Author Topic: The All-Important Gravy Thread!  (Read 40023 times)

Offline Ellemeno

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Re: The All-Important Gravy Thread!
« Reply #20 on: November 18, 2011, 04:19:47 am »
Here's Elle's gravy recipe from November 2006:  http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,6149.msg116611.html#msg116611

Elle's Golden Gravy (vegetarian)


We have several vegetarians in the family.  This gravy is delicious.  Three years ago, when the turkey gravy ran out, some of the meat-eaters grumblingly tried this, and chose to have it again the subsequent years.  Very flavorful and a lovely tawny color.  Also, loaded with all the B vitamins, including B12 (usually only found in animal products), so it really helps handle the stress of the day.

Golden Gravy

Put some flour in a dry pan.  (I like using whole wheat flour, but for a really smooth, polished sort of sauce, use white flour, or even that Wondra shaker stuff.)

Heat it slowly over heat, stirring.

Add nutritional yeast, roughly the same amount as the flour.  (Not bread yeast or brewers yeast or any other kind - nutritional yeast.  I use the large flake, but small flake would probably turn out the same.  Usually found in the bulk food section of good grocery stores.)

Pour in some olive oil and mix it til it's sort of like damp beach sand crumbles, still heating.

For the next five minutes, don't focus on anything but this.

Get a bunch of water (a pint or so?), and slowly add it to the sand mixture, stirring the whole time.  It's very fun when you first start adding the water, it hisses and thickens quickly.  Keep stirring, and adding water.  How much you add is up to you, depends on the thickness you prefer. 

Add tamari (shoyu) to taste.  (Not that Kikkoman or La Choy stuff.  The real stuff like Westbrae or San-J.)

Keep cooking for a little while.  Keep stirring.

Dee-licious on mashed potatoes, though throughout the year we usually have it on brown rice.

No foolin', my very non-health food in-laws love it.



Paul, thank you for starting a gravy thread two years ago!  I've been eating gluten-free for a few months, and it's making a very big difference in my health.  So now, in addition to my contributions to the Thanksgiving meal being vegetarian, they are going to be gluten-free too.  This weekend I'm going to make golden gravy with rice flour and see how it goes.  If the consistency isn't quite what I want, I'll try other thickeners.  I think gravy won't be hard to replace the wheat in.

Offline Jeff Wrangler

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Re: The All-Important Gravy Thread!
« Reply #21 on: November 18, 2011, 09:49:33 am »
Paul, thank you for starting a gravy thread two years ago!  I've been eating gluten-free for a few months, and it's making a very big difference in my health.  So now, in addition to my contributions to the Thanksgiving meal being vegetarian, they are going to be gluten-free too.  This weekend I'm going to make golden gravy with rice flour and see how it goes.  If the consistency isn't quite what I want, I'll try other thickeners.  I think gravy won't be hard to replace the wheat in.

Seriously--does corn starch have gluten in it?

Some of the cooks in my extended family use corn starch to thicken gravy instead of flour. If the rice flour doesn't work out and corn starch is gluten free, maybe that would work?

I love gravy. ...  ::)
"It is required of every man that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellow-men, and travel far and wide."--Charles Dickens.

Offline Ellemeno

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Re: The All-Important Gravy Thread!
« Reply #22 on: November 18, 2011, 09:06:26 pm »
Seriously--does corn starch have gluten in it?

Some of the cooks in my extended family use corn starch to thicken gravy instead of flour. If the rice flour doesn't work out and corn starch is gluten free, maybe that would work?

I love gravy. ...  ::)


Cornstarch does work, and doesn't have gluten.  I will try that, but I am looking for a little bit different consistency than what cornstarch would give - it's very, very smooth, like puddn', which is not exactly what I want.  I want a bit of ... not sure of the word.  A little more Ennis-y. 

:)  Feels good to use a Brokie reference.  Been a while.

Offline Jeff Wrangler

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Re: The All-Important Gravy Thread!
« Reply #23 on: November 18, 2011, 11:52:43 pm »
Cornstarch does work, and doesn't have gluten.

Thanks! That's interesting to know. I'm sure whatever you use will work out fine.  :)
"It is required of every man that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellow-men, and travel far and wide."--Charles Dickens.

Offline Front-Ranger

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Re: The All-Important Gravy Thread!
« Reply #24 on: November 18, 2014, 09:40:10 pm »
bumping for Thansgiving!

Here's mine.  I swear by it, and use it every year.  I like to serve turkey with red wine, such as a Zinfandel, or a Rhone, and think that red wine gravy is a natural.  Because of the wine, it's very dark, rich and aromatic, smooth and silky.  

Paul's Red Wine Turkey Gravy

1) Flavor the wine:  
While the turkey is roasting, I place the giblets (neck, heart, liver, gizzard and whatever else) in a pan on the back of the stove.  Cover with red wine (something you wouldn't be ashamed to drink), add a bay leaf and a few whole peppercorns, maybe a whole clove.  Simmer at a very low flame; add more wine if necessary.  After the turkey comes out, strain and reserve.  (You can chop and then add the giblets if you must.  I don't.)

2) Make a RouxB:
While the turkey is resting, degrease the pan drippings (those gravy separators are very handy for this).  Place the roasting pan over two burners, at medium-high heat.  There will still be some fat in the bottom of the pan, plus all the flavorful bits.  In a large jar, add a few tablespoons of flour (Wondra--superfine flour--is pretty good here).  Add water and shake vigorously.  (This sounds strange, but it prevents any lumps.) To the hot pan, add the flour-water mixture and whisk like crazy.

3) Put 'em together:
While continuing to whisk, gradually add back the degreased drippings.  Add the strained wine.  Depending on the volume desired, you can either add more wine, or water, or chicken stock.  Whisk!


 


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Offline southendmd

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Re: The All-Important Gravy Thread!
« Reply #25 on: November 26, 2014, 04:52:54 pm »
As I mentioned in the wine thread, I heard of a secret ingredient to make a savory gravy even better:  soy/tamari!  I'm gonna try adding a dash to the red wine gravy.  (I notice that it's already an ingredient in Elle's golden gravy.)

Offline Front-Ranger

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Re: The All-Important Gravy Thread!
« Reply #26 on: November 26, 2014, 07:13:18 pm »
As I mentioned in the wine thread, I heard of a secret ingredient to make a savory gravy even better:  soy/tamari!  I'm gonna try adding a dash to the red wine gravy.  (I notice that it's already an ingredient in Elle's golden gravy.)

Let us know how this comes out. I will have a mushroom gravy and am hoping it will have a delicate but still robust flavor.
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Offline Front-Ranger

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Re: The All-Important Gravy Thread!
« Reply #27 on: November 17, 2015, 06:05:05 pm »
Must resurrect Paul's gravy thread!! My question, which wracks my brain every single year, is Where should the mushrooms go, in the gravy or in the stuffing?  ???
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Offline Jeff Wrangler

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Re: The All-Important Gravy Thread!
« Reply #28 on: November 17, 2015, 09:17:38 pm »
Must resurrect Paul's gravy thread!! My question, which wracks my brain every single year, is Where should the mushrooms go, in the gravy or in the stuffing?  ???

My folks don't use mushrooms in either, but why can't you put some in both?  ???
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Online CellarDweller

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Re: The All-Important Gravy Thread!
« Reply #29 on: November 18, 2015, 09:22:47 am »
I've seen it done in both, so why not, like Jeff suggests?


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