I have been sitting here trying to decide what to write about. Should it be what I am making for supper tonight (shepherds pie) or the fine art of gravy. The pie has just come out of the oven and I think it smells pretty dern good but...to make shepherds pie, you must make gravy (or you can cheat and buy it in the bottle but what fun is that?).
To me fine gravy is like fine wine, they both take time. I must say first I LOVE gravy. I love it on everything! If it weren't for gravy we would never have rice in our house, not very southern but I'm from New York so what the heck. My first Mother In Law (whom I love dearly) would shake some Wondra into the fat and call it gravy, I have friends that serve Thanksgiving gravy from the can or jar....Gravy Sacrilege! My mother taught me how to make it and I believe I have taught the girls how to make it. Time, patience, corn starch and water...those are the ingredients needed. Oh also fat from the meat and the proper pan.
To make proper gravy (just in time for Thanksgiving)
The fat from the meat (I mean all of it) in the pan it was roasted in (it best be metal)
About a tablespoon of corn starch
A glass of water
Place the pan with the fat on the stove, add the cornstarch. Set at a mid medium temperature for a minute or two. Leaving the temperature where it is, when thickened add some water and stir, add more water and stir some more. Do the same for a while. Add more water, stir some more (I add lots of water and stir alot)..after about 15 minutes (or more in my case) add some salt and pepper than serve.
If you are cooking turkey or other birds, you might want to simmer the innards in some water with a bit of onion for about half and hour, chop up the liver and anything else palatiable, use the water and what you have of the innards in the gravy.
So there it is, the fine art of gravy making!
Heck, I've even figured out how to veggie-fy it--caramelizing onions in too much oil until everything is rich and tasty and brown, and then starting in with the corn starch and water and whatnot.
ReplyDeleteWhich reminds me. I really really really want stuffing when I come home in January. I can never get it to turn out right when I make it myself...Mostly because the bread never ever seems to go stale....
So stuffing you shall have when you come home in January. We just need to make sure we have enough poultry seasoning (durkee's only), onions and white bread.
ReplyDeleteI am proud that you have the gravy secret!
I think the one ingredient I never have is patience. :-)
ReplyDeleteBut you are inspiring me to try!!
Cornstarch does work wonders for gravy. It's my first choice and I'm trying your recipe next time I make gravy, Colleen. So Thanks for sharing. J "the bread never goes stale" is that the climate you live in or a great love of bread?
ReplyDeleteStephen, I grew up using Cornstarch to make gravy and I think it tastes great. Glad to see I am not the only one.
ReplyDeleteJuJu, I am learning patience with cooking. It has taken a few years and I think baking bread has helped me. That's not to say it has worked anywhere else!
Thinking about the stale bread, when I was young my mother would have us break the bread the night before she was going to use it. We would put it in a paper bag. I am thinking now that it absorbs the moisture in the bread and stops it from molding which happens here very quickly. I thought she just didn't have anything big enough to put the bread in!
Something to do with procrastination and improved preservatives. I might have to start using home-made or bakery bread instead of grocery store sammich bread.
ReplyDeleteStrange things in the supermarket bread aisles these days.