any
will say that the mark of a good cook is her gravy. Well, that may not
be true because I know many good cooks who choose those little gravy
packets or gravy in a jar rather than taking a few minutes to mix up a
fresh homemade gravy. Here are the simple steps. It will take me longer
to type this out than to run to the kitchen and make gravy, so, let's
get started.
You will need
- 1/4 cup water
- 3 cups Turkey or chicken broth
- Turkey drippings
- 3 teaspoons Corn Starch
- Salt and Pepper to taste
You may want the turkey giblets if you are making giblet
gravy. You may also want to plan ahead and make your own turkey broth by
simmering the neck, a small onion,and the giblets in 2-3 quarts of
water on the back of the stove. Bring the pot to a boil, cover and
reduce the heat. I usually put this together right after I put the bird
in the oven and just let it simmer while the bird cooks. Honestly, I
have even forgotten it on occasion and my kids would remind me to get
the pot and make their gravy.
After you remove the bird from the
oven, scrape the drippings from the roaster into a skillet. You can also
put the roaster directly on the burner, if you are comfortable doing
this. You may need to skim off any excess fat, but I have noticed over
the years that there is not usually enough to worry about and a couple
of teaspoons of fat helps make the flavor richer.
Mix the
cornstarch into the 1/4 cup water, stir to dissolve. You will get a sort
of paste. You can increase or decrease the amount of liquid but follow
the 1 teaspoon cornstarch to 1 cup liquid rule. For example, if you have
3 cups of broth, you would need 1/4 cup of water with 3 teaspoons of
corn starch dissolved in it.
Pour the broth into the roaster or
skillet stirring to mix. If using the roaster directly, you will be able
to get off all the flavorful bits baked onto the bottom and an added
bonus is easier cleanup.
Bring your broth and drippings to a soft
boil over medium heat. If you used homemade turkey broth, it is already
hot so it will not take more than a minute or two. When the liquids
begin to boil, stir in the cornstarch mixture with a fork or wire whisk.
Stir continuously until the mixture returns to a full boil. Remove from
heat. Stir in the chopped up giblets of a little of the turkey meat if
you wish to make a giblet version. I usually will slit the gravy into
two containers, one with giblets and one without. Let stand a minute or
two.
Salt and pepper to taste. You should now take a little piece
of bread or a little of your great stuffing and, dip it into the gravy.
Taste your wonderful hearty healthy homemade gravy. After all, you have
done all this work, you have earned the right to the first taste.
Pour
the gravy into a gravy boat or small bowl and don't forget to include a
spoon or small gravy ladle so your family can easily help themselves.
If you have never made gravy before, you should have no problem
following these simple directions. If you have used those packets
before, you can probably do this in your sleep. And in spite of the easy
method, you end up with a delicious, healthier version of something
your family loves.
BONUS: This is a standard gravy recipe. You can
use it to make almost any type of gravy. Try substituting different
liquids. Milk for a white gravy perfect for sausage and gravy to pour
over biscuits, beef broth and drippings for a hearty brown gravy that is
perfect on potatoes, of chicken broth for a lighter chicken gravy. You
can also make a fruit sauce to pour over fresh fruit by substituting
your favorite fruit juice. My husband loves pineapple sauce which is
simply a fruit gravy.
Gravy is a simple addition you can bring to
any meal that will give you the taste and feel of down home cooking.
Your family will soon be asking you to make your famous gravy.
I am Barbara Cagle and I have been working and playing online
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