Chief Longwind Of The North
Certified/Certifiable
We've spoken about the perfect turkey, the perfect potatoes, the perfect dressing, and a host of other must-have items for the Thanksgiving day feast. I think though, that there may be some less experienced cooks here who have yet to master gravy, what makes it taste great, how to get the best texture, what variations might take there gravy, or sauce right over the top.
I will offer one great gravy recipe for the upcoming feast, thickening the broth with a cornstarch slurry, a flour slurry, or a roux. It will be based on turkey broth, but the technique would work for pork, chicken, beef, lamb, even fish. Here's how I make my own gravy, and the ingredients I use to insure maximum flavor.
Ingredients:
2 smoked turkey drumsticks
Giblets, livers, and neck from the turkey
Salt
1 stalk Celery
Sage
Fresh Onion
Ground pepper (optional)
Place the drumsticks into a pot with three cups of water. Turn heat to medium high under the pot. Dice the livers and giblets and add to the pot. Slice the celery into two-inch chunks and add to the pot. Peel and dice the onion, and add that to the pot as well. Add about 1 tsp. of salt, 1/4 tsp. ground sage, and 1/4 tsp ground pepper. Bring to a boil.
When the water comes to a boil, turn the heat to its lowest setting and cover the pot. Let simmer for 1 hour.
This process can be sped up by putting the ingredients into a pressure cooker, bringing to pressure, and cooking for thirty minutes.
When the time has elapsed, remove the lid from the pot, or release the pressure from the PC and remove the lid. Use a tablespoon to remove a bit of the liquid. Let that cool and taste it. Does it taste right? If not, add more seasoning to your taste by sprinkling in a little more, letting it cook for five minutes or so, and re-testing. When it tastes the way you want it, strain it through a fine mess strainer. Reserve the meat from the neck, and chop the liver and giblets to add to your stuffing/dressing, if you like them. If not, discard. You can add the onions back into the broth if you so desire. They will add a bit of depth. I recommend blnding them with a little broth, so that the onion haters in your groups won't even know that the onions are in there. They will just love the richer flavor.
Add the liquid back into the pot and bring to a rolling boil. Turn down the heat to medium and let boil for another eight to ten minutes to concentrate the broth. This part is especially important if you are going to thicken with a cornstarch slurry, as that will dilute the sauce or gravy. If using a roux to thicken your gravy, make sure you haave about 2 1/2 cups of broth to work with.
To thicken with a cornstarch slurry, add 2 heaping tbs. of cornstarch to 1/2 cup of cold water. Stir until all lumps are gone. Slowly stir this slurry into the boiling broth. It will thicken in less than a minutes. Remove from heat and cover.
If thickening with a flour slurry, place three tbs. of flour into a bowl. Add just enough water to make a smooth paste. It is essential to make a very smooth paste. Once the paste is made, add a little more water and stir until a smooth slurry is formed. Slowly stir the flour slurry into the mildly boiling broth. Continue stirring until the gravy thickens. The stirring is more easily accomplished with a balloon whisk.
For a roux-thickened gravy, melt three tbs. butter in a shallow pan. When the butter is bubbling, add three tbs. of flour, and 1/4 tsp. of salt. Stir over medium heat until it turns lightly yellow in color (blonde). This is what is called - roux. Whisk the roux from the shallow pan into the pot of boiling broth. Continue whisking for two minutes to let the gravy thicken.
With all of the above, if the gravy or sauce isn't thick enough, whisk in more slurry, or roux until it's just where you want it. Taste, and correct the seasoning.
If you want to add mushrooms, Chop them, then saute' them gently until they begin to soften. Add them to your gravy and let them finish cooking in the simmering pot. Any juices that accumulated in the pan used to saute the mushrooms should be added to the gravy.
Now, I need more wonderful gravy recipes. Let's give our less experienced cooks our best gravy recipes.
Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
I will offer one great gravy recipe for the upcoming feast, thickening the broth with a cornstarch slurry, a flour slurry, or a roux. It will be based on turkey broth, but the technique would work for pork, chicken, beef, lamb, even fish. Here's how I make my own gravy, and the ingredients I use to insure maximum flavor.
Ingredients:
2 smoked turkey drumsticks
Giblets, livers, and neck from the turkey
Salt
1 stalk Celery
Sage
Fresh Onion
Ground pepper (optional)
Place the drumsticks into a pot with three cups of water. Turn heat to medium high under the pot. Dice the livers and giblets and add to the pot. Slice the celery into two-inch chunks and add to the pot. Peel and dice the onion, and add that to the pot as well. Add about 1 tsp. of salt, 1/4 tsp. ground sage, and 1/4 tsp ground pepper. Bring to a boil.
When the water comes to a boil, turn the heat to its lowest setting and cover the pot. Let simmer for 1 hour.
This process can be sped up by putting the ingredients into a pressure cooker, bringing to pressure, and cooking for thirty minutes.
When the time has elapsed, remove the lid from the pot, or release the pressure from the PC and remove the lid. Use a tablespoon to remove a bit of the liquid. Let that cool and taste it. Does it taste right? If not, add more seasoning to your taste by sprinkling in a little more, letting it cook for five minutes or so, and re-testing. When it tastes the way you want it, strain it through a fine mess strainer. Reserve the meat from the neck, and chop the liver and giblets to add to your stuffing/dressing, if you like them. If not, discard. You can add the onions back into the broth if you so desire. They will add a bit of depth. I recommend blnding them with a little broth, so that the onion haters in your groups won't even know that the onions are in there. They will just love the richer flavor.
Add the liquid back into the pot and bring to a rolling boil. Turn down the heat to medium and let boil for another eight to ten minutes to concentrate the broth. This part is especially important if you are going to thicken with a cornstarch slurry, as that will dilute the sauce or gravy. If using a roux to thicken your gravy, make sure you haave about 2 1/2 cups of broth to work with.
To thicken with a cornstarch slurry, add 2 heaping tbs. of cornstarch to 1/2 cup of cold water. Stir until all lumps are gone. Slowly stir this slurry into the boiling broth. It will thicken in less than a minutes. Remove from heat and cover.
If thickening with a flour slurry, place three tbs. of flour into a bowl. Add just enough water to make a smooth paste. It is essential to make a very smooth paste. Once the paste is made, add a little more water and stir until a smooth slurry is formed. Slowly stir the flour slurry into the mildly boiling broth. Continue stirring until the gravy thickens. The stirring is more easily accomplished with a balloon whisk.
For a roux-thickened gravy, melt three tbs. butter in a shallow pan. When the butter is bubbling, add three tbs. of flour, and 1/4 tsp. of salt. Stir over medium heat until it turns lightly yellow in color (blonde). This is what is called - roux. Whisk the roux from the shallow pan into the pot of boiling broth. Continue whisking for two minutes to let the gravy thicken.
With all of the above, if the gravy or sauce isn't thick enough, whisk in more slurry, or roux until it's just where you want it. Taste, and correct the seasoning.
If you want to add mushrooms, Chop them, then saute' them gently until they begin to soften. Add them to your gravy and let them finish cooking in the simmering pot. Any juices that accumulated in the pan used to saute the mushrooms should be added to the gravy.
Now, I need more wonderful gravy recipes. Let's give our less experienced cooks our best gravy recipes.
Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
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