fuck out of either one of these two proteins over and over again.

That rice and gravy shit is what makes the whole thing sing though. You fellow devotees of the Southern cooking method know exactly what the fuck I’m talking about here. So very satisfying and so very, very delicious.

That homemade garlic bread allows the consumer to apply their best “sopping” techniques and it’s got the garlic bite and that soft interior texture?

Are you fucking shitting me over here?

That’s a goddamn gravy and THAT is why we gather here to sing it’s praises.

If I was religious at all I might toss out a “Praise Jesus” or some shit but the one thing I definitely AIN’T is a goddamn hypocrite.

Make this dish people. Enjoy this dish. Strike that. Fall in love with this dish.

This is life and its enjoyment encapsulated on one very delicious plate.

You’re welcome.

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday everyone.

Be well and let’s keep treating each other with dignity and respect.

See you next week people.

PEACE!