Good Gravy!

When I was about to spread my wings and go out into the world, I asked my parents to teach me how to cook for myself. My mother told me I already knew how to read recipes and she gave me a cookbook. My Dad taught me to cook one thing that has served me my whole life, and that was gravy. I wasn't great at it at first, but then I read Julia Child's cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking in which, there is a whole chapter about gravy! Not called gravy, but none the less it took my gravy making to new levels and broadened my understanding.

Here is why you should learn to make gravy too! Gravy is a sauce which is based on a rue, just flour, seasoning and fat. With rue you use the same principles in making gravy to make; cheese sauce for Mac 'n' Cheese or Alfredo, white sauce for any casserole, thicken any kind of soup or stew, cook pudding and even nacho sauce! Some people say that gravy isn't healthy, but I beg to differ. When making Hamburger Gravy, for instance, you add flour and salt to the ground beef you just browned (garlic and onion, if you have it!) and then milk to form the gravy. There is no added fat, if your meat is from a healthy source you are getting good saturated fats and there is no messy waste or extra grease down the kitchen drain.

Gravy makes a meal more delicious, it's a simple addition to jazz up any boring meal you throw together quickly and it has minimal clean up. If you are having roasted chicken breast, rice and steamed veg, a simple chicken stock gravy takes the meal from 3 to 10 on the yummy scale! The French who are renouned for their cooking, apparently cover everything with sauce; hollandaise, bechamel etc.

I guess what I'm saying is, if you want to make delicious food on a budget, you should learn to make good gravy! Gravy is a sauce and basically makes everything taste better; from a can of tuna, to a veal cutlet. Doesn't matter how much is in your budget. Hollandaise is just eggs lemon and butter, aolli is just a fancy word for a well seasoned Mayonnaise that is also just eggs, fat and lemon. Bechamel is half a step from Sawmill Gravy and it is so easy to make once you understand the basics.

So if I have little money and no idea what to cook for dinner; I think of a gravy or sauce I can make, and what can go under it and next to it. No one ever complains about a meal of potatoes, egg noodles or rice and gravy. I recommend reading the Sauce and Soup section in Julia Child's book, but I have read good Home Economics books that explain it well too (although not as thoroughly or entertainingly.)

2 Tbsp Fat

2 Tbsp Flour

2 cups Liquid

-makes a thin sauce or gravy.

4 Tbsp Fat

4 Tbsp Flour

2 cups Liquid 

Yields a thicker sauce or gravy and you can play around to see how thick you prefer it, but once you add the liquid you will not want to fuss about thickness anymore.

Once the fat it hot, add the flour and salt before the fat gets too hot or starts to smoke. Let the flour cook a minute, but don't let it over cook either or it will taste burnt and won't thicken. I like to have my liquid already measured and at hand so I can quickly add it before there is trouble. Stir out any lumps while the flour cooks, add liquid and stir continuously until it starts to thicken and there are no lumps. Once it starts to thicken turn heat way down or off.

And those are my tips! Enjoy your new super-power!