We here at Silk Road Gourmet get right to the recipe without lengthy introductions, life stories and a million pop up ads. We start with a short introduction, then the recipe, and then sometimes the life stories, history, and descriptions of the dish for those who are interested. If you would like to read further about this recipe, scroll down past the recipe.
Suffice it to say, I grew up with my mama making this dish about 3 times a year and it was always my favorite special occasion meal. It can be hard to find a proper version of this recipe online, so I decided to transcribe it here for y’all to enjoy.
Excerpt from the recipe: If you've never cooked greens right in the pot with meat, you're in for a pleasant surprise. You don't lose all those vitamins since you don't throw out the liquid the greens were cooked in, and the flavor is indescribable.
Ingredients:
Note: I always recommend preparing the mise en place before beginning cooking. For those who don’t know, mise en place is where you have all ingredients prepared (cut, measured, pealed, chopped, etc.) and set aside into bowls or plates, so that they are ready to be added immediately during the cooking process.
Seasoning mix:
- 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
- 1-2 teaspoons salt (to taste)
- 2 teaspoons dry mustard
- 1½ teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ¾ teaspoon white pepper
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne1½ pounds flank steak, all visible fat removed, and the beef scalloped (SEE RECIPE NOTES)
2 cups chopped yellow or white onions
12 cups mixed chopped greens, washed thoroughly (combination of collard, kale, mustard, chard, dandelion, SEE RECIPE NOTES)
6 cups defatted beef stock
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour, browned (SEE RECIPE NOTES)
6 cups cooked long-grain white rice
Step by step:
Combine the seasoning mix ingredients in a small bowl.
Sprinkle all surfaces of the scalloped (or sliced) steak evenly with 2 tablespoons of the seasoning mix and rub in well.
Preheat a heavy 5-quart pot, preferably nonstick, over high heat to 350°. about 4 minutes.
Lower the heat to medium-high, add the seasoned meat and brown it on all sides, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the onions, the remaining seasoning mix, and ½ cup of each type of greens.
Cover and cook on medium heat, scraping the bottom of the pot to clear all the brown bits, for 8 minutes.
Add 1 cup of the stock and cook, covered, for 15 minutes, checking occasionally for sticking.
Add the browned flour and mix until it is completely absorbed, the brown flour is no longer visible, and the meat looks moist and very pasty.
Add the remaining stock and greens, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, and, occasionally checking the bottom of the pot for sticking, cook until the meat and greens are tender, about 20 minutes.
Serve over white rice.
RECIPE NOTES:
To brown the flour, preheat a small nonstick skillet over medium to medium high heat. Add the specified amount of flour and stir to break up lumps. When the flour starts to brown, turn the heat to low, shaking and stirring continuously. Caution: after 4-5 minutes the flour will burn easily. As soon as it is a light, milk-chocolatey brown color, remove from heat. It takes approximately 6-10 minutes total.
Any combination of hardy greens is fine as long as the greens aren't bitter or too soft like lettuce and radicchio. My favorite mix of greens is kale, collards, and dandelion greens (foraged abundantly!), but my mama recommends mustard greens instead of dandelions, as they hold up very well while cooking and have a nice spicy, peppery flavor - chard also works well. I do not recommend spinach as it gets very mushy over long cooking periods.
I don't scallop the flank steak, I cut it into 2-3 long pieces with the grain, then slice the long pieces thin against the grain.
More Soul Food, Cajun & Southern recipes to check out:
Rest easy, Paul
Cajun and Creole cuisine was popularized by our man Paul Prudhomme, and we can thank him that so many Northerners have become familiar with it, thanks to his many cookbooks, seasoning blends, hot sauces and shit. He was born in Opelousas, Louisiana in 1940 and opened his first restaurant in his hometown at just 17 years old. Although that restaurant failed after 9 months (along with his marriage), it brought him to work at many other restaurants including the historic Le Pavillon Hotel and Commander’s Palace in New Orleans. During this time he began creating his own spice blends and giving them away to customers.
In 1979 he opened his famous restaurant K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen in the French Quarter of New Orleans. His 1984 cookbook Paul Prudhomme’s Louisiana Kitchen is the legendary cookbook that introduced Cajun and Creole cooking to the country. Believe it or not, he is also apparently credited as introducing the Turducken to the world (although maybe we don’t need to thank him too much for that).
Among many other notable things that Paul has done, he cooked free meals for residents of New Orleans staying at a relief center during Hurricane Katrina. Paul has received multiple awards in the culinary field, including an induction into the Culinary Hall of Fame.
Also, while cooking for a golf event in New Orleans, a falling bullet somehow grazed his arm. Apparently he was back to cooking within five minutes of the incident. What a legend. We love Paul Prudhomme in this house.
Paul passed away at the age of 75 in New Orleans in 2015, but he ain’t ever forgotten.
𝕊𝕀𝕃𝕂 ℝ𝕆𝔸𝔻 𝔾𝕆𝕌ℝ𝕄𝔼𝕋
X
Variety Jones
Pay to subscribe if you love and support us. If not it’s cool, everything is up for free anyway. Just enjoy that shit either way.
Our spotify playlists featuring the best music you never heard before:
Thank you.