BASIC GRAVY
BY SIMBOOKER ON THE 25th JANUARY 2015
Files & Tags: recipes, index
I would never make a roast without a good gravy to go with it. It's too time consuming to include a gravy recipe for every roast that I post, so that's why I am finally posting a separate gravy recipe.
Whether it's a roast chicken, roast duck, roast lamb; there simply has to be gravy. It adds flavour and moisture, and makes dishes more exciting and quite frankly more tasty.
It's probably accurate and fair to say that I don't necessarily make gravy exactly the same way each time. But I do have a basic recipe for all the gravies I make. I always use the drippings from the meat I've roasted, I always use chicken stock or/cubes, I always use red wine, and I generally prefer to use cream over flour, if I want to thicken the gravy.
If I'm making gravy for a lamb roast I sprinkle a small amount of dried rosemary into the gravy, or I add 1 or 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary. But I generally don't use extra herbs for my gravy. I like lots of gravy, so I always make more than I need which involves using a lot of stock or water, and reducing and thickening until the gravy is the consistency that I like it. The worse thing you can do is going to the trouble of making gravy and not having enough, that's why I now use about 5 cups of stock.
BASIC GRAVY RECIPE
1. Bring a large pot of chicken stock to a boil; approx 5 cups/, or alternatively boil and simmer 5 cups of water with 2 telma chicken stock cubes and 1 beef stock cube. Add 1 whole onion sliced down centre, and 1 garlic bulb sliced down centre. If you have giblets/offal from a chicken, duck, pheasant or goose-any poultry of any kind add that to the stock I now realise that it makes for a much more flavorful gravy. Alternatively use chicken wings, they are great for flavouring stock.
The cubes should be boiled on high until melted. My choice is TELMA, nothing compares. If the stock is already rich and flavourful then you don't need to simmer for a long time, but I recommend 1 hour at the minimum-long simmering will make a more flavourful stock-gravy. If you are using cubes then simmer for approx 1 hour after boiling until they are dissolved for a more concentrated stock.
The cubes should be boiled on high until melted. My choice is TELMA, nothing compares. If the stock is already rich and flavourful then you don't need to simmer for a long time, but I recommend 1 hour at the minimum-long simmering will make a more flavourful stock-gravy. If you are using cubes then simmer for approx 1 hour after boiling until they are dissolved for a more concentrated stock.
2. Next, strain the drippings from the roast into the pot of simmering stock. Then whisk. Bring to a boil for 10 or 15 minutes, then simmer for another 5 minutes. Then taste for salt and pepper and any other ingredients you may think it needs-this is a time for adding according to your personal taste and improvisation is key here. Add seasonings according to your taste. Then add 1/4 cup or more of red wine; any of your choice and stir. I love Merlot and Port. Simmer for another 5-10 minutes and taste again. Add extra seasoning if needed.