72 years old from Richard, Louisiana preparing a calf steak in a gravy & corn maque-choux

Faye Richard Venable is a descendant of the Richard and Guidry families of St. Landry and Acadia Parish. She grew up in the farming and sharecropping community of Richard surrounded by her siblings, cousins, and a few neighbors. As a child, she helped her parents pick cotton, potatoes, and corn.

She married Albert Venable and had four children. She served her community as a police dispatcher and the assistant food service supervisor of the local nursing home. Faye spends her time reading her Bible, spending time with her family, and visiting seafood buffets.

Learn more about Faye’s life from her oral history while you prepare your mise en place for this delicious Cajun staple.

Faye is the first addition to Ya MeeMaw’s Magnalite Collection. She chose to prepare two of her favorite dishes, calf steak in a gravy and corn maque-choux. Preparing a calf steak for a gravy involves the extensive boiling of the meat, a cooking method found within Acadian communities in Acadie centuries ago. Corn has historically been a staple among the Cajun community. Faye learned how to shuck and process corn in her family’s barn at a young age. Her corn maque-choux is a creamy corn side dish typically made with fresh corn, but she wanted to show an alternative version.

To make Faye’s calf steak in a gravy, here’s what you’ll need:

• vegetable oil
• 1 large beef round steak
• 1 large diced white onion
• 1/2 large diced green bell pepper
• minced garlic
• 4 oz can mushroom pieces and stems
• 2 packets brown gravy mix (prepared)
• 1 packet Lipton onion soup mix
• lots and lots of water
• salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, Cajun seasoning

To make Faye’s corn maque-choux, you will need:

• 1/2 large diced white onion
• 1/2 large diced green bell pepper
• 2 cans cream style corn
• 2 cans whole kernel corn
• OR fresh corn, about 6 ears
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes with green peppers, celery, and onion. She uses a little over 1/4 of the can with the juice
• water
• salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, Cajun seasoning

Faye recommends starting with the steak in a gravy, as that takes about 2 and a half to 3 hours.

Beef steak in a gravy:

1. Into a large cast iron or magnalite pot, add enough vegetable oil to cover the bottom and heat on high.
2. Season your calf steak with salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper.
3. Add your entire steak and fill the pot up with water.
4. Boil for about 1 hour and 30 minutes to 2 hours, checking tenderness. You should flip the entire steak at least one time. Continue to boil down the steak until most of the water has evaporated. Cover the pot with its lid to speed up the process.
5. Remove the steak and put on a plate. Cut into smaller, more manageable and servable pieces, then return steak and bone back to the pot and cover.
6. Cook all of the water out and begin to brown the steak. The brown bits at the bottom of the pot are called fond and will serve as the base of the gravy. Add a little bit of water only to prevent burning. Cook for an additional 10- 20 minutes like this. Your water is going to no longer be clear, it will have a sheen and be yellow or brown in color.
7. Add your mushroom pieces and stems, a tablespoon or two of garlic, 1 packet of Lipton’s onion soup mix, green bell peppers, and white onions. Add some more water to prevent burning.
8. Cook on high for an additional 30 minutes, then add your prepared brown gravy and about 2 cups of hot water.
9. Cook your gravy down for another 30 minutes and check that your meat is fork tender. Once your gravy is at your desired thickness, it is ready to serve over rice.

Corn maque-choux:

1. In a medium sized pot, empty your 2 cans of cream style corn and 2 cans of whole kernel corn, including the juice.
2. Add about 1/4 of the can of diced tomatoes, a stick of butter, and season with salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and Cajun seasoning to your liking.
3. Add 1/2 white onion and 1/2 green bell pepper
4. Add 4 cups of water
5. Cook on medium and reduce for about 1 hour

Faye prepared an additional side dish with her steak in a gravy: pickled beets. Click to listen to her instructions below.

See Faye’s handwritten recipe below.

ALLONS MANGER