Dinner Inspired by Paula Deen

I just finished reading Paula Deen's It Ain't All About the Cookin and was just craving southern food for dinner! I highly recommend the book BTW because it's very inspiring with lots of good laughs and of course, LOTS of food talk! You really feel like Paula's actually talking to you and she's just as real as you can get. Anyway, I remember watching her make Grillades and Grits on a recent show and decided to make my version of it. Hey, I might not be a southern girl, but I do know how to make some mean grits! Do you know what the secret is? Stir in a lil sour cream at the end and you'll end up with some SUPER creamy grits with just a touch of tang.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb boneless pork, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp oil
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 c onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp flour
1 c beef broth
1 bay leaf
1 Tbsp Louisiana hot sauce
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp dried thyme 1/4 tsp dried basil
1 c tomatoes with green chiles, undrained
Freshly chopped parsley, for garnish
Grits, for serving

Prep:

1. Dredge the pork in cornstarch and toss lightly. Heat oil and butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown meat for 5 minutes and remove to a plate.

2. Add onion and garlic. Sauté until browned. Add flour, stirring constantly and slowly until flour is a nice deep brown, being careful not to burn the flour.

3. Slowly add beef broth, bay leaf, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, thyme and basil. Stir and bring to a boil.

4. Add pork back along with tomatoes.  Turn heat down to a simmer. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until pork is cooked through.

5. Remove bay leaves and stir in the parsley. Serve over hot grits.