Southern Beef & Collard Green Stew with Cheddar Grits

It has been a cold day here in the Southwest and that calls for something that can warm the soul. Apparently, there is a southern tradition that, to assure prosperity and happiness in the new year, one needs to consume collard greens early and often.  Here is what you will need on your cutting board (makes 2, 605 calorie servings ~ 20 Weight Watchers points per serving ~ expect to take 35 minutes to make);

• 8 Ounces ground short rib
• 3/4 Cup grits
• 1 Carrot
• 1 Yellow onion
• 1 Bunch of fresh parsley
• 3 Tablespoons beef demi-glace
• 2 Ounces Sharp Cheddar Cheese
• 1 Serrano Pepper
• Spices (smoked paprika, molasses powder, apple cider vinegar powder, ground mustard powder, and garlic powder) ~ enough to make roughly 2 Tablespoons total.
• Olive Oil
• Salt
• Pepper

You can find the full recipe over at Blue Apron (this is from the box this week), you do not need to be a subscriber to access the link.  Couple of call outs that might make your experience easier...

• Do not forget that you are using a Serrano pepper in here. I am not saying that it has happened to me but, I Serrano pepper juice in one's eyes can be a less than optimal experience. I didn't use gloves but, it was the last thing I prepped and I immediately washed my knife, cutting sheet, and hands once I had finished dicing them.  If you want a suggestion on how to cut these to minimize the ribs/seeds, here is a great YouTube Video that you can watch. 

           

• I loathe matchstick cutting carrots but, in this instance, I did so.  Pre-shredded carrots are too finely cut for this meal but, I suspect that you can use them to get the taste (with a sacrifice to texture).
• Use a whisk to stir your grits. Blue Apron didn't mention it but, that will help them from being clumpy. An extra set of hands to whisk the grits was very much appreciated when I was working on the beef. If I had it to do again, I would have staggered them a bit more.
• Season every-time you are prompted to do so in the recipe. You are going to feel like you are over seasoning, trust me you are not. Trust me, it will all work in the end.

I suspect that Google has it in development but, it is a damn shame that you cannot smell this cooking right now. Coupled with some George Mraz playing in the background, our home feels warm and cozy...

This was the first thing we cooked from our Blue Apron box and I will say that I was impressed with the products provided, the instructions that I needed to follow, and the end result of the meal. The fact that we loved this so much we wanted to lick our bowls clean is surprising since this meal contained products I would not normally buy (grits/collard greens) and combined them in ways I wouldn't not have thought of...